Infrastructure Software

I am brand new to any NIX environment, besides an ocassional web server stuff, telnet. I really need a Solaris environment (not Linux) for some applicaiton development.

I have installed Solaris 10 x86, and it did not recognize the ethernet onboard chip (I believe it is a "SiS900"). As a brand new user, it was very hard to even understand what is installed form the GUI (no graphical device manager like even Windows 95 has??). I finally found some command lines (ifconfig, prtconf -pv ) I read some instructions for installing drivers : http://homepage2.nifty.com/mrym3/taiyodo/eng/. I can not follow those instructions, seems too advanced, requires compiling, arcane refrences (to me), etc.

So I bought a new D-Link DFE-530TX+ one becuase it was listed on the HCL http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/sol/components/details/990.htm some posts said buying HCL hardware should be the easiest, makes sense.

Rebooted, no NIC. Now I'm not sure if it is because it is not compatible and requires driver installs (what I was trying to avoid), or:

With Solaris 10 already installed ,if I did install a new PCI NIC card that is supported, will it be picked up automatically? I saw a lot of references online to editing driver_alias, all sorts of things to install a NIC, which suprises me. Is it possible it is that complicated to add a new piece of hardware on this OS??

I'm not sure if I have a compatible NIC driver, and if I did would Solaris pick it up?

That is the main question. A follow up: How in the world do I get a NIC card/internet to work with Solaris 10x86 without being a Unix Guru. Which card exactly?? The HCL doesn't seem to be reliable. I'll buy my way in if I can. Just can't spend much more time on step 1.