Well I am stumped. I'm not new to linux ( I've used Suse from version 8.2 up, Fedora Core 4/5, and Unbuntu) but in an effort to broaden my OS knowledge I have decided to try getting certified on Solaris 10. I obtained a boxed copy with media from work of version 3/05 and loaded it on my notebook, I have a few gripes.

How do I change the default shell to bash? (thats just annoying, why didnt they use the best shell as default?)

How do I update this? (can I get a package manager, yum, apt-get,... something) I have noticed that the current version is 6/06, can I update to that version from a repository in the terminal or anything?

Also a side note during the install i installed the optional Software cd (which contained a bunch of tools, packages, KDE, wine etc.) and I know it has not "completely" installed because none of the packages show on launch bar or in the shell. Do I have to do some further configuration?

By the way, anyone interested in solaris 10 security cert, Sun is offering a free beta test till July 28th http://www.sun.com/training/certific...aris/beta.html.

Can anyone at least point me to a solaris how to or tweaks guide?

Thanks in advance

You can change your default shell by editing /etc/passwd. Bash is alredy installed in /usr/bin/bash, so edit /etc/passwd and change the last part of your user-id line from /bin/sh to /usr/bin/bash.
As for upgrading, I think that if you boot from the 6/06 CD/DVD, the installer will ask you if you want to upgrade your system (never done it though). Also there is the "Live update" which you can try.

Shells, like colors and football teams, are a controversal matter of taste and personal preferences. There is no "best shell".
Former SunOS 4 users tend to prefer csh or csh likes, while SVR4 fans (like me) are more ksh / ksh93 supporters.
zsh has also its club.
There is no need to update, as bathory already mentioned, bash is already there and supported.
Unlike with most if not all Linux distributions, bash is just an optional package with Solaris, so you have to double check it's here before setting it as root 's default shell, which is anyway unrecommended.
For regular user accounts, there is no problem changing it (passwd -e /usr/bin/pash loginname), or setting it when creating the account.
Not from a repository, unless you create one for your own use, but that make no sense for a single machine.
However you can easily update from a 6/06 DVD which ISO image is downloadable for free.
Try adding /opt/sfw/bin to your PATH, before the graphic environment is launched (in ~/.dtprofile).
Start with docs.sun.com

well Thanks for the quick reply, I was able to change the default shell but I became pretty fed up with the other shortcommings. Then I discovered that I may want to attempt a open solaris release to begin with, and I looked at Solaris Express, but I have really settled on nexenta OS. I installed and configured it without a hitch, it seems VERY stable (and its just an alpha release). I am very impressed with it! I seriously think I have found a new home! Forget Suse! When I get some time tonight I am going to try to figure out how to use dtrace and zones. Thanks for all your help.