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Solaris
Screenshot of the GNOME desktop on Solaris 11
DeveloperSun Microsystems (acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2010)
Written inC, C++
OS familyUnix (SVR4)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelMixed
Initial releaseJune 1992; 33 years ago (1992-06)
Latest release11.4 SRU86[1] / October 21, 2025; 29 days ago (2025-10-21)
Marketing targetServer, workstation
Supported platformsCurrent: SPARC, x86-64
Former: IA-32, PowerPC
Kernel typeMonolithic with dynamically loadable modules
UserlandPOSIX
Default
user interface		GNOME[2]
LicenseVarious
Preceded bySunOS
Official websitewww.oracle.com/solaris

Oracle Solaris is a proprietary Unix operating system offered by Oracle for SPARC and x86-64 based workstations and servers. Originally developed by Sun Microsystems as Solaris, it superseded the company's earlier SunOS in 1993 and became known for its scalability, especially on SPARC systems, and for originating many innovative features such as DTrace, ZFS and Time Slider.[3][4] After the Sun acquisition by Oracle in 2010, it was renamed Oracle Solaris.[5]

Solaris was registered as compliant with the Single UNIX Specification until April 29, 2019.[6][7][8] Historically, Solaris was developed as proprietary software. In June 2005, Sun Microsystems released most of the codebase under the CDDL license, and founded the OpenSolaris open-source project.[9] Sun aimed to build a developer and user community with OpenSolaris; after the Oracle acquisition in 2010, the OpenSolaris distribution was discontinued[10][11] and later Oracle discontinued providing public updates to the source code of the Solaris kernel, effectively turning Solaris version 11 back into a closed-source proprietary operating system.[12] Following that, OpenSolaris was forked as Illumos and is alive through several Illumos distributions. In September 2017, Oracle laid off most of the Solaris teams.[13]

History

[edit]

In 1987, AT&T Corporation and Sun announced that they were collaborating on a project to merge the most popular Unix variants on the market at that time: Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD), UNIX System V, and Xenix. This became Unix System V Release 4 (SVR4).[14] About 40 AT&T and Sun programmers would work together in the San Francisco Bay area, the two companies said, with the goal of SunOS compliance with SVR4 in 1988 and addition of BSD 4.2 features in 1989.[15]

On September 4, 1991, Sun announced that it would replace SunOS 4, with one based on SVR4. This was identified internally as SunOS 5, but a new marketing name was introduced at the same time: Solaris 2.[16] The justification for this new overbrand was that it encompassed not only SunOS, but also the OpenWindows graphical user interface and Open Network Computing (ONC) functionality.

Although SunOS 4.1.x micro releases were retroactively named Solaris 1 by Sun, the Solaris name is used almost exclusively to refer only to the releases based on SVR4-derived SunOS 5.0 and later.[17]

Solaris logo used until Solaris 9

For releases based on SunOS 5, the SunOS minor version is included in the Solaris release number. For example, Solaris 2.4 incorporates SunOS 5.4. After Solaris 2.6, the 2. was dropped from the release name, so Solaris 7 incorporates SunOS 5.7, and the latest release SunOS 5.11 forms the core of Solaris 11.4.

Solaris logo introduced with Solaris 10 and used until Oracle's acquisition of Sun

Although SunSoft stated in its initial Solaris 2 press release their intent to eventually support both SPARC and x86 systems, the first two Solaris 2 releases, 2.0 and 2.1, were SPARC-only. An x86 version of Solaris 2.1 was released in June 1993, about 6 months after the SPARC version, as a desktop and uniprocessor workgroup server operating system. It included the Wabi emulator to support Windows applications.[18] At the time, Sun also offered the Interactive Unix system that it had acquired from Interactive Systems Corporation.[19] In 1994, Sun released Solaris 2.4, supporting both SPARC and x86 systems from a unified source code base.

In 2011, the Solaris 11 kernel source code leaked.[20][21]

On September 2, 2017, Simon Phipps, a former Sun Microsystems employee not hired by Oracle in the acquisition, reported on Twitter that Oracle had laid off the Solaris core development staff, which many interpreted as sign that Oracle no longer intended to support future development of the platform.[22] While Oracle did have a large layoff of Solaris development engineering staff, development continued and Solaris 11.4 was released in 2018.[23][24]

Supported architectures

[edit]

Solaris uses a common code base for the platforms it supports: 64-bit SPARC and x86-64.[25]

Solaris has a reputation for being well-suited to symmetric multiprocessing, supporting a large number of CPUs.[26] It has historically been tightly integrated with Sun's SPARC hardware (including support for 64-bit SPARC applications since Solaris 7), with which it is marketed as a combined package. This has led to more reliable systems, but at a cost premium compared to commodity PC hardware. However, it has supported x86 systems since Solaris 2.1 and 64-bit x86 applications since Solaris 10, allowing Sun to capitalize on the availability of commodity 64-bit CPUs based on the x86-64 architecture. Sun heavily marketed Solaris for use with both its own x86-64-based Sun Java Workstation and the x86-64 models of the Sun Ultra series workstations, and servers based on AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon processors, as well as x86 systems manufactured by companies such as Dell,[27] Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. As of 2009, the following vendors support Solaris for their x86 server systems:

  • Dell – will "test, certify, and optimize Solaris and OpenSolaris on its rack and blade servers and offer them as one of several choices in the overall Dell software menu"[28]
  • Intel[29]
  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise[30] – distributes and provides software technical support for Solaris on BL, DL, and SL platforms
  • Fujitsu Siemens[31]

Other platforms

[edit]

Solaris 2.5.1 included support for the PowerPC platform (PowerPC Reference Platform), but the port was canceled before the Solaris 2.6 release.[32] In January 2006, a community of developers at Blastwave began work on a PowerPC port which they named Polaris.[33] In October 2006, an OpenSolaris community project based on the Blastwave efforts and Sun Labs' Project Pulsar,[34] which re-integrated the relevant parts from Solaris 2.5.1 into OpenSolaris,[32] announced its first official source code release.[35]

A port of Solaris to the Intel Itanium architecture was announced in 1997 but never brought to market.[36]

On November 28, 2007, IBM, Sun, and Sine Nomine Associates demonstrated a preview of OpenSolaris for System z running on an IBM System z mainframe under z/VM,[37] called Sirius (in analogy to the Polaris project, and also due to the primary developer's Australian nationality: HMS Sirius of 1786 was a ship of the First Fleet to Australia). On October 17, 2008, a prototype release of Sirius was made available[38] and on November 19 the same year, IBM authorized the use of Sirius on System z Integrated Facility for Linux (IFL) processors.[39]

Solaris also supports the Linux platform application binary interface (ABI), allowing Solaris to run native Linux binaries on x86 systems. This feature is called Solaris Containers for Linux Applications (SCLA), based on the branded zones functionality introduced in Solaris 10 8/07.[40]

Installation and usage options

[edit]

Solaris can be installed from various pre-packaged software groups, ranging from a minimalistic Reduced Network Support to a complete Entire Plus OEM. Installation of Solaris is not necessary for an individual to use the system. The DVD ISO image can be used to load Solaris, running in-memory, rather than initiating the installation. Additional software, like Apache, MySQL, etc. can be installed as well in a packaged form from sunfreeware[41] and OpenCSW.[42] Solaris can be installed from physical media or a network for use on a desktop or server, or be run in a live mode without installation on a desktop or server.[43]

Updates

[edit]

There are several types of updates within each major release, including the Software Packages, and the Oracle Solaris Image.

Additional minor updates called Support Repository Updates (SRUs) and Critical Patch Update Packages (CPUs), require a support credential, thus are not freely available to the public.[44]

Desktop environments

[edit]
Solaris 2.4 (86Box) connected through Telnet on a virtual machine running Dell Unix. (also on 86Box)
Solaris 2.4 via Telnet
olvwm with OpenWindows on Solaris

Early releases of Solaris used OpenWindows as the standard desktop environment. In Solaris 2.0 to 2.2, OpenWindows supported both NeWS and X applications, and provided backward compatibility for SunView applications from Sun's older desktop environment. NeWS allowed applications to be built in an object-oriented way using PostScript, a common printing language released in 1982. The X Window System originated from MIT's Project Athena in 1984 and allowed for the display of an application to be disconnected from the machine where the application was running, separated by a network connection. Sun's original bundled SunView application suite was ported to X.

Sun later dropped support for legacy SunView applications and NeWS with OpenWindows 3.3, which shipped with Solaris 2.3, and switched to X11R5 with Display Postscript support. The graphical look and feel remained based upon OPEN LOOK. OpenWindows 3.6.2 was the last release under Solaris 8. The OPEN LOOK Window Manager (olwm) and other OPEN LOOK-specific applications were dropped in Solaris 9, but support libraries were still bundled, providing long term binary backwards compatibility with existing applications. The OPEN LOOK Virtual Window Manager (olvwm) can still be downloaded for Solaris from sunfreeware and works on releases as recent as Solaris 10.

