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Q. |
What is OpenSolaris? |
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A. |
OpenSolaris is an open source operating system, and the community behind it. OpenSolaris 2009.06, launched on June 1st, 2009, is a fully supported distribution, free to download, use and redistribute.
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| 2. |
Q. |
How is this different from the Solaris 10 Operating System? |
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A. |
The Solaris 10 OS, first released in 2005, has a long-term support cycle and is actively sustained via updates that include bug fixes, support for new platforms, and performance and functionality improvements. OpenSolaris is built on the same Solaris foundation but has a faster release cadence, about every six months, allowing developers and deployers to get access to the latest OS innovation.
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| 3. |
Q. |
What technologies are available with OpenSolaris? |
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For starters, all of the enterprise-strength features available on Solaris 10 today (DTrace, ZFS, Solaris Containers, Predictive Self Healing, etc). In addition, you get an improved installation experience through the new Slim Installer. A new Image Packaging System (IPS) that allows convenient access to a centralized repository to facilitate software lifecycle management including installation, upgrade, and removal. An enhanced user experience (directory structure, command line utilities) that is more familiar to developers working on GNU/Linux environments. ZFS as the root file system. Powerful Network Virtualization and Resource Control capabilities (Crossbow). Ability to act as a iSCSI target for a wide variety of storage devices, through the COMSTAR (Common Multiprotocol SCSI Target) framework. And optimization for the latest processor architectures, such as Intel's Nehalem.
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| 4. |
Q. |
What is included in the LiveCD that I download? |
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For ease of download, the contents of the installation CD have been limited to the core components of the operating system: kernel, libraries, command-line utilities, network stack, Java, GNOME desktop environment, and key utilities like the Firefox browser and Thunderbird mail client. The operating environment can then be customized by adding components from either traditional sources or the new network repositories.
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| 5. |
Q. |
What platforms are supported? |
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OpenSolaris runs on a broad range of SPARC and x86/x64 platforms. For details, see the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).
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| 6. |
Q. |
I have applications that run on Solaris 10 OS. Will they run on OpenSolaris as well? |
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A. |
The application binary interface (ABI) has not been changed from Solaris 10, so the large majority of applications will run without the need for any source code changes or recompilation. However, there have been some changes to the directory structure and location of some utilities, so applications with hard-coded paths (in, for example, shell scripts) may need to be updated.
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| 7. |
Q. |
I have Solaris packages in the old (SVR4) format. Can I install them on OpenSolaris? |
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Yes. The commands to manage these packages (such as pkgadd, pgrm) still work.
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| 8. |
Q. |
Which version should I use? |
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A. |
If you are a developer new to the Solaris platform, rely primarily on an open source stack, and have a fast product development cycle that can accommodate rapid innovation, we recommend that you try OpenSolaris. If you are already creating enterprise applications that will be deployed in a Solaris 10 environment, you should continue on that development environment, but will still benefit from being familiar with OpenSolaris as a preview of the direction of the Solaris platform. In any case, we recommend you look at the OpenSolaris release and support models to make a decision based on your and your customers' needs.
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| 9. |
Q. |
I am excited about this, and would like to play a more active role. How can I contribute? |
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OpenSolaris is built on a foundation of technological expertise and stability, while consistently evolving through collaboration among brilliant innovators. If you haven't already, join the vibrant and growing OpenSolaris community, and get familiar with this new Solaris distribution. Furthermore, we encourage you to become an active contributor, for example by joining a project or starting your own.
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