Booting Solaris to Either the 64-bit Kernel or the 32-bit Kernel FAQ (Doc ID 1010150.1)

Last updated on JUNE 13, 2023

Applies to:

Solaris Operating System - Version 8 6/00 U1 and later
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Purpose

This document provides a list of frequently asked questions on booting Solaris to either the 64-bit kernel or the 32-bit kernel. Booting the 64-bit kernel has been available on Ultra systems with UltraSPARC(R) processors (sun4u or greater platforms) since the first release of Solaris 7.

Questions and Answers

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In this Document

Questions and Answers

How can I tell if the currently installed Solaris system has the hardware and software capable of running the 64-bit kernel?

The necessary 64-bit packages are not installed. How can the 64-bit packages be installed?

How can I tell if the system is already running the 64-bit kernel?

Is there a minimum Software Group (Metacluster) required for 64 bit support?

How do I configure the system to boot a 64-bit kernel?

How do I configure the system to boot a 32-bit kernel?

Even though boot-file is correctly set, the system is still booting the wrong kernel. Why?

What about UltraSPARC(TM) processors less than 200 MHz?

Are there systems that only support a 64-bit kernel?

Where can additional information on 64-bit kernel be found?

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