Installing Oracle Sun Ray Server on Enterprise Linux

Oracle Sun Ray Server Software (SRSS) is an enterprise thin-client virtualization platform that allows ultra-low-power Sun Ray desktop terminals to establish instant, session-persistent graphical desktop sessions back to central Linux or Solaris servers over the Appliance Link Protocol (ALP).

Installing SRSS on Enterprise Linux requires resolving extensive 32-bit shared library dependencies and configuring specialized GDM multiseat display managers.

In this guide, I will walk you through preparing system hostnames, installing required 32-bit C libraries and OpenMotif, unpacking SRSS installation archives, and executing the prerequisite verification script.

Prerequisites

You will need an Enterprise Linux server with root privileges, configured with static IP addressing and internet reachability to pull required 32-bit dependency packages.

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Step 1: System Preparation and Hostname Resolution

Oracle Sun Ray Server requires strict local hostname resolution. Update /etc/hosts and /etc/sysconfig/network before unpacking the installation media.

# Enforce static hostname resolution
cat >> /etc/hosts << "EOF"
10.14.12.10 central-dc1-sunray01.induslevel.com central-dc1-sunray01
EOF

# Verify network configuration
cat /etc/sysconfig/network

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Step 2: Installing Desktop Groups and 32-Bit Dependencies

Because Sun Ray Server manages graphical desktop sessions, install the core X Window System and desktop package groups, alongside the required 32-bit C standard libraries and OpenMotif packages.

# Install desktop environments
yum -y groupinstall "Desktop" "Desktop Platform" "X Window System" "Fonts"

# Install 32-bit dependencies and sheel utilities
yum install -y openssh-clients compat-openldap.i686 procps.i686 libusb.i686 glib dhcp openldap-clients tftp-server libXp libXfont.i686 openmotif22 openssl compat-libstdc++-33 libusb-devel compat-openldap kernel-devel gdbm.i686 gcc openmotif.i686 sssd-client.i686 nscd ksh

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Step 3: Configuring Oracle GDM Multiseat Repository

Sun Ray Server requires a specialized GDM (GNOME Display Manager) capable of managing multiseat terminal displays. Inject the official Oracle GDM Multiseat repository and install the package:

# Configure GDM Multiseat repository manifest
cat << "EOF" > /etc/yum.repos.d/gdm.repo
[gdmm]
name=Oracle Linux 6 GDM Multiseat ($basearch)
baseurl=http://public-yum.oracle.com/repo/OracleLinux/OL6/gdm_multiseat/$basearch/
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-oracle
gpgcheck=0
enabled=1
EOF

# Install GDM multiseat
yum install -y gdm-multiseat.x86_64

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Step 4: Unpacking Archives and Executing Prerequisite Checks

Upload the official Oracle Sun Ray Server Software archive (sunray_5_4_0.zip) to your server, unpack it, and move the components to /opt.

# Unpack Sun Ray Server software and firmware
unzip sunray_5_4_0.zip
unzip sunray_client_firmware_11_1_0.zip

# Move components to /opt
cp -r sros_11.1.4.0 /opt/
cp -r srs_5.4.0.0-Linux.i386/ /opt/

Executing the Prerequisite Verification Script

Before running the master installer, execute utpkgcheck to verify that all 32-bit shared libraries and kernel development headers are successfully installed:

cd /opt/sros_11.1.4.0/
./utpkgcheck

References

• Oracle Sun Ray Server Software Documentation