The Common Desktop Environment (CDE) was open sourced in August 2012. This is a screenshot of CDE running on Solaris 10.

Sun and other Unix vendors formed an industry alliance to standardize Unix desktop environments. As a member of the Common Open Software Environment (COSE) initiative, Sun helped co-develop the Common Desktop Environment (CDE). This was an initiative to create a standard Unix desktop environment. Each vendor contributed different components: Hewlett-Packard contributed the window manager, IBM provided the file manager, and Sun provided the e-mail and calendar facilities as well as drag-and-drop support (ToolTalk). This new desktop environment was based upon the Motif look and feel and the old OPEN LOOK desktop environment was considered legacy. CDE unified Unix desktops across multiple open system vendors. CDE was available as an unbundled add-on for Solaris 2.4 and 2.5, and was included in Solaris 2.6 through 10.

Screenshot of the Java Desktop System (JDS) running on Solaris 10

In 2001, Sun issued a preview release of the open-source desktop environment GNOME 1.4, based on the GTK+ toolkit, for Solaris 8.[45] Solaris 9 8/03 introduced GNOME 2.0 as an alternative to CDE. Solaris 10 includes Sun's Java Desktop System (JDS), which is based on GNOME and comes with a large set of applications, including StarOffice, Sun's office suite. Sun describes JDS as a "major component" of Solaris 10.[46] The Java Desktop System is not included in Solaris 11 which instead ships with a stock version of GNOME.[47] Likewise, CDE applications are no longer included in Solaris 11, but many libraries remain for binary backwards compatibility.

The open source desktop environments KDE and Xfce, along with numerous other window managers, also compile and run on recent versions of Solaris.

Sun was investing in a new desktop environment called Project Looking Glass since 2003. The project has been inactive since late 2006.[48]

License

[edit]

Traditional operating system license (1992 to 2004)

[edit]

For versions up to 2005 (Solaris 9), Solaris was licensed under a license that permitted a customer to buy licenses in bulk, and install the software on any machine up to a maximum number. The key license grant was:

License to Use. Customer is granted a non-exclusive and non-transferable license ("License") for the use of the accompanying binary software in machine-readable form, together with accompanying documentation ("Software"), by the number of users and the class of computer hardware for which the corresponding fee has been paid.

In addition, the license provided a "License to Develop" granting rights to create derivative works, restricted copying to only a single archival copy, disclaimer of warranties, and the like. The license varied only little through 2004.

Open source (2005 until March 2010)

[edit]

From 2005 to 2010, Sun began to release the source code for development builds of Solaris under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) via the OpenSolaris project. This code was based on the work being done for the post-Solaris 10 release (code-named "Nevada"; eventually released as Oracle Solaris 11). As the project progressed, it grew to encompass most of the necessary code to compile an entire release, with a few exceptions.[49]

Post-Sun closed source (March 2010 to present)

[edit]

When Sun was acquired by Oracle in 2010, the OpenSolaris project was discontinued after the board became unhappy with Oracle's stance on the project.[50] In March 2010, the previously freely available Solaris 10 was placed under a restrictive license that limited the use, modification and redistribution of the operating system.[51] The license allowed the user to download the operating system free of charge, through the Oracle Technology Network, and use it for a 90-day trial period. After that trial period had expired the user would then have to purchase a support contract from Oracle to continue using the operating system.

With the release of Solaris 11 in 2011, the license terms changed again. The new license allows Solaris 10 and Solaris 11 to be downloaded free of charge from the Oracle Technology Network and used without a support contract indefinitely; however, the license only expressly permits the user to use Solaris as a development platform and expressly forbids commercial and "production" use.[52] Educational use is permitted in some circumstances. From the OTN license:

If You are an educational institution vested with the power to confer official high school, associate, bachelor, master and/or doctorate degrees, or local equivalent, ("Degree(s)"), You may also use the Programs as part of Your educational curriculum for students enrolled in Your Degree program(s) solely as required for the conferral of such Degree (collectively "Educational Use").

When Solaris is used without a support contract, it can be upgraded to each new 'point release’; however, a support contract is required for access to patches and updates that are released monthly.[53]

Version history

[edit]

Notable features of Solaris include DTrace, Doors, Service Management Facility, Solaris Containers, Solaris Multiplexed I/O, Solaris Volume Manager, ZFS, and Solaris Trusted Extensions.

Updates to Solaris versions are periodically issued. In the past, these were named after the month and year of their release, such as "Solaris 10 1/13"; as of Solaris 11, sequential update numbers are appended to the release name with a period, such as "Oracle Solaris 11.4".

In ascending order, the following versions of Solaris have been released:

Legend:
Unsupported
Supported
Latest version
Solaris version SunOS version Release date End of support[54] Basis Major new features
SPARC x86 SPARC/x86
Unsupported: 1.x 4.1.x 1991–1994 – September 2003 4.3BSD SunOS 4 rebranded as Solaris 1 for marketing purposes. See SunOS article for more information.
Unsupported: 2.0 5.0 June 1992 – January 1999 SVR4 Preliminary release (primarily available to developers only), support for only the sun4c architecture. First appearance of NIS+.[55]
Unsupported: 2.1 5.1 December 1992 May 1993 April 1999 SVR4 Support for sun4 and sun4m architectures added; first Solaris x86 release. First Solaris 2 release to support SMP.
Unsupported: 2.2 5.2 May 1993 – May 1999 SVR4 SPARC-only release. First to support sun4d architecture. First to support multithreading libraries (UI threads API in libthread).[56]
Unsupported: 2.3 5.3 November 1993 – June 2002 SVR4 SPARC-only release. OpenWindows 3.3 switches from NeWS to Display PostScript and drops SunView support. Support added for autofs and CacheFS filesystems.
Unsupported: 2.4 5.4 November 1994 September 2003 SVR4 First unified SPARC/x86 release. Includes OSF/Motif runtime support.
Unsupported: 2.5 5.5 November 1995 December 2003 SVR4 First to support UltraSPARC and include CDE, NFSv3 and NFS/TCP. Dropped sun4 (VMEbus) support. POSIX.1c-1995 pthreads added. Doors added but undocumented.[57]
Unsupported: 2.5.1 5.5.1 May 1996 September 2005 SVR4 The only Solaris release that supports PowerPC;[58] Ultra Enterprise support added; user and group IDs (uid_t, gid_t) expanded to 32 bits,[59] also included processor sets[60] and early resource management technologies.
Unsupported: 2.6 5.6 July 1997 July 2006 SVR4 Includes Kerberos 5, PAM, TrueType fonts, WebNFS, large file support, enhanced procfs. SPARCserver 600MP series support dropped.[61] Last update was Solaris 2.6 5/98.
Unsupported: 7 5.7 November 1998 August 2008 SVR4 The first 64-bit UltraSPARC release. Added native support for file system meta-data logging (UFS logging). Dropped MCA support on x86 platform. Sun dropped the prefix "2." in the Solaris version number, leaving "Solaris 7". Last update was Solaris 7 11/99.[62]
Unsupported: 8 5.8 February 2000 March 2012 SVR4 Includes Multipath I/O, Solstice DiskSuite,[63] IPMP, first support for IPv6 and IPsec (manual keying only), mdb Modular Debugger. Introduced Role-Based Access Control (RBAC); sun4c support removed. Last update is Solaris 8 2/04.[64]
Unsupported: 9 5.9 May 28, 2002 January 10, 2003 October 2014 SVR4 iPlanet Directory Server, Resource Manager, extended file attributes, IKE IPsec keying, and Linux compatibility added; OpenWindows dropped, sun4d support removed. Most current update is Solaris 9 9/05 HW.[65]
Supported: 10 5.10 January 31, 2005; 20 years ago (2005-01-31) January 2027 SVR4 Includes x86-64 (AMD64/Intel 64) support, DTrace (Dynamic Tracing), Solaris Containers, Service Management Facility (SMF) which replaces init.d scripts, NFSv4. Least privilege security model. Support for sun4m and UltraSPARC I processors removed. Support for EISA-based PCs removed. Adds Java Desktop System (based on GNOME) as default desktop.[66]
  • Solaris 10 1/06 (known internally as "U1") added the GRUB bootloader for x86 systems, iSCSI Initiator support and fcinfo command-line tool.
  • Solaris 10 6/06 ("U2") added the ZFS filesystem.
  • Solaris 10 11/06 ("U3") added Solaris Trusted Extensions and Logical Domains (sun4v).
  • Solaris 10 8/07 ("U4") added Samba Active Directory support,[67] IP Instances (part of the OpenSolaris Network Virtualization and Resource Control project), iSCSI Target support and Solaris Containers for Linux Applications (based on branded zones), enhanced version of the Resource Capping Daemon (rcapd).
  • Solaris 10 5/08 ("U5") added CPU capping for Solaris Containers, performance improvements, SpeedStep support for Intel processors and PowerNow! support for AMD processors.[68][69]
  • Solaris 10 10/08 ("U6") added boot from ZFS and can use ZFS as its root file system. Solaris 10 10/08 also includes virtualization enhancements including the ability for a Solaris Container to automatically update its environment when moved from one system to another, Logical Domains support for dynamically reconfigurable disk and network I/O, and paravirtualization support when Solaris 10 is used as a guest OS in Xen-based environments such as Sun xVM Server.[70]
  • Solaris 10 5/09 ("U7") added performance and power management support for Intel Nehalem processors, container cloning using ZFS cloned file systems, and performance enhancements for ZFS on solid-state drives.
  • Solaris 10 10/09 ("U8") added user and group level ZFS quotas, ZFS cache devices and nss_ldap shadowAccount Support, improvements to patching performance.[71]
  • Solaris 10 9/10 ("U9") added physical to zone migration, ZFS triple parity RAID-Z and Oracle Solaris Auto Registration.[72]
  • Solaris 10 8/11 ("U10") added ZFS speedups and new features, Oracle Database optimization, faster reboot on SPARC system.[73][74]
  • Solaris 10 1/13 ("U11") see release notes.[75][76]
Unsupported: 11 Express 2010.11 5.11 November 15, 2010; 15 years ago (2010-11-15) November 2011 SVR4 Adds new packaging system (IPS – Image Packaging System) and associated tools, ZFS (only) for boot, 1 GB RAM min., x86, Solaris 10 Containers, network virtualization and quality of service (QoS), virtual consoles, ZFS encryption and deduplication, fast reboot,[77] updated GNOME. Removed Xsun, CDE,[78] and the /usr/ucb BSD-compatible commands[citation needed]
Unsupported: 11 5.11 November 9, 2011; 14 years ago (2011-11-09) ? SVR4 New features and enhancements (compared to Solaris 10) in software packaging, network virtualization, server virtualization, storage, security and hardware support:
  • Packaging: Image Packaging System, network and local package repositories; Automated Installer to automated provisioning, including Zones; Distro Constructor to create ISO 9660 filesystem images;
  • Network: network virtualization (vNICs, vSwitches, vRouters) and QoS, Exclusive–IP default for Zones, the dladm utility to manage data links, the ipadm utility to manage IP configuration (including IPMP), ProFTPD and enhancements;
  • Zones: Immutable (read–only) Zones, NFS servers in zones, delegated administration, P2V pre–flight check, the zonestat utility coupled with the libzonestat dynamically linked library;
  • Security: root as a role, netcat and enhancements;
  • Storage: ZFS shadow migration, ZFS backup/restore with NDMP, recursive ZFS send;
  • Hardware support: SPARC T4, critical threads, SDP enabled and optimized, including support for Zones, SR-IOV, Intel AVX;
  • UEFI Boot support (Solaris 11.1 onwards on x86)
  • UltraSPARC II, III, IV series support removed; IA-32 architecture support removed.[79]
Unsupported: 11.1 5.11 October 3, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-10-03) ? SVR4 New features and enhancements:[80][81][82]
Unsupported: 11.2 5.11 April 29, 2014; 11 years ago (2014-04-29) ? SVR4 New features and enhancements:[84]
Supported: 11.3 5.11 October 26, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-10-26) January 2027 SVR4 New features and enhancements:[86]
  • Live migration of Solaris Kernel Zones
  • InfiniBand support for Kernel Zones
  • Virtual Clocks for Solaris Zones
  • ZFS LZ4
  • SMB 2.1
  • Private VLAN
  • VNICs on IPoIB
  • Periodic and Scheduled Services
  • Tailored Compliance Reporting
  • OpenBSD 5.5 Packet Filter
  • Deferred Dump
  • Integration with OpenStack Juno
Latest version: 11.4 5.11 August 28, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-08-28) November 2037[87] SVR4 New features and enhancements:[88]
  • CPUs with OSA2011 architecture required (UltraSPARC T4, SPARC64 X, or better)[89]'[90]
  • ZFS Top-Level Device Removal. zpool remove
  • Solaris Web Dashboard and Analytics (sstore)
  • Native Zones: Live Zone Reconfiguration for Datasets
  • GNOME 3 instead of the GNOME 2 desktop[91]

