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but what is a VMware instance and how does one go about installing something in it
VMware is an application that allows you to install another OS on top of your OS ( windows or linux ), see virtualization.
Download the free VMware player from vmware.com, install it, and then download one of their many free unix / linux appliances, (already preconfigured for the VMware software), from the same site. And also Solaris 10 is available as a vmware appliance.
Google if you can't find quickly the player and appliances.
*To run any Virtual application you need a fast PC (minimum 512 Mb RAM).