| Revision as of 09:34, 3 October 2006 editChris Chittleborough (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers9,016 editsm Change words in titles of 2 cites in refs to mixed case instead of all-upper-case← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:46, 3 October 2006 edit undoChris Chittleborough (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers9,016 edits rv previous edit, on advice from User:NapoliRomaNext edit → | ||
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| |date= December 16, 1997 | |date= December 16, 1997 | ||
| |url=http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/1997-12/sunflash.971216.3.xml | |url=http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/1997-12/sunflash.971216.3.xml | ||
| |title= |
|title=SUN TO DELIVER ENTERPRISE-CLASS SOLARIS FOR INTEL'S MERCED PROCESSOR | ||
| |accessdate=2006-09-10 | |accessdate=2006-09-10 | ||
| }}</ref> Sun also plans to implement ] ] in Solaris 10, allowing Solaris to run native Linux ] on x86 systems.<ref>{{cite web | }}</ref> Sun also plans to implement ] ] in Solaris 10, allowing Solaris to run native Linux ] on x86 systems.<ref>{{cite web | ||
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| |Solaris 2.0 || SunOS 5.0 || June 1992 || Preliminary release, support for only sun4c architecture.<ref>{{cite web | |Solaris 2.0 || SunOS 5.0 || June 1992 || Preliminary release, support for only sun4c architecture.<ref>{{cite web | ||
| | url = http://www.sunmanagers.org/archives/1992/1133.html | | url = http://www.sunmanagers.org/archives/1992/1133.html | ||
| | title = |
| title = SUMMARY: Solaris 2.0 vs 2.1 | ||
| | accessdate = 2006-09-10 | | accessdate = 2006-09-10 | ||
| | author = Demetrios Stellas | | author = Demetrios Stellas | ||
Revision as of 13:46, 3 October 2006
Operating system| File:Solaris10.jpgSolaris 10 using Java Desktop System | |
| Developer | Sun Microsystems |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | open source (but see License section; some elements remain closed source) |
| Latest release | 10 6/06 / 2006-06-26 |
| Platforms | SPARC, x86 (including AMD64/EM64T) |
| Kernel type | Monolithic kernel |
| Default user interface | Java Desktop System |
| License | binary only |
| Official website | http://sun.com/solaris/ |
Solaris is a computer operating system developed by Sun Microsystems. It is certified as a version of Unix. Although Solaris proper is still proprietary software, the core OS has been made into an open source project, OpenSolaris.
History
In the early 1990s Sun replaced the BSD-derived SunOS 4 with a version of UNIX System V Release 4 (SVR4), jointly developed with AT&T. The underlying release name was SunOS 5.0, but a new marketing name was introduced at the same time: Solaris 2.
(SunOS 4.1.x micro releases were also retroactively named Solaris 1, a convention generally ignored; the name Solaris is almost exclusively used to refer to SVR4-derived SunOS 5.0 and later.)
Solaris is considered to be the SunOS operating system plus a graphical user environment (see Desktop Environments below), ONC+, and other components. The SunOS minor version is included in the Solaris release name; for example, Solaris 2.4 incorporated SunOS 5.4. After Solaris 2.6, Sun dropped the "2." from the name, so what we know as Solaris 7 incorporates SunOS 5.7, and the latest release SunOS 5.10 forms the core of Solaris 10.
Supported architectures
Solaris uses a common code base for the architectures it supports: SPARC and x86 (including AMD64/EM64T). It was also ported to the PowerPC architecture (PReP platform) for version 2.5.1, but the port was cancelled almost as soon as it was released. Support for Itanium was at one time planned but never brought to market. Sun also plans to implement Linux ABIs in Solaris 10, allowing Solaris to run native Linux binaries on x86 systems.
Solaris has a reputation for being well-suited to SMP, supporting a large number of CPUs, and has included support for 64-bit SPARC applications since Solaris 7. It has historically been tightly integrated with Sun's SPARC hardware, with which it is designed and marketed as a combined package. This has often led to more reliable systems, but at a cost premium over commodity PC hardware. However, it has also supported x86 systems since Solaris 2.1 and the latest version of Solaris, Solaris 10, has been designed with AMD64 in mind, allowing Sun to capitalize on the availability of commodity 64-bit CPUs based on the AMD64 architecture. Sun has heavily marketed Solaris with its AMD64-based workstations and servers, which as of 2006 range from dual-core to 16-core models.
Desktop environments
The first Solaris desktop environment was OpenWindows. It was followed by CDE in Solaris 2.5. Sun's Java Desktop System, which is based on GNOME, is included with Solaris 10.
License
Solaris's source code (with a few exceptions) has been released under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) as open-source via the OpenSolaris project. The CDDL is an OSI-approved license, although it is considered by the Free Software Foundation to be incompatible with its popular GPL.
OpenSolaris was seeded on June 14 2005 from the then-current Solaris development code base; both binary and source versions are currently downloadable and licensed without cost. Source for upcoming features such as Xen support is now added to the OpenSolaris project as a matter of course, and Sun has said that future releases of Solaris proper will henceforth be derived from OpenSolaris.