[92][93][94]


A more comprehensive summary of some Solaris versions is also available.[95] Solaris releases are also described in the Solaris 2 FAQ.[96]

Development release

[edit]

The underlying Solaris codebase has been under continuous development since work began in the late 1980s on what was eventually released as Solaris 2.0. Each version such as Solaris 10 is based on a snapshot of this development codebase, taken near the time of its release, which is then maintained as a derived project. Updates to that project are built and delivered several times a year until the next official release comes out.

The Solaris version under development by Sun since the release of Solaris 10 in 2005, was codenamed Nevada, and is derived from what is now the OpenSolaris codebase.

In 2003, an addition to the Solaris development process was initiated. Under the program name Software Express for Solaris (or just Solaris Express), a binary release based on the current development basis was made available for download on a monthly basis, allowing anyone to try out new features and test the quality and stability of the OS as it progressed to the release of the next official Solaris version.[97] A later change to this program introduced a quarterly release model with support available, renamed Solaris Express Developer Edition (SXDE).

In 2007, Sun announced Project Indiana with several goals, including providing an open source binary distribution of the OpenSolaris project, replacing SXDE.[98] The first release of this distribution was OpenSolaris 2008.05.

The Solaris Express Community Edition (SXCE) was intended specifically for OpenSolaris developers.[99] It was updated every two weeks until it was discontinued in January 2010, with a recommendation that users migrate to the OpenSolaris distribution.[100] Although the download license seen when downloading the image files indicates its use is limited to personal, educational and evaluation purposes, the license acceptance form displayed when the user actually installs from these images lists additional uses including commercial and production environments.

SXCE releases terminated with build 130 and OpenSolaris releases terminated with build 134 a few weeks later. The next release of OpenSolaris based on build 134 was due in March 2010, but it was never fully released, though the packages were made available on the package repository. Instead, Oracle renamed the binary distribution Solaris 11 Express, changed the license terms and released build 151a as 2010.11 in November 2010.

Open source derivatives

[edit]

Current

[edit]
See also: OpenSolaris § Derivatives, illumos § Current distributions, and Comparison of OpenSolaris distributions
  • illumos – A fully open source fork of the project, started in 2010 by a community of Sun OpenSolaris engineers and Nexenta OS. OpenSolaris was not 100% open source: Some drivers and some libraries were property of other companies that Sun (now Oracle) licensed and was not able to release.
  • OpenIndiana – A project under the illumos umbrella aiming "... to become the de facto OpenSolaris distribution installed on production servers where security and bug fixes are required free of charge."[101]
  • SchilliX[102] – The first LiveCD released after OpenSolaris code was opened to public.
  • napp-it[103] – A webmanaged ZFS storage appliance based on Solaris and the free forks like OmniOS with a Free and Pro edition.
  • NexentaStor – Optimized for storage workloads, based on Nexenta OS.
  • SmartOS – Virtualization centered derivative from MNX Solutions (previously Joyent).

Discontinued

[edit]
  • OpenSolaris – A project initiated by Sun Microsystems, discontinued after the acquisition by Oracle.
  • Nexenta OS (discontinued October 31, 2012) – First distribution based on Ubuntu userland with Solaris-derived kernel.[104]
  • StormOS (discontinued September 14, 2012[105]) – A lightweight desktop OS based on Nexenta OS and Xfce.
  • MartUX[106][107] – The first SPARC distribution of OpenSolaris, with an alpha prototype released by Martin Bochnig in April 2006. It was distributed as a Live CD but is later available only on DVD as it has had the Blastwave community software added.[108] Its goal was to become a desktop operating system. The first SPARC release was a small Live CD, released as marTux_0.2 Live CD[109] in summer of 2006, the first straight OpenSolaris distribution for SPARC (not to be confused with GNOME metacity theme). It was later re-branded as MartUX and the next releases included full SPARC installers in addition to the Live media. Much later, MartUX was re-branded as OpenSXCE when it moved to the first OpenSolaris release to support both SPARC and Intel architectures after Sun was acquired by Oracle.[110]
  • MilaX – A small Live CD/Live USB[111][112] with minimal set of packages to fit a 90 MB image.
  • Dyson – illumos kernel with GNU userland and packages from Debian. Project is no longer active and the website is offline.
  • EON ZFS Storage[113] – A NAS implementation targeted at embedded systems.
  • Jaris OS – Live DVD and also installable.[114] Pronounced according to the IPA[how?] but in English as Yah-Rees. This distribution has been heavily modified to fully support a version of Wine called Madoris that can install and run Windows programs at native speed. Jaris stands for "Japanese Solaris". Madoris is a combination of the Japanese word for Windows "mado" and Solaris.
  • OpenSXCE – An OpenSolaris distribution release for both 32-bit and 64-bit x86 platforms and SPARC microprocessors, initially produced from OpenSolaris source code repository, ported to the illumos source code repository to form OpenIndiana's first[115] SPARC distribution.[116] Notably, the first OpenSolaris distribution with illumos source for SPARC based upon OpenIndiana, OpenSXCE finally moved to a new source code repository, based upon DilOS.

