Installing desktop environment on Sun Solaris 11 (SPARC)

If you have installed Solaris 11 through text mode, you might not be able to access the Solaris 11 desktop or get the GUI even via xterm.

Here's what you do

• On my machine the only publisher available was the system repository:

root@mysolaris:/var/pkg# pkg publisher
PUBLISHER                   TYPE     STATUS P LOCATION
solaris        (syspub)     origin   online F

• So, I added another URI to the solaris publisher, like this:

root@mysolaris:/var/pkg# pkg set-publisher -g http://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/release/ solaris

• Check if the URI got added:

root@mysolaris:/var/pkg# pkg publisher solaris

            Publisher: solaris

                Alias:

           Origin URI: http://localhost:1008/solaris/9d53cedf641a470ab71c3d52c2e2ae4356cb7696/

              SSL Key: None

             SSL Cert: None

           Origin URI: http://pkg.oracle.com/solaris/release/

              SSL Key: None

             SSL Cert: None

          Client UUID: 787b1af6-3b0d-11e3-8e01-802128161296

      Catalog Updated: October 22, 2013 11:30:49 AM

              Enabled: Yes

• Start the installation of desktop environment:

root@mysolaris:/var/pkg# pkg  install --accept slim_install

           Packages to install: 577

           Mediators to change:   1

       Create boot environment:  No

Create backup boot environment: Yes

            Services to change:  17

DOWNLOAD                                PKGS         FILES    XFER (MB)   SPEED

Completed                            577/577   77072/77072  802.4/802.4 67.3k/s

PHASE                                          ITEMS

Installing new actions                   115978/115978

Updating package state database                 Done

Updating image state                            Done

Creating fast lookup database                   Done