Versions
In descending order, the following versions of Solaris have been released (as of mid 2006):
| Solaris version | SunOS version | Release date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solaris 10 | SunOS 5.10 | January 31 2005 | Includes x64 (AMD64/EM64T) 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 running at speeds lower than 200 MHz removed. Adds GNOME-based Java Desktop System as default desktop, CDE included. Solaris 10 1/06 added the GRUB bootloader for x86 systems and iSCSI support. Solaris 10 6/06 added Sun's new filesystem ZFS. |
| Solaris 9 | SunOS 5.9 | May 28 2002 (SPARC) January 10 2003 (x86) |
iPlanet Directory Server, Resource Manager, Solaris Volume Manager, extended file attributes, and Linux compatibility added; OpenWindows dropped, sun4d support removed. Most current update is Solaris 9 9/05. |
| Solaris 8 | SunOS 5.8 | February 2000 | Includes Multipath I/O, IPv6 and IPsec. Introduced Role-Based Access Control (RBAC); sun4c support removed. Last update is Solaris 8 2/04. |
| Solaris 7 | SunOS 5.7 | November 1998 | The first 64-bit UltraSPARC release. Added native support for file system meta-data logging (UFS logging). |
| Solaris 2.6 | SunOS 5.6 | July 1997 | Includes Kerberos 5, PAM, TrueType fonts, WebNFS, large file support. |
| Solaris 2.5.1 | SunOS 5.5.1 | May 1996 | Only release to support PowerPC platform; Ultra Enterprise support added; user and group IDs (uid_t, gid_t) expanded to 32 bits. |
| Solaris 2.5 | SunOS 5.5 | November 1995 | First to support UltraSPARC and include CDE, NFSv3 and NFS/TCP. |
| Solaris 2.4 | SunOS 5.4 | November 1994 | First unified SPARC/x86 release. Includes OSF/Motif runtime support. |
| Solaris 2.3 | SunOS 5.3 | November 1993 | OpenWindows 3.3 switches from NeWS to Display PostScript and drops SunView support (SPARC only). |
| Solaris 2.2 | SunOS 5.2 | May 1993 | First to support sun4d architecture (SPARC only). |
| Solaris 2.1 | SunOS 5.1 | December 1992 (SPARC) May 1993 (x86) |
Support for sun4 and sun4m architectures added; first Solaris x86 release. |
| Solaris 2.0 | SunOS 5.0 | June 1992 | Preliminary release, support for only sun4c architecture. |
Solaris 7 is no longer shipping but will be supported until August 2008; Solaris 8 will stop shipping in February 2007 but will be supported until April 2012. Earlier versions are unsupported.
A more comprehensive summary of some Solaris versions is also available. Solaris releases are also described in the Solaris 2 FAQ.
Notable features of Solaris currently include DTrace, Doors, Service Management Facility, Solaris Containers, Solaris Multiplexed I/O, Solaris Volume Manager, and ZFS.
Development release
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 "train", 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 as of 2006 is code named 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 Solaris Express a snapshot of the development train is now made available for download each month, allowing anyone to try out new features and test the quality and stability of the OS as it progresses to the release of the next official Solaris version.
Since Solaris Express predates the release of the Solaris codebase as an open source project, it began as a binary-only program, but there is now a version called the Solaris Express: Community Release intended specifically for OpenSolaris developers.
References
- "SUN TO DELIVER ENTERPRISE-CLASS SOLARIS FOR INTEL'S MERCED PROCESSOR" (Press release). Intel Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc. December 16, 1997. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "BrandZ/SCLA FAQ". OpenSolaris Project. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "What source code does the OpenSolaris project include?". OpenSolaris FAQ. OpenSolaris Project. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "The Approved Licenses". Open Source Initiative. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "Various Licenses and Comments about Them". Free Software Foundation. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "Solaris 8". SunOS & Solaris Version History (OCF Solaris History). UC Berkeley Open Computing Facility. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- "Solaris 7". OCF Solaris History.
- "Solaris 2.6". OCF Solaris History.
- "Solaris 2.5.1". OCF Solaris History.
- "Solaris 2.5". OCF Solaris History.
- Demetrios Stellas (Thu Sep 03 1992). "SUMMARY: Solaris 2.0 vs 2.1". Sun Managers mailing list. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Solaris Operating System Vintage End Of Life Matrix". Sun Microsystems, Inc. Retrieved 2006-09-14.
- "SunOS & Solaris Version History". UC Berkeley Open Computing Facility. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
- Casper Dik (April 26, 2005). "What machines does Solaris 2.x run on?". Solaris 2 FAQ. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
See also
- Trusted Solaris
- Comparison of operating systems
- Commercial and community Linux distributions by the same vendor
External links
- Official Solaris page
- Sunfreeware.com - Freeware for Solaris
- Blastwave.org - Collection of Solaris software packages
- SunHELP - Solaris news, resources, and discussion
- Solaris Central - Solaris news and discussion
- BigAdmin - System Administration Portal
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