Reception

[edit]
  • Robert Lipschutz and Gregg Harrington from PC Magazine reviewed Solaris 9 in 2002:[117]

All in all, Sun has stayed the course with Solaris 9. While its more user-friendly management is welcome, that probably won't be enough to win over converts. What may is the platform's reliability, flexibility, and power.

  • Robert Lipschutz also reviewed Solaris 10:[118]

Be that as it may, since the Solaris 10 download is free, it behooves any IT manager to load it on an extra server and at least give it a try.

Solaris 10 offers a flexible framework for securely dividing system resources, providing performance guarantees and tracking usage for these containers. Creating basic containers and populating them with user applications and resources is simple. But some cases may require quite a bit of fine-tuning.

I think that Sun has put some really nice touches on Solaris 10 that make it a better operating system for both administrators and users. The security enhancements are a long time coming, but are worth the wait. Is Solaris 10 perfect, in a word no it is not but for most uses, including as a desktop OS, Solaris 10 represents a significant improvement over previous releases.

We've had fun with Solaris 10. It's got virtues that we definitely admire. What it needs to compete with Linux will be easier to bring about than what it's already got. It could become a Linux killer, or at least a serious competitor on Linux's turf. The only question is whether Sun has the will to see it through.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Oracle Solaris

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Oracle Solaris is a Unix operating system originally developed by as a successor to and acquired by in 2010 following its purchase of Sun, designed primarily for enterprise servers and workstations with support for and architectures. It serves as a robust platform for mission-critical applications, particularly and workloads, emphasizing stability, scalability, and through features like the Application Binary Guarantee, which ensures applications from over two decades of releases run unchanged. The operating system's current major release, Solaris 11.4, integrates advanced technologies for modern enterprise needs, including for efficient cloud infrastructure and built-in via Solaris Zones, which enable secure, zero-overhead isolation of workloads without penalties. Key innovations include the file system, which provides , scalable storage pools, and snapshot capabilities for resilient data management, and , a dynamic instrumentation tool for real-time analysis and troubleshooting with minimal overhead. Oracle Solaris prioritizes security and compliance, featuring end-to-end protections such as Silicon Secured Memory on systems to mitigate memory-based attacks, integrated antimalware scanning from to application levels, and automated compliance reporting for regulatory standards across multinode environments. It supports through Support Repository Updates (SRUs), with the latest in October 2025 ensuring timely patches and enhancements while minimizing via one-step updates and rollbacks. Overall, it remains a trusted choice for large-scale deployments in , , and government sectors, offering operational simplicity and for private clouds and hybrid systems.

History

Origins at

initiated the development of its proprietary Unix operating system in the early 1980s, initially releasing in 1982 as a BSD-derived implementation tailored for its hardware. evolved through several versions, with 4.x providing robust support for networked environments and Sun's emerging architecture, emphasizing reliability and performance for scientific and engineering applications. In 1988, Sun Microsystems partnered with AT&T to integrate BSD innovations with System V Unix, resulting in the creation of Unix System V Release 4 (SVR4). This effort led to the launch of Solaris 2.0 in June 1992, internally designated SunOS 5.0, which fully adopted SVR4 as its foundation while retaining key SunOS compatibility features through binary emulation packages. Solaris 2.0 marked a pivotal shift, introducing symmetric multiprocessing, multithreading, and enhanced networking capabilities to support scalable server deployments. Subsequent releases built on this foundation with targeted enhancements. Solaris 2.1, released in December 1992, introduced for automated network installations, streamlining deployment across multiple systems, and provided initial stability improvements for platforms. Solaris 2.5 in 1996 added support for the NFS version 3 protocol, enhancing file-sharing performance and reliability in distributed environments through features like larger file transfers and better error recovery. Solaris 2.6, released in 1997, incorporated WebNFS for browser-based file access, NFS for , and support for file sizes up to 1 terabyte, further optimizing it for internet-scale operations. A significant advancement in addressing memory constraints for enterprise workloads occurred with Solaris 7 in November 1998, which introduced 64-bit kernel and userland support specifically for UltraSPARC processors, enabling 64-bit addressing for larger memory spaces and accelerating large-scale database and scientific computing tasks. Solaris 8, launched in 2000, extended administrative efficiency by introducing Live Upgrade, a mechanism for creating alternate environments to perform upgrades without interrupting service, alongside refinements to for more customizable automated provisioning. Solaris 9, released in May 2002, enhanced system management and security with features like the Solaris Resource Manager for fair allocation of CPU, memory, and network resources, and integration with the for improved graphical environments. Solaris 10, launched in January 2005, introduced transformative technologies including the for scalable, self-healing storage pools, for comprehensive system observability and troubleshooting, and Solaris Zones for efficient workload isolation through lightweight virtualization. It also committed to extended support for up to 10 years, reinforcing reliability for long-term enterprise deployments. Throughout its development at , Solaris prioritized scalability for mission-critical enterprise servers, with tight integration to hardware ensuring optimized resource utilization, such as across multiple processors and advanced management. This focus positioned Solaris as a leading contender in the commercial Unix arena, where it competed fiercely with Hewlett-Packard's and IBM's AIX for dominance in RISC-based server markets during the and early 2000s.

Transition to Oracle Ownership

In April 2009, Oracle Corporation announced its agreement to acquire Sun Microsystems for approximately $7.4 billion in cash, a deal that was completed on January 27, 2010, following regulatory approvals including from the European Commission. This acquisition brought Oracle into hardware manufacturing and expanded its software portfolio, including control over Solaris, which had long been optimized for Oracle's database products. At the time of the acquisition's completion, Oracle pledged to uphold Sun's commitments to open-source technologies, including ongoing support for projects like , which had fostered a developer around Solaris innovations such as and . However, these assurances quickly gave way to strategic shifts, as Oracle discontinued the distribution and its governance model in August 2010, citing a focus on proprietary development to align with enterprise needs. This decision, communicated via an internal memo that leaked to the , marked a pivot away from Sun's collaborative open-source ethos toward closed-source enhancements for commercial Solaris. The transition significantly impacted Solaris engineering teams, with Oracle implementing layoffs affecting approximately 1,000 Sun employees, including some key Solaris developers, to streamline operations and integrate talent. These cuts disrupted the product roadmap, leading to uncertainty among developers and users, while straining relations with the open-source , many of whom viewed the moves as a of initial promises. In response to these changes, former Sun engineers and community members forked code to create independent distributions like . Amid these disruptions, signaled continuity in Solaris development by releasing a preview of Solaris 11 Express in November 2010, highlighting features for and to position the OS for modern demands. This early announcement emphasized integration with 's ecosystem, including automated provisioning and enhanced , though it diverged from the open development model of its predecessor.

Post-2010 Developments

Following the acquisition of , released Solaris 11 on November 10, 2011, positioning it as a cloud-oriented operating system designed to address enterprise demands for scalable infrastructure management. This version introduced features like automated installation, image packaging system for faster updates, and boot environments for safe upgrades that help reduce downtime. It was optimized for 's hardware portfolio, including systems, to enhance performance in virtualized and networked environments. Under Oracle's stewardship, Solaris has adopted a model through Support Repository Updates (SRUs), delivering quarterly patches for , stability, and feature enhancements. The most recent, SRU 86, was issued on October 21, 2025, incorporating critical fixes and package updates accessible via the . extended Premier Support for Solaris 11.4 to 2031 and further prolonged paid support and upgrades through 2037, ensuring long-term viability for mission-critical deployments. Emphasis has been placed on hybrid cloud integration, with Solaris 11.4 images available in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) since 2018, enabling seamless migration of workloads to public cloud while retaining on-premises compatibility. has been bolstered with features like (introduced in Solaris 11.1) and Silicon Secured Memory (in 11.3), which mitigate attacks and enhance cryptographic protections. Despite these advancements, Solaris has faced challenges from intensifying competition with distributions, resulting in a declining estimated at 0.78% in server and desktop OS segments as of 2025. responded by pivoting toward engineered systems, particularly the M-series servers, which integrate Solaris for high-reliability enterprise applications like database processing, offering scalable SMP architecture and resource partitioning. Recent SRUs from 2024-2025, such as SRU 84, have updated Python packages (versions 3.9 through 3.13) to support modern development, facilitating AI and workloads when deployed in OCI environments that provide GPU acceleration and platform tools. This integration allows Solaris users to leverage cloud-native AI services without full platform migration, maintaining security and performance for hybrid setups.

