[geeks] OS for an Ultra 2

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

I have added an Ultra 2 to my server table, which will end up replacing
a Sun SS5 running NetBSD once it passes testing.

I was going to run Solaris 10, but I'm wondering if I should not use
NetBSD instead.  Familiarity is one reason.  NetBSD is also easier to
maintain.

However, Solaris 10 is my first Solaris deployment since 8, so I need to
catch-up.  The U2 machine was supposed to be tested, and then put into
production only slowly, but I didn't locate a PC server.  Therefore, if
the U2 passes testing, it will go into production use immediately.

No plans for anything like new volume management or other toys, just
vanilla setup with a pair of 36GB drives, and a zone for production
work.  Production work will be a pair of database servers, Apache, and
misc things like email and news (light load).

Then I'd like another zone (or more) for learning, without hurting the
production work.

Is Solaris 10 too much to learn while also putting it into production?
Can I use zones for safe playing and learning?

The version I downloaded is the June 2006 release, which I hope is
stable and helps me avoid a lot of bugfix downloading.

The alternative is to keep using NetBSD, moving up to version 3.  The
caveat is that its SMP support is not as good, though perhaps it is good
enough.  I gather mostly it is just not as fine-grained, but should be
reliable now.

I might also just go ahead and take a lot more time, and test both OS.
I'm just antsy to retire the aging SS5 and get servers off of my desktop
system.

-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- ["The grieving lords take ship.  With these
our very souls pass overseas." -- Exile]