View source for Oracle Solaris

{{short description|Unix operating system originally developed by Sun Microsystems}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = Solaris
| logo = Oracle Solaris logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| screenshot = Oracle Solaris 11, running with GNOME 3.png
| caption = Screenshot of the [[GNOME desktop]] on Solaris 11
| developer = [[Sun Microsystems]] ([[Acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle Corporation|acquired]] by [[Oracle Corporation]] in 2010)
| family = [[Unix]] ([[SVR4]])
| working_state = Current
| source_model = Mixed
| released = {{Start date and age|1992|06}}
| latest_release_version = 11.4 SRU86<ref>{{cite web |title=Oracle Solaris Blog |url=https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/ |date=October 21, 2025  |access-date=October 25, 2025}}</ref>
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2025|10|21}}
| marketing_target = [[Server (computing)|Server]], [[workstation]]
| programmed_in = [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]]
| supported_platforms = Current: [[SPARC]], [[x86-64]]<br>
Former: [[IA-32]], [[PowerPC]]
| kernel_type = [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]] with [[loadable kernel module|dynamically loadable modules]]
| userland = [[POSIX]]
| ui = [[GNOME]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E24456/desktop-123.html|title=Oracle Solaris 11 Desktop Feature Summary}}</ref>
| license = Various
| preceded by = [[SunOS]]
| succeeded by = 
}}

'''Oracle Solaris''' is a [[proprietary software|proprietary]] [[Unix]] [[operating system]] offered by [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] for [[SPARC]] and [[x86-64]] based [[workstation]]s and [[server (computing)|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 Originally developed by [[Sun Microsystems]] as Solaris, it superseded the company's earlier [[SunOS]] in 1993 and became known for its [[scalability]], especially on SPARC