Technical Foundations

Kernel and Core Architecture

Oracle Solaris employs a architecture derived from System V Release 4 (SVR4), incorporating extensions that enable advanced features such as lightweight processes (threads), through zones, and fine-grained to enhance and isolation in enterprise environments. This design maintains the efficiency of a unified kernel space while supporting modular extensions for drivers and subsystems, allowing for predictable behavior across diverse workloads without the overhead of full communication. At its core, the Solaris kernel includes a process scheduler based on the (TS) class, which dynamically allocates CPU resources to in a fair manner, similar to implementations in derivatives, ensuring equitable access while prioritizing interactive tasks through adjustable priorities and time slices. The system utilizes demand paging, where pages are loaded into physical memory only when accessed, optimizing resource use by combining file-backed and anonymous to handle large address spaces efficiently. Complementing this, the kernel supports file systems such as the (UFS), which provides robust journaling and extent-based allocation for reliable and recovery. Key architectural principles emphasize predictable performance through mechanisms like resource caps, enforced via the resource controls (rctl) facility, which limits CPU, memory, and I/O usage to prevent any single process or workload from monopolizing system resources. Fault isolation is achieved primarily through zones, which partition the kernel's view of the system into isolated environments sharing the same kernel instance but with separate namespaces for processes, file systems, and networks, thereby enhancing security and stability without hardware virtualization overhead. The kernel's evolution transitioned from a 32-bit architecture to full 64-bit support in Solaris 7, released in 1998, enabling larger addressing and improved scalability for high-end servers while maintaining for 32-bit applications. Subsequent developments introduced (NUMA) awareness through locality groups (lgroups), which model hardware topology to optimize thread scheduling and allocation across multi-node systems, reducing latency in large-scale deployments.

Integrated Technologies

Oracle Solaris incorporates several advanced technologies that provide deep system , robust storage management, efficient , reliable service handling, and enhanced , all seamlessly integrated into its ecosystem. These features, primarily introduced with Solaris 10 in , empower administrators and developers to manage complex environments with greater reliability and performance. DTrace serves as a dynamic tracing framework enabling real-time observation, , and of the operating system, applications, and libraries without the need for recompilation or static . It consists of kernel-level probes from various providers that expose system events, allowing users to script custom tracing programs in the D language to capture detailed execution paths and bottlenecks. Introduced in Solaris 10, DTrace has become a cornerstone for in production environments, offering low-overhead that scales to high-performance workloads. ZFS functions as an integrated and volume manager, pooling storage devices into scalable units while ensuring through features like end-to-end checksums and self-healing. Its mechanism updates data blocks atomically, preventing corruption during writes, and enables efficient snapshots—read-only point-in-time copies that initially consume no extra space and facilitate rapid backups or rollbacks. Debuting in Solaris 10, ZFS also introduces -Z, a software variant that mirrors or stripes data with parity across three levels (-Z1, Z2, Z3) to tolerate drive failures without the traditional write-hole vulnerability. Solaris Zones deliver lightweight, OS-native by partitioning a single Solaris instance into isolated environments, akin to containers, for application consolidation and security. The global zone acts as the root administrative domain with full hardware access, while non-global zones operate in isolated namespaces, sharing the host kernel but preventing processes, filesystems, and networks from interfering with one another. Introduced in Solaris 10, zones support variants like sparse-root (minimal shared filesystem) and whole-root (independent filesystem), enabling efficient resource allocation and migration across systems. The Service Management Facility (SMF) provides a dependency-aware framework for defining, starting, stopping, and monitoring system services, replacing legacy scripts with XML-based manifests that declare service relationships and restart policies. It ensures services initialize in the proper sequence based on prerequisites, such as network availability, and automatically restarts failed instances to maintain uptime. Debuting in Solaris 10, SMF integrates with the Fault Management Architecture to log and diagnose service disruptions, supporting both system-wide and delegated administration. The Packet Filter (PF) offers built-in as a replacement for IP Filter since Oracle Solaris 11.4, providing stateful packet filtering, (NAT), and to mitigate unauthorized access and attacks. It evaluates traffic based on rules considering source/destination IP, ports, protocols, interfaces, and direction, with support for both IPv4 and IPv6. Introduced in Solaris 11.4, PF includes features like bandwidth management, packet prioritization, and via the pflogd daemon, allowing configurable rule sets to block or permit packets while tracking connection states for enhanced security.

Hardware Support

Primary Architectures

Oracle Solaris primarily supports two hardware architectures: the (Scalable Processor ARChitecture) and platforms, both optimized for enterprise-grade reliability and performance in recent versions such as Solaris 11.4. These architectures form the backbone of certified deployments, enabling Solaris to run on high-end servers from Oracle and compatible vendors while maintaining compatibility with mission-critical applications. SPARC has been the foundational architecture for Solaris since its origins at Sun Microsystems, designed as a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) platform tailored for scalable, , with 64-bit capabilities introduced in SPARC Version 9. Oracle Solaris continues to provide full support for Oracle's and M-series processors, including models from the T4 onward and up to the SPARC M8 processors released in 2017, which feature advanced silicon-secured memory and multi-threaded cores for enhanced security and efficiency in environments. Support for the architecture, based on the and instruction sets, was introduced with Solaris 2.1 in 1993, allowing Solaris to extend beyond proprietary hardware to commodity x86 systems. In Solaris 11.4, this support achieves full certification for a wide range of and processors, including multi-socket and configurations and recent additions such as 5th/6th Gen Scalable and 9000 series as of 2025, ensuring seamless integration with modern x86 servers for and cloud workloads. Oracle's certification process relies on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), a comprehensive database that verifies hardware components—such as servers, storage, and networking devices—for , stability, and performance under Solaris. The HCL undergoes rigorous testing by Oracle engineers to guarantee that listed and x86 systems meet enterprise standards for uptime and scalability, preventing compatibility issues in production deployments. Performance in Solaris is enhanced through instruction-level tuning specific to each , leveraging optimizations in Oracle Solaris Studio to exploit SPARC's custom instructions for and floating-point operations, as well as x86's vector extensions like AVX for parallel processing. These optimizations, including tuned libraries for linear and , deliver up to multi-fold gains in application throughput on certified hardware without requiring code modifications.

Legacy and Specialized Platforms

Oracle Solaris historically provided support for the architecture, also known as 32-bit x86, through Solaris 10, which was certified on both 32-bit and 64-bit x86 processors from , , and VIA. This support enabled compatibility with a wide range of older x86-based hardware prevalent in enterprise environments during the early 2000s. However, starting with Solaris 11 in 2011, Oracle discontinued support, shifting exclusively to 64-bit architectures to align with modern hardware trends and reduce compatibility overhead. In the 1990s, pursued ports of Solaris to the PowerPC architecture as part of efforts to expand beyond , including the PowerPC Reference Platform initiative announced in 1995. This port targeted systems like IBM's RS/6000 but was ultimately abandoned before the release of Solaris 2.6 in 1997 due to shifting market priorities and competition from other Unix variants. Specialized experimental ports emerged during the era, particularly for processors, with Sun announcing an initial port in June 2009 based on the 2008.05 release to target mobile, embedded, and low-power devices. Similarly, collaboration between Sun and resulted in a port of to System z mainframes in 2008, running under to explore energy-efficient consolidation of Unix workloads on IBM's . This initiative, known as Project Sirius, was discontinued shortly after Oracle's acquisition of Sun, as it did not align with core enterprise priorities. End-of-support timelines for legacy platforms underscore Oracle's strategic realignment. Support for older V9 implementations, such as UltraSPARC II and III series, was phased out with the release of Solaris 11 in 2011, removing compatibility for pre-sun4v hardware to streamline development. The broader shift toward x86 focus intensified in the following Oracle's 2010 acquisition of Sun, prioritizing x86-64 for its cost advantages in scalability and hardware availability over proprietary architectures. Deprecations were driven by the high costs of maintaining compatibility layers and testing for niche platforms against diminishing market demand, as x86 ecosystems offered broader vendor support and lower total ownership expenses.

Deployment and Administration

Installation Processes

Oracle Solaris installations begin with verifying hardware compatibility, ensuring the target system meets minimum requirements such as 4 GB of RAM (recommended minimum) for the operating system and supported or x86 platforms certified by . Disk space prerequisites vary by package group, with recommended minimums of 6 GB for minimal-server, 7 GB for small-server, 9 GB for large-server, and 13 GB for desktop installations using a root pool, plus additional space for boot environments and swap based on memory size; for example, systems with 4 GB of RAM require a minimum 4 GB swap. Partitioning schemes typically involve creating a root pool during setup, which supports for but not RAID-Z configurations on the root pool itself, and on x86 systems, an partition must be present. These checks prevent installation failures on incompatible hardware, and tools like the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) from guide selection of validated components. The primary method for initial deployment is the text installer, an interactive available for both x86 and architectures, allowing users to configure system parameters such as network settings, time zones, and software groups during the process. This mode supports automated profiles through , Oracle's legacy automation framework that enables unattended installations by defining rules and profiles for multiple systems over a network, though in Solaris 11 and later, it integrates with the newer Automated Installer (AI) for enhanced scripting. The text installer boots from installation media and guides users step-by-step, making it suitable for server environments where graphical interfaces are unnecessary. Image-based installations utilize downloadable ISO files, which can be burned to DVDs, written to USB flash drives, or used for , providing a straightforward path for standalone systems. For x86 platforms, network installations leverage booting, where clients obtain boot images via DHCP and TFTP from a server, facilitating mass deployments without physical media. SPARC systems primarily rely on direct media or network equivalents, but PXE support is x86-specific due to architectural differences. Starting with Solaris 11, the Image Packaging System (IPS) introduces repository-based installations, where the Automated Installer pulls packages from a configured IPS repository during setup, enabling customized deployments with precise control over software variants and support for non-global zones. This method requires pre-configuring an AI service on a network server, which defines installation manifests and services the repository, streamlining deployments for enterprise environments by integrating package management from the initial boot. IPS ensures the file system is built as a ZFS pool by default, with options for UEFI booting on x86 systems.

