Some days ago, I wanted to try . The fastest way to do was to use a virtual machine. As there is no VMWare support from , I created my own image.

If you google a bit, you will find how to create this kind of custom image. has done a great job to show step by step how to build an image for . So I followed the same steps and build a blank image to install Solaris 10.

Creating a blank image for an install involves to steps :

  • Creating a compressed virtual hard drive file. This is done with an utility found in , called qemu-img.exe. The typical command line is "qemu-img.exe create -f vmdk Solaris10.vmdk 10G" (for Solaris, I choose a 10Go drive size to be able to make a default install).
  • Creating a descriptor file for VMWare Player. This is done with NotePad or WordPad. This is mostly a copy-and-paste job.

With this blank image and the Solaris 10 DVD (which I downloaded), you have all you need to launch VMWare Player and install Solaris 10.

I don't want provide complete image of Solaris 10 as I have no place to store it and no rights to do it. But for the lazy one, I provide the following images :

  • a to boot Solaris 10. Memory is 512Mo and drive size is 10Go.
  • a to boot Windows XP Pro. Memory is 256Mo and drive size is 10Go.
These images are ready to be run in VMWare Player but you NEED a CD/DVD of the OS to install it. And remember to only install OS you have a license for !!!