General Guidelines

Some software packages do not conform to the ABI; therefore, they cannot be installed by using the Solaris Product Registry or the pkgadd command. For installation of products that do not conform to the ABI, follow the vendor's specific installation instructions. Here are a few additional guidelines to follow when installing new software on a system:

Always be cautious with third-party or public-domain software. Make sure the software has been tested and is free of trojans and malicious code before installing it on a production system.
Make sure the software package is supported under Solaris 10.
Always read the vendor's release notes for special loading instructions. They might contain kernel parameters that need to be modified or suggest software patches that need to be applied.
Do not install patches unless directed by Sun or one of your software providers. Some patches have not been tested thoroughly, especially when used in conjunction with other software patches. Adverse system performance could result.

Note

Recommended Patch Sets For each release of software, Sun usually has a prebundled set of patches called "Recommended and Security Patches." These patches have been thoroughly tested, and Sun recommends adding these patches to every system after the initial software installation is complete.

Adding and removing software packages is one of the simpler tasks you will encounter in system administration. As with all computer software, you should first load new software packages or patches on a nonproduction system for test purposes. Only after the software has been thoroughly tested should you install it on a production system.