Update and Maintenance Tools

Oracle Solaris employs the Image Packaging System (IPS) as its primary mechanism for managing software updates and maintenance post-installation, enabling administrators to apply patches, upgrades, and fixes efficiently across the system. IPS integrates package installation, updating, and removal into a unified framework, supporting dependency resolution and rollback capabilities through boot environments. For routine updates, the pkg update command synchronizes the system with the latest Support Repository Updates (SRUs), which bundle stability fixes, patches, and enhancements released regularly, approximately monthly. In air-gapped environments, administrators can mirror remote IPS repositories locally using the built-in mirroring service, ensuring updates are available without direct by synchronizing packages via SMF-managed processes. Patch management in Oracle Solaris evolved significantly between versions 10 and 11, shifting from discrete patch clusters in Solaris 10 to an integrated IPS-based approach in Solaris 11 that leverages binary deltas for more granular and efficient updates. In Solaris 10, traditional patch clusters—pre-bundled collections of patches addressing specific issues—required manual application and could involve full file replacements, often leading to larger downloads and potential system downtime. Conversely, Solaris 11 treats patches as package updates delivered through IPS, utilizing binary deltas to transmit only the differences between package versions, which minimizes bandwidth usage and enables faster application without replacing entire files. This delta mechanism, combined with automatic dependency handling, allows for non-disruptive updates to running systems, particularly when paired with boot environment cloning. Key tools for non-disruptive upgrades and maintenance include Live Upgrade in Solaris 10 and the beadm utility in Solaris 11, both facilitating boot environment (BE) management to isolate changes and enable quick rollbacks. Live Upgrade in Solaris 10 creates alternate boot environments using scripts like lucreate, allowing patches or upgrades to be applied to a cloned environment without interrupting the active , followed by a to activate the new BE. In Solaris 11, beadm replaces and simplifies this functionality for ZFS-based BEs, providing commands to create (beadm create), activate (beadm activate), list (beadm list), and destroy (beadm destroy) environments; updates via pkg update automatically clone the current BE to apply changes safely. These tools ensure during maintenance by preserving the original state until verification. Security patching in Oracle Solaris follows a structured quarterly cadence through Critical Patch Updates (CPUs), which are incorporated into every third SRU to address known vulnerabilities, including (CVEs). CPUs consolidate fixes for multiple components, prioritizing high-risk issues across the OS kernel, libraries, and third-party integrations. For instance, SRU 86, released on October 21, 2025, as the October 2025 CPU, delivers patches for various CVEs affecting Solaris 11.4, including updates to networking stacks and cryptographic modules, and is applied via pkg update from the support repository. This approach ensures timely remediation while maintaining compatibility with enterprise environments.

User Interfaces

Graphical Desktop Environments

Oracle Solaris provides graphical desktop environments primarily for use, enabling visual interfaces for development, administration, and user productivity tasks. These environments have evolved from legacy systems to modern implementations, with a focus on integration with the operating system's core features like the . The primary graphical desktop in Oracle Solaris is , which serves as the default environment starting from later updates of Solaris 10 through current versions. In Solaris 10, is integrated via the (JDS), a customized distribution based on 2 that includes Sun-specific enhancements for and integration with Solaris tools, and it became the default in updates from 2006 onward. JDS remained a key component until the early , when Solaris 11 shifted to a stock version of 2.30 as part of the Oracle Solaris Desktop, providing a more standardized experience without proprietary customizations. Subsequent releases, such as Solaris 11.4, upgraded to 45 in Classic Mode as of the August 2025 SRU 84, offering improved multitasking, theming, and accessibility features while maintaining compatibility with legacy applications. The (CDE), a Motif-based , originated in Solaris 2.x releases from the 1990s and provided a consistent look across Unix workstations. As a legacy option, CDE remained available and selectable in Solaris 10, allowing users to choose it over JDS during login for familiarity in enterprise environments reliant on older Motif applications. However, CDE was deprecated and removed as a standard component in Solaris 11, with Oracle recommending migration to for ongoing support. Installation of graphical desktop environments in Oracle Solaris occurs post-installation via the Image Packaging System (IPS), which delivers packages tailored to system roles. For instance, the solaris-desktop group package installs GNOME components, including essential libraries, themes, and utilities, on systems configured for graphical use. Customization is facilitated through the GNOME Display Manager (GDM), the default graphical login manager since Solaris 10 updates, which handles user authentication, session management, and display configuration via editable files like /etc/gdm/gdm.conf. GDM supports features such as automatic login, remote access, and integration with Solaris security policies, allowing administrators to tailor the login experience without altering core system files. Graphical desktops in Oracle Solaris are optimized for development workstations rather than production servers, where resource overhead from X11 and desktop processes could impact performance. Recent versions emphasize minimal installations by default, with desktop packages optional and excluded from server-oriented profiles like solaris-small-server to prioritize efficiency in data center deployments. This shift supports headless operation on servers while reserving full graphical capabilities for interactive workstation scenarios.

Command-Line and Scripting Tools

Oracle Solaris provides a robust (CLI) for system administration and , emphasizing efficiency and integration with its core technologies. The CLI environment supports a range of shells and utilities tailored for enterprise-level tasks, such as package management, , storage administration, and dynamic system probing. These tools enable administrators to perform complex operations without relying on graphical interfaces, making Solaris suitable for server and deployments. The default interactive shell in Oracle Solaris 11 and later is the GNU Bourne-Again Shell (Bash), located at /usr/bin/bash, which offers enhanced features like command-line editing and job control. The /bin/sh symlink points to the Korn Shell 93 (ksh93), providing POSIX compliance while supporting advanced scripting constructs. Historically, the Bourne shell served as the foundational default, and Solaris continues to support it alongside ksh93 for compatibility. The Z Shell (zsh) is available but requires installation via the Image Packaging System (IPS), offering interactive features like spell correction and themeable prompts. Key command-line utilities facilitate core system management. The pkg command manages software packages through the IPS, allowing operations like installation, updates, and repository configuration with commands such as pkg install and pkg update. For virtualization, zoneadm administers Solaris Zones, enabling tasks like zone creation, boot, halt, and migration via subcommands like zoneadm attach and zoneadm ready. Storage management is handled by the zfs command, which supports file systems for snapshotting, cloning, and dataset administration, exemplified by zfs create and zfs snapshot. Dynamic tracing is provided by dtrace, a powerful tool for observing kernel and user-space behavior without recompilation, using scripts like dtrace -n 'syscall:::entry' to probe system calls. Scripting in Oracle Solaris is supported by pre-installed languages and framework-specific tools. Perl and Python are included by default, with Perl 5.38 and multiple Python versions (e.g., 3.11, 3.13) available for automation scripts as of SRU 84 in August 2025. The Service Management Facility (SMF) uses XML manifests to define services, often incorporating executable scripts for start, stop, and refresh methods, as seen in files under /lib/svc/manifest. These manifests can be created with tools like svcbundle and imported via svccfg import. Solaris shells and utilities adhere to POSIX standards, ensuring portability of scripts across UNIX-like systems, while incorporating proprietary extensions for enterprise features like ZFS integration and DTrace probing. This balance supports scalable automation in large-scale environments.

Licensing Models

Pre-Open Source Era

Solaris originated as a proprietary Unix operating system developed by Sun Microsystems, with its first major release, Solaris 2.0, launched in 1992 as a binary-only distribution requiring specific Sun licenses for use on supported hardware. This model ensured that users received compiled executables without access to the underlying source code, positioning Solaris as a commercial product tightly integrated with Sun's ecosystem. Licensing fees were structured on a per-user or per-system basis, frequently bundled with the purchase of Sun hardware such as workstations and servers, which effectively embedded the OS cost within overall system pricing to streamline deployment for enterprise customers. Such bundling reflected Sun's to promote its architecture alongside the OS, limiting standalone OS acquisitions and reinforcing hardware-software synergy. Key restrictions under this regime prohibited source code access, , and unauthorized redistribution, with all usage governed by Sun's (EULA) that prioritized commercial applications and required adherence to terms protecting Sun's . The EULA explicitly outlined non-transferable rights for internal reproduction and use of binary forms, barring modifications or broader sharing without Sun's prior consent. To support and development, Sun offered limited academic and developer editions, available to universities, colleges, non-profit organizations, and similar entities for campus-wide or non-commercial use under restricted terms. These editions provided access for and study, along with discounted or no-fee access for qualifying non-commercial purposes, while maintaining no redistribution rights.

