
  

                        Sloggi - Solaris Uname Jacket 
                  -----------------------------------------
                Copyright 2002,2003 Konrad Rieck <kr@roqe.org>
                            All rights reserved.

  
   Introduction
   
   Sloggi is a thin loadable kernel module for the Solaris Operating
   Environment (OE) 8 and 9. It allows the administrator to change the name,
   the release and the version of the operating system on a running system
   by intercepting the uname() system call. It is a coarse way of creating a
   compatible environment for application that check for the information
   returned by uname() (or the command uname).


   Why use it?

   Sun tries to keep newer release of the Solaris OE binary compatible to
   older ones. Therefore you can assume that many applications designed for
   Solaris 8 will operate on Solaris 9 and vice versa. Unfortunatly, several
   of these applications explicitly check for the correct release of
   Solaris. Using Sloggi you are able to find out if a software works on
   your system on your own and don't need to rely on a developer who added
   the release check.

   Just a Sloggi for your Solaris system, it's all about feeling
   comfortable, see http://www.sloggi.com.


   Installation

   The installation of Sloggi is rather simple. First configure the Makefile
   in the src/ directory. Just step through the file and (un)comment the 
   definitions according to your setup. Choose to whether use the Sun C
   Compiler or the GNU C Compiler to compile the module. If you are running
   a 64 bit kernel, you have to use the Sun C Compiler or the GNU C Compiler
   version 3.x.
 
   That's it.

        # cd src
        # make 
        # make install

   In case you don't like Sloggi. 

        # make uninstall


   Usage

   Usage: slogctl [-hV] [-s sysname] [-r release] [-v version] [-m machine]
   Options:
      -s sysname   Set the name of the operating system.
                   [Default: SunOS]
      -r release   Set the operating system release level.
                   [Usually: 5.8, 5.9, ...]
      -v version   Set the the operating system version.
                   [Default: Generic]
      -m machine   Set the machine hardware name (class).
                   [Usually: sun4m, sun4u, i86pc, ...]
      -h           Print this help screen.
      -V           Print version information.
   No options restore the original uname() setup


   Examples

   If you install the Ximian GNOME Desktop on a Solaris 8 system and then
   upgrade to Solaris 9, you will be surprised because Ximian Red-Carpet
   will refuse to update your system and complain about the incompatible
   Solaris 9 system.

   You can now temporarly turn your Solaris 9 system into the release 8,
   update the GNOME components using Red-Carpet and later return to your
   original release.

        # slogctl -r 5.8
        SunOS fluffy 5.8 Generic sun4u 
        # red-carpet 
        # slogctl 
        SunOS fluffy 5.9 Generic sun4u
        
   That's it. 

   If you are really crazy, you can do very, very strange things with 
   Sloggi. You could for example setup a normal Solaris 8 box somewhere
   on the net and obfuscate your system's users by changing your system's
   value completely.
   
        # slogctl -s Linux -r 2.4.18 -v "#1 Wed Mar 27 13:57:05 UTC 2002" 
        Linux fluffy 2.4.18 #1 Wed Mar 27 13:57:05 UTC 2002 sun4u

   But if you are playing these dirty tricks, expect a lot of applications
   that will refuse to work. This is for bored geeks only or security
   experts that are hunting for a good laugh on a honeypot.


   Bugs

   No bug in the default install in nearly 5 years! Just kidding. There
   are probably some bugs around, but I am not an entomologist. 

   Also important to mention, Sloggi is a registered trademark of Triumph
   International AG. But do they also dress Solaris systems?
 

   Have fun, 
   Konrad. 
