Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


jubbs

2 posts

Wannabe Geek


#95892 16-Jan-2012 12:25
Send private message

I have a customer that runs an very very old Sun System V machine. It hasn't been turned off since 1997. It controls some industrial equipment via serial port to grid of PLCs and they cant afford to replace it.

My idea is to virtualise it and put some new hardware. I am reasonably up on Linux and modern Unixes and I have done some stuff with VirtualBox and VMware but I have never dealt with such an old system. Does anyone have any ideas where I could start like a tool that would allow me to take a bit copy of the disk and virtualise that?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Jubbs

Create new topic
wasabi2k
2096 posts

Uber Geek


  #569412 16-Jan-2012 12:41
Send private message

Sun System V is not x86/x64 like your standard HP/Dell/Whatever server. VMWare isn't going to help you, nor will Virtualbox - you are talking something like containers or the solaris virtualisation technologies which are way way out of my area of expertise.

The fact that it is running something mission critical over serial would also suggest that virtualisation is not a good option without something of a rearchitecture (e.g. Serial/IP Digi boxes etc) anyway.

If it's a commercial product - talk to the vendor about options. A lot of vendors will not support their solution if it is virtualised. If it is developed in house - find the people who designed it.

In short. It won't be easy, and you are probably better off starting from scratch. 



gzt

gzt
17127 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #570961 19-Jan-2012 19:25
Send private message

I'm not a unix guy. But, even if it is an x86 platform, my guess is you will still face trials sorting out System V drivers for the new virtual hardware.

VMWare provides P2V tools, Ghost also has P2V functions, maybe Altiris does as well. Don't know about file system support, but you might get lucky.

A different approach - find a System V x86 distribution someone has got running on modern hardware and investigate moving the components over. Depending on the level of integration that could be very difficult.

Far from a professional opinion - but it sounds like a lost cause, and the cost and consequences of a coincidental hardware failure while you are in the middle of things is very high.

jubbs

2 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #571240 20-Jan-2012 14:07
Send private message

Thanks for the replies. I think that this is a bridge too far.

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.