Open Source Period

In June 2005, Sun Microsystems launched the project, releasing the source code for key components of the Solaris operating system, including the kernel and userland utilities, to foster collaborative development and innovation. This initiative marked a significant shift toward openness, providing developers worldwide with access to the codebase that powered Sun's enterprise-grade UNIX system. The project was built around the "" development stream, an ongoing integration branch of Solaris that served as a preview mechanism for upcoming features and community-tested enhancements. The source code was licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), a permissive yet copyleft-oriented license modeled after the Mozilla Public License (MPL). The CDDL permitted free use, modification, and redistribution of the code, but required that any changes to existing files retain the CDDL and that source code accompany distributions, thereby encouraging ongoing contributions while protecting Sun's intellectual property rights. This licensing approach enabled a vibrant community ecosystem, where participants could propose and integrate improvements through mailing lists, code reviews, and sponsored events, leading to advancements in areas like file systems and networking. Community involvement during this period laid the groundwork for subsequent projects, notably the fork, which emerged from the final public release ( snv_134) after Sun's acquisition by curtailed real-time source releases in 2010. Developers contributed patches, tools, and , enhancing and portability, though participation was moderated to align with Sun's quality standards. Despite these efforts, the open-sourcing had limitations: while core OS elements were fully disclosed, certain hardware-specific binary drivers—such as those for and storage controllers—remained , restricting complete and full system without additional vendor support.

Oracle-Era Proprietary Licensing

Following Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems in 2010, the company terminated the OpenSolaris project, effectively ending public collaborative development of the Solaris operating system. Oracle announced that the community-driven OpenSolaris distribution would be discontinued, shifting focus to proprietary internal development. As a result, access to Solaris source code was restricted, with public updates to the kernel source ceasing and availability limited primarily to select partners developing commercial applications on the platform. No full source code releases for Solaris have been made publicly available by Oracle since 2010. Under the Oracle-era proprietary licensing model, Oracle Solaris binaries are freely downloadable as ISO images and full IPS repositories from the Oracle website, governed by the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Developer terms. This permits non-exclusive, non-transferable internal use for development, testing, and demonstration purposes without time restrictions for non-production environments, but explicitly prohibits production deployment without a paid support contract. For production use, organizations must purchase Oracle support subscriptions, which provide access to updates, patches, and technical assistance, ensuring compliance with the model's emphasis on revenue-generating services. As of 2025, Oracle Solaris 11.4 remains the current release, operating under a model where updates are provided via Support Repository Updates (SRUs) rather than major version upgrades. The latest SRU as of October 2025 is SRU 86. Premier Support for Solaris 11.4 extends until November 2031, with Extended Support available through November 2037 and Sustaining Support offered indefinitely thereafter. This extended timeline underscores Oracle's commitment to long-term maintenance, while reinforcing the closed-source nature of development post-2010.

Release Timeline

Major Version Milestones

The Solaris 2.x series, released between 1992 and 2002, represented a pivotal shift for from its earlier BSD-derived to a unified operating system based on Release 4 (SVR4). Solaris 2.0, the inaugural release in this lineage, debuted in June 1992 and integrated SVR4 standards while maintaining compatibility with existing applications through binary emulation. Subsequent iterations built on this foundation, with Solaris 2.6 (released in July 1997) introducing full 64-bit support for processors, enabling larger memory addressing and enhanced performance for enterprise workloads. The series culminated in Solaris 9 in 2002, which laid groundwork for through the N1 initiative, facilitating resource pooling and across distributed systems. Solaris 10, released in January 2005, introduced transformative features that solidified its enterprise stature, including the file system for pooled storage and data integrity, Solaris Zones for lightweight virtualization, and for dynamic system tracing and observability. These innovations enabled predictive self-healing and containerized environments without hardware overhead, earning widespread adoption in mission-critical deployments. Oracle extended Premier Support for Solaris 10 until January 2018 and further prolonged Extended Support to January 2027, ensuring long-term stability for legacy systems. Solaris 11 arrived in November 2011, streamlining administration with the Image Packaging System (IPS) for repository-based software management and a unified installer that simplified deployment across physical, virtual, and environments. The version evolved through updates, with Solaris 11.4 (general availability in 2018) emphasizing enhanced security via features like Secure Boot, secure sandboxes, and automated compliance auditing to mitigate modern threats. Earlier releases have reached end-of-life: Solaris 8 concluded all support phases by March 2012, while Solaris 9 transitioned to indefinite Sustaining Support in October 2014, providing access to existing patches but no new development.

Service Releases and Patches

Oracle Solaris 11 utilizes Support Repository Updates (SRUs) to provide ongoing maintenance, delivering security fixes, bug resolutions, and minor enhancements through the Image Packaging System (IPS). These updates follow a monthly release cadence, with quarterly Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) incorporated into the corresponding SRUs to address high-priority security issues across Oracle products. SRUs ensure a continuous support train, allowing systems to remain current without full reinstallations. For instance, as of October 2025, Oracle Solaris 11.4 SRU 86, released on October 21, 2025, integrates the October 2025 CPU and third-party security bulletin, providing 5 new patches for the Solaris operating system, including fixes for 3 vulnerabilities that may be remotely exploitable without . Users apply SRUs via the pkg update command from the support repository, which handles dependency resolution automatically. In Oracle Solaris 10, the patch policy emphasizes additive installations, enabling new patches to be applied atop existing ones without uninstalling prior versions, which simplifies maintenance for legacy deployments. Critical patches align with Oracle's quarterly CPU advisories, focusing on vulnerabilities and recommended cluster updates to mitigate risks. SRU upgrades in Oracle Solaris 11 support in-place application without requiring system downtime during the update process, leveraging the beadm utility to create a new boot environment (BE) for the updated image while preserving the active BE for immediate rollback if issues arise. This approach minimizes disruption, as the system can boot into the new BE post-reboot for seamless continuity. Premier Support for Oracle Solaris 11.3 concluded in October 2020, with Extended Support scheduled to end in January 2027; for Oracle Solaris 11.4, Premier Support persists until November 2031, ensuring ongoing access to SRUs and critical patches during these periods.

Development Ecosystem

OpenSolaris Initiative

In 2005, Sun Microsystems launched the OpenSolaris Initiative to open-source key components of its Solaris operating system, aiming to foster community-driven development and broaden adoption. The project officially began with the release of source code on June 14, 2005, focusing initially on the ON (Operating System) consolidation from the Solaris Nevada development builds, which included the core kernel, device drivers, file systems, networking stack, and essential commands. This initial drop, derived from Nevada build snv_26, marked a significant shift for Solaris, previously a proprietary Unix variant, enabling developers worldwide to access and modify foundational elements. Governance of the OpenSolaris project was structured around a Community Advisory Board (CAB), established in early 2005 to represent both Sun employees and external contributors in guiding strategic decisions, project direction, and community engagement. The CAB, initially comprising elected community members and Sun appointees, evolved into the OpenSolaris Governing Board to promote merit-based participation and consensus-building. The ON consolidation served as the primary development hub, where ongoing enhancements to the operating system were integrated and released periodically to the community. The initiative spurred substantial community involvement, with third-party developers contributing device drivers for emerging hardware such as graphics cards and storage controllers, as well as ports enabling Solaris to run on non-Sun x86 systems beyond traditional architectures. These efforts extended to desktop-oriented integrations, including adaptations for graphical environments like through projects such as Project Indiana, which incorporated userland tools and package management improvements to enhance usability for non-enterprise scenarios. By 2006, the project had attracted thousands of contributors, accelerating innovation in areas like and security features. The Initiative concluded in August 2010 when , following its acquisition of , discontinued public development updates and , shifting focus to closed-source advancements in commercial Solaris releases; this decision prompted the emergence of forks such as to continue open development.

