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Using /etc/release File Information to Determine the Solaris OE Revision

 
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By Paul Buckley, ,April 2002  

The /etc/release file was first introduced on the Solaris 2.5.1 Hardware 4/97 release and can be found on all subsequent Solaris versions.

The purpose of the /etc/release file is to determine easily the base OS level or the OS release the system was upgraded to. The /etc/release file is the same whether obtained from the installed operating system, the CD ROM, or the installation image on the hard disk.

Example

 /etc/release
 /cdrom/solaris_2_5_1_hw1197_sparc/s0/Solaris_2.5.1/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc
 image_path.../Solaris_2.5.1/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

A listing of the contents for the specified OS versions follows. The Maintenance Updates "release" file is read directly from a system that had the Update applied to it. Other examples originate from the install image, as indicated by the path information shown.

Note: not every maintenance update is listed below.

Release Listing

Solaris 2.5.1 OE

  • Solaris 2.5.1 OE 4/97 
    /image_path/Solaris_2.5.1/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                       Solaris 2.5.1 Hardware: 4/97  SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                      Manufactured in the USA 16 April 1997
  • Solaris 2.5.1 8/97 OE 
    /image_path/Solaris_2.5.1/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 #  more release
                  Solaris 2.5.1 Hardware: 8/97 s596hw2_09 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                      Manufactured in the USA 29 July 1997
  • Solaris 2.5.1 11/97 OE 
    /image_path/Solaris_2.5.1/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                  Solaris 2.5.1 Hardware 11/97 s596hw3_11 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                         Manufactured in the USA 04 November 1997

Solaris 2.6 OE

  • Solaris 2.6 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_2_6_sparc_smcc_svr/s0/Solaris_2.6/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                    Solaris 2.6 s297s_smccServer_37cshwp SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                      Manufactured in the USA 18 July 1997
  • Solaris 2.6 3/98 OE 
     # more release
                  Solaris 2.6 HW:2 s297s_hw2smccDesktop_09 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                          Assembled on 03 February 1998
  • Solaris 2.6 5/98 OE 
     # more release
                  Solaris 2.6 5/98 s297s_hw3smccDesktop_09 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled on 24 April 1998
  • Solaris 2.6 OE Maintenance Update 2 
    # more /etc/release
                    Solaris 2.6 s297s_smccServer_37cshwp SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                      Manufactured in the USA 18 July 1997
             Solaris 2.6 Maintenance Update 2, Assembled April 1998

Solaris 7 OE

  • Solaris 7 OE Initial Release 
    /cdrom/sol_7_sparc_sun_srvr/s0/Solaris_2.7/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                      Solaris 7 s998s_SunServer_21al2b SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 06 October 1998
  • Solaris 7 3/99 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_7_399_sparc_sun_srvr/s0/Solaris_2.7/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                    Solaris 7 3/99 s998s_u1SunServer_10 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 26 January 1999
  • Solaris 7 5/99 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_7_599_sparc_sun_srvr/s0/Solaris_2.7/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc
                            
 # more release
                    Solaris 7 5/99 s998s_u2SunServer_09 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 19 April 1999
  • Solaris 7 8/99 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_7_899_sparc_sun_srvr/s0/Solaris_2.7/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                    Solaris 7 8/99 s998s_u3SunServer_11 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 30 July 1999
  • Solaris 7 11/99 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_7_1199_sparc_sun_srvr/s0/Solaris_2.7/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc


# more release
                    Solaris 7 11/99 s998s_u4SunServer_10 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 15 October 1999

Solaris 8 OE

  • Solaris 8 OE Beta 
    /cdrom/sol_8_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                             Solaris 8 s28_27b SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 24 July 1999
  • Solaris 8 OE Beta Refresh 
    /cdrom/sol_8_sparc#1/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

 # more release
                             Solaris 8 s28_32d SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 08 October 1999
  • Solaris 8 OE Initial Release 
    /cdrom/sol_8_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc
 
# more release
                           Solaris 8 s28_38shwp2 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 21 January 2000
  • Solaris 8 6/00 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_600_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc/release

                        Solaris 8 6/00 s28s_u1wos_08 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 26 April 2000
  • Solaris 8 OE Maintenance Update 1 (MU1) 
    # more /etc/release
                           Solaris 8 s28_38shwp2 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 21 January 2000
                     Solaris 8 Maintenance Update 1 applied
  • Solaris 8 10/00 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_1000_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc/release       
    
                       Solaris 8 10/00 s28s_u2wos_11b SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 31 August 2000
  • Solaris 8 OE Maintenance Update 2 (MU2) 
    # more /etc/release
                           Solaris 8 s28_38shwp2 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                            Assembled 21 January 2000
                     Solaris 8 Maintenance Update 2 applied
  • Solaris 8 1/01 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_u3_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                        Solaris 8 1/01 s28s_u3wos_08 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled 28 November 2000
  • Solaris 8 4/01 OE Beta 
    /cdrom/sol_8_401_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc
 
# more release
                        Solaris 8 4/01 s28s_u4wos_03 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled 11 December 2000
  • Solaris 8 4/01 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_401_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc   
                                 
# more release
                        Solaris 8 4/01 s28s_u4wos_08 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 01 March 2001
  • Solaris 8 7/01 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_701_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                        Solaris 8 7/01 s28s_u5wos_08 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 06 June 2001
  • Solaris 8 10/01 OE Beta 
    /cdrom/sol_8_1001_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                       Solaris 8 10/01 s28s_u6wos_03 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 18 June 2001
  • Solaris 8 10/01 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_1001_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc 
           
# more release
                       Solaris 8 10/01 s28s_u6wos_08a SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled 12 September 2001
  • Solaris 8 2/02 OE 
    /cdrom/sol_8_202_sparc/s0/Solaris_8/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                       Solaris 8 2/02 s28s_u7wos_08a SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled 18 December 2001

Solaris 9 OE

  • Solaris 9 OE Beta 
    /cdrom/sol_9_sparc/s0/Solaris_9/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc

# more release
                              Solaris 9 s9_41e SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                             Assembled 31 July 2001
  • Solaris 9 OE Beta Refresh 
    /cdrom/cdrom0/s0/Solaris_9/Product/SUNWsolnm/reloc/etc  

# more release
                              Solaris 9 s9_50 SPARC
           Copyright 1994-2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
                           Assembled 08 November 2001

This information is maintained as a 'living document' by the SunSolve Online program and is updated as new releases become available.

April 2002

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