Preconfiguring Containers with sysidcfg

You can preconfigure a Solaris Zone by placing a valid sysidcfg file into /etc/sysidcfg in the zone, so it finds all the information when it boots.

What's also true, at least for native zones on Solaris 10, is that you can specify a cut-down sysidcfg file. For example:

network_interface=PRIMARY {
        hostname=mars
}
system_locale=C
timezone=US/Pacific
name_service=NIS {
        domain_name=foo.com
        name_server=bar.foo.com(192.168.1.1)
}
security_policy=NONE
terminal=xterm
root_password=0123456789abcd
nfs4_domain=foo.com

If you try doing this on a Solaris 8 Container, it will go interactive. So you need to supply a bit more information. Such as:

network_interface=PRIMARY {
        hostname=mars
        netmask=255.255.255.0
        protocol_ipv6=no
}
system_locale=C
timezone=US/Pacific
name_service=NIS {
        domain_name=foo.com
        name_server=bar.foo.com(192.168.1.1)
}
timeserver=localhost
security_policy=NONE
terminal=xterm
root_password=0123456789abcd

where I've added the netmask and protocol_ipv6 settings to the network_interface section, and told it a timeserver. Clearly the Solaris 10 zone can work these out for itself, but a Solaris 8 branded zone needs to be told explicitly. (Also, it doesn't need the nfs4_domain, as that makes no sense for a Solaris 8 system.)