I. Introduction
The document deals with the problem of making Sun Solaris Intel Edition operating system coexisting with other operating systems on a single x86 machine. It provides, however, general information that might be used for setting up any two, or more, operating systems per a machine.
The following operating systems were tested by the author and contributors, and are proved to coexist together:
This does not eliminate any other operating systems. The information provided may be unsatisfactory, or incomplete in such a case though.
Two variants of installation are discussed: multiple operating systems on a single hard disk drive, as well as on separate hard disk drives. Factors, which should be considered when making decision on installation are presented. Instructions on how to preserve an existing operating system are given.
Some general issues are also covered to understand the problem better. There are sections on the x86 boot process, BIOS issues, connecting and partitioning hard disk drives.
The document gives instructions on how to use Solaris, Linux and Windows NT boot managers. Some general information on third party boot managers is also provided.
There are sections devoted to Solaris x86 maintenance. Disk naming conventions are explained with examples. There are instructions on how to partition hard disks, create slices, create and mount file systems under Solaris x86.
Various example installations are presented. Their advantages and disadvantages are pointed out.
Note: The term Windows NT used in the document refers to Windows NT 4.0 as well as to Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) or XP (NT 5.1), unless it is stated otherwise.
The document is not intended to be a guide or manual for setting up any specific operating system. It contains no details on how to install any particular operating system. Only general hints and suggestions on installation are given, with focus on Solaris x86.
The guide does not contain recommendations of hardware, and could not be considered a buyer's guide.