Problem installing Sun JES 5u1 on OpenSolaris (snv_b77 x86)

Question

We have a new X4600 server dedicated to tests of the latest Sun-related software stack we could get our hands on to build a demo-installation of "the newest" for a customer, so we installed it with OpenSolaris (snv_b77 was the most recent back then).
After doing the needed tests, we decided to see how the Sun JES behaves with a recent Solaris. We have many Sun JES projects (dating back from Portal 6.0 and JES 2003Q4, JES 4 and 5/5u1); and since Solaris 10u2 (6/06) we host them in zones of a "minimalistically" configured server (approx 270 packages).
When I tried to repeat a similar approach with OpenSolaris (snv_b77) and Sun JES 5u1, the Orion(?) installer behaved differently than on Solaris 10u3 or 10u4. In particular, there are less choice options in Directory Server (i.e. no Directory Proxy Server at all), and a dozen lines in High Availability services (HA for this and HA for that, albeit "Unsupported in zones").
The bigger problem is that the installer doesn't succeed in installing some packages (Cacao, mfwk, jdmk) and configuring the products. I could manually register some of the CACAO components and get a working pair of Directory Server and DPS, now I'm fighting with the Application Server.
What's sad, I don't have to do these tricks with any recent Solaris 10 server we've had set up.
The root of the problem seems to be that the system identifies as "SunOS 5.11" and the installer doesn't seem to support that (installation goes on with a stacktrace that classes for 5_11 could not be found). Example:
PSPERR:++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {Missing Resource Exception in the loading of the PkgRelativePaths{Can't find bundle for base name com.sun.entsys.installer.common.resources.PkgRelativePaths5_11, locale en}}
I made a wrapper script for /sbin/uname which replaces "5.11" with "5.10" and linked "Solaris_11" to "Solaris_10" directories in the unpacked distribution, but these steps did not help.
Does anybody know of tricks required to fool the installer to work in "Solaris_10" mode regardless of the system? Changing programs to wrappers, or replacing /etc/release and similar files are okay - the setup is in a zone dedicated to one task.
Or is there a newer Sun JES beta release which does not need such fooling? :)

Answer 1

I had the same problem this evening on b81, and have had the problem in the past but didn't care long enough to look at it. I do care tonight because I need to use B81 with Crossbow, so as I have VNIC support.
I've spent some time figuring it out (thanks to truss + find) and I've found a way that sorts the issue. You need not rename directories (in fact, this will break it in my experience).
NOTE: Seeing as you've mucked around with directories and so on, unzip a fresh copy of JES.
NOTE: Sun probably don't want you to do this and it is unsupported, do so at your own peril.
Run the installer (I've used text mode):
Unable to access a usable display on the remote system. Continue in command-line mode?(Y/N)
Y
Once you say "Y", I've found it goes off creates a directory called /tmp/.entsys_CaChE
Inside this directory you will find the following seemingly relevant files:
./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/EntsysCluster_SUNOS_SPARC_5_10.xml
./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/EntsysCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_10.xml
./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/OrionCluster_SUNOS_SPARC_5_10.xml
./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/OrionCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_10.xml
./Solaris_x86/.install/config/com/sun/entsys/installer/common/resources/PkgRelativePaths5_10.properties
In another terminal window, copy the relevant files for your platform to the same file but with 5_11 instead of 5_10
cd /tmp/.entsys_CaChE
cp ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/EntsysCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_10.xml ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/EntsysCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_11.xml
cp ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/OrionCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_10.xml ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/PPXMLS/Clusters/OrionCluster_SUNOS_X86_5_11.xml
cp ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/com/sun/entsys/installer/common/resources/PkgRelativePaths5_10.properties ./Solaris_x86/.install/config/com/sun/entsys/installer/common/resources/PkgRelativePaths5_11.properties
Then continue the installer as normal.
Then you should get to here:
1. Install
2. Start Over
3. Exit Installation
What would you like to do [1] {"<" goes back, "!" exits}?
And if you continue now things are happy:
Java Enterprise System 5
|-1%--------------25%-----------------50%-----------------75%--------------100%|
Installation Complete
Software installation has completed successfully. You can view the installation
summary and log by using the choices below. Summary and log files are available
in /var/sadm/install/logs/.
All good!
Regards,
Geoff Ongley
http://unixsysadmin.net/ (shameless plug)