Current Development and Tools

Since the termination of the community project in 2010, has maintained a closed-source development model for Solaris 11 and subsequent versions, conducting internal engineering through the stream, which serves as the primary codebase for feature integration and testing prior to release. This approach ensures controlled quality assurance and alignment with 's enterprise ecosystem, with made available only after major releases or support repository updates (SRUs), rather than during active development. Partners and developers can access preview builds or early technical details under non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of 's partner program, facilitating certified application development while protecting innovations. Key build tools in the modern Solaris ecosystem revolve around the Image Packaging System (IPS), which handles software packaging, installation, and updates through a repository-based model, enabling seamless delivery of SRUs and new features via commands like pkg update. Complementing IPS is the 12.6 compiler suite, a no-cost toolset for production use that supports C, C++, and development, optimized for Solaris and x86 platforms with integrated and performance analysis capabilities. These tools emphasize binary compatibility and cross-platform portability, allowing developers to build applications that run consistently across Solaris releases without recompilation. Solaris integrates deeply with Oracle's product stack, including for high-availability clustering via Solaris Zones, Java runtime environments certified for enterprise workloads, and WebLogic Server for middleware deployment, all leveraging Solaris's robust networking and storage features. Oracle guarantees API and ABI stability through its Solaris Guarantee Program, ensuring that compliant C/C++ applications built on earlier versions remain binary-compatible with future updates, with ongoing commitments for both and x86 architectures as per current ABI policy documentation. This stability extends to system interfaces, verified using ABI tools like the Preflight Checker to identify potential compatibility issues. In 2025, has enhanced its / () practices for Solaris under the established Continuous Delivery Model, releasing quarterly SRUs—such as SRU 83 in July, SRU 84 in August, SRU 85 in September, and SRU 86 in October—that incorporate security patches, bug fixes, and incremental features via IPS repositories, eliminating the need for major version jumps like a hypothetical Solaris 12. A key focus includes improved compatibility, building on native Solaris Zones for lightweight virtualization while supporting interoperability with standards like the (OCI) through -provided Docker images and zone migration in clustered environments. These updates prioritize enterprise-grade security and scalability, with over 80 third-party vulnerabilities patched in the July 2025 bulletin alone.

Derivatives and Forks

Ongoing Projects

Illumos serves as the foundational open-source Unix operating system derived from the final release of , forked in 2010 to sustain community-driven development after discontinued the project. Announced by Garrett D'Amore on August 3, 2010, replaced closed-source components with open implementations while preserving core technologies such as the file system, dynamic tracing framework, and Zones virtualization. It forms the kernel and base for multiple active distributions, including —a specialized platform for container and virtual machine hosting—and OmniOS, a lightweight server-oriented OS emphasizing , , and zone support. Key enhancements to and , such as improved data caching and conditional instrumentation, continue through community contributions to enhance performance and debugging in production environments. OpenIndiana builds directly on illumos as a full-featured distribution suitable for desktop and general-purpose , incorporating the for user-friendly interaction. It provides a stable platform with tools for package management via pkg(7) and supports both and architectures. The project's Hipster rolling-release model delivers biannual snapshots, with the latest version, 2025.10, released on October 28, 2025, focusing on stability improvements, security updates, and integration of recent illumos kernel advancements. This release emphasizes enterprise-grade reliability without vendor dependencies, making it suitable for workloads requiring auditable open-source components. Tribblix offers a streamlined illumos variant optimized for x86 systems, prioritizing simplicity and minimal resource usage through a retro-inspired interface that simplifies administration tasks. Developed by Peter Tribble, it includes two main builds: a edition using unmodified illumos for broad compatibility and an "omnitribblix" variant incorporating OmniOS-specific features like LX branded zones for emulation. Recent milestones enhance and compatibility while maintaining ease of installation and operation, focusing on core illumos strengths like SMF service management. The ecosystem thrives through collaborative efforts on , where the illumos-gate repository mirrors the official codebase and tracks ongoing integrations, bug fixes, and feature proposals as of 2025. This activity ensures sustained evolution, with contributors addressing hardware support, kernel stability, and toolchains. Derivatives like those mentioned maintain ABI compatibility with Solaris binaries, particularly from Solaris 10 and earlier, enabling seamless migration of legacy applications via the Solaris build tag in tools like Go. Such compatibility underscores the project's commitment to preserving Solaris heritage in an open environment.

Archived Initiatives

The project, initiated by in 2005 to open-source portions of the Solaris kernel and userland, was effectively archived following 's acquisition of Sun in 2010. Oracle discontinued the binary distribution of OpenSolaris in August 2010, shifting focus to proprietary development of Solaris 11, with the last official binary release being build 134b on November 12, 2010. Although the source code remained available under the (CDDL) for a time, the lack of ongoing community-driven updates led to its archival status, as no further official releases were produced after the project's termination. Solaris Express, Sun's series of developer previews for upcoming Solaris versions, also concluded around the same period. Launched in 2007 as Solaris Express Developer Edition (SXDE) and Community Edition (SXCE), it provided early access to features like ZFS enhancements and IPS packaging, but Sun announced the end of SXCE updates in August 2009 to align with the maturing distribution. Post-acquisition, replaced it with Solaris 11 Express in November 2010, a more controlled binary preview without the open development model, marking the definitive end of the Express line as an independent initiative. Early community forks such as SchilliX and Nexenta, which emerged between 2005 and 2008 to blend Solaris foundations with alternative package ecosystems, similarly faded due to evolving licensing and upstream constraints. SchilliX, the first public OpenSolaris-based distribution released in June 2005 as a for x86 architectures, aimed to deliver a complete FLOSS operating system using Solaris Nevada builds; its development ceased after version 0.8 in 2012. Nexenta Core Platform, launched in 2005 to integrate the Solaris kernel with Debian's userland and APT packaging, released versions up to 3.1.3.5 in 2012 but discontinued its open-source iteration thereafter, transitioning to proprietary storage-focused products. These efforts highlighted innovative hybrid approaches but could not sustain momentum without stable open upstreams. The discontinuation of these initiatives stemmed primarily from the abrupt loss of open upstream after Oracle's closure of and restrictive licensing changes for Solaris binaries, which limited derivative works. Additionally, funding challenges plagued small community projects, as volunteer-driven efforts like SchilliX lacked the resources to independently maintain kernel updates or compete with emerging distributions, leading to their archival by 2010.

Market Impact

Enterprise Adoption

Oracle Solaris has found primary adoption in enterprise sectors demanding exceptional reliability and uptime, including for , for and billing systems, and government agencies for secure data handling. For example, migrated its core billing system (CADM) to Sun Solaris to support large-scale operations, leveraging its scalability for carrier-grade performance. In these domains, Solaris excels in mission-critical applications where system stability is paramount, even as broader server operating system trends favor alternatives. A key strength of Oracle Solaris lies in its seamless integration and reliability within the Oracle ecosystem, particularly for optimizing deployments through features like the Service Management Facility (SMF) for automatic failure recovery and enhanced hardware support. This integration provides enterprise-class uptime, making it suitable for high-volume workloads in and telecom. Market data indicates Solaris holds about 0.78% of the server and desktop OS market in 2025, reflecting its niche but enduring role in specialized, reliability-focused environments rather than general-purpose computing. Migration trends show increasing shifts from Solaris to distributions in cloud-native setups, driven by cost efficiencies and broader ecosystem support, with tools and strategies facilitating these transitions in 2025. However, Solaris remains sustained in legacy infrastructures where proven stability outweighs modernization pressures, bolstered by Oracle's contracts that generate significant revenue from and updates for existing deployments, with Extended Support for Solaris 11.4 available until 2037. While Unix systems, including Solaris, have experienced a long-term market decline as noted in industry analyses, Solaris 11.4 continues to enable hybrid cloud adoption through compatibility with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), allowing on-premises workloads to integrate with public cloud resources.

Critical Reception and Challenges

Oracle Solaris has received significant praise for its stability and innovative tools, particularly , which enables comprehensive dynamic tracing for performance analysis and troubleshooting. In 2005, DTrace's creators were recognized by InfoWorld for their innovations in the InfoWorld Innovators of 2005, highlighting its impact on enterprise IT strategies. Independent reviews have consistently commended Solaris for its reliability, with users noting exceptional uptime in high-load environments and minimal crashes compared to alternatives. For instance, benchmarks and user reports emphasize Solaris's ability to maintain operations over extended periods, contributing to its reputation in mission-critical deployments. Criticisms of Oracle Solaris intensified following Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems in 2010, particularly the shift away from open-source development. The termination of the community distribution alienated developers, sparking widespread backlash as Oracle moved core advancements behind closed doors, limiting community contributions and transparency. Additionally, Solaris has faced scrutiny for its higher licensing and maintenance costs relative to free alternatives like Linux distributions, which offer similar functionality without proprietary fees. Key challenges for Solaris include a shrinking hardware ecosystem, exemplified by Oracle's gradual phase-out of SPARC processor development and support, with many models reaching end-of-life in the early 2020s. This has compounded competition from established rivals such as (RHEL) and AIX, which provide broader hardware compatibility and ecosystem support at lower costs. As of 2025, analyst perspectives on Solaris remain mixed, valuing its niche strengths in sectors like and for proven reliability, yet increasingly viewing it as a legacy platform amid declining below 1% in server operating systems.

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  184. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/legacy-solaris-triumph-linux-2025-perspective-zahid-butt-awk8c
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  186. https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1670144
  187. https://www.peerspot.com/products/oracle-solaris-reviews
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  189. https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/eosl/sun-oracle/
  190. https://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/linux/IBM_Linux_vs_Solaris_paper_2011_Final.pdf
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