ndd-nettune.xml not quite right (from DSEE7 docs)

If you try to follow the current revision of docs for Sun Directory Server Enterprise Edition 7 (or for that matter, the DSEE 6.x as well) you will find references to installing a SMF manifest called ndd-nettune.xml. In the DSEE7 process, it comes in the Sun Directory Server Enterprise Edition 7.0 Deployment Planning Guide.

When you install the provided manifest, and run svccfg validate on it, you are slapped across the face with a useless error indicating that the file can not be parsed. Hmm, thanks. I'm the first to admit that my XML skills are basic; I'm not a full time software developer, I just play one on TV.

After some digging around I decided to model the stock coreadm manifest that is extremely similar. It can be found at /var/svc/manifest/system/coreadm.xml. With some minor editing, it was pretty easy to get it working. I believe the issue is in the exec_method tags not being properly terminated. It's a bit of a PITA to post XML into this blog, but if you take a look I think you'll see what I mean. The newly edited manifest imported without complaint, and I'm back on track with the installation.

I also stumbled onto a neat tool which was new to me. Not being satisfied with the lame error message svccfg spat at me, I dug up a utility called "xmllint" which has much more interesting diagnostics. I'm not sure how to interpret what it gave me, but with a little time I'm sure I could have leanred and benefitted from it. Something to file away in the Jedi library for a rainy day.

Got Webstack?

Did anyone else notice that the Sun Webstack appears to have quietly disappeared from download-ability? 1.5 was released in the summer of 2009, and now it appears to be quite the maze of links leading nowhere.

I can find wikis and articles, but the links all lead to a general page and searches on oracle.com lead nowhere. Sure would be nice if they'd at least posted a "so long and thanks for all the fish" notice.

Webstack, webstack, where art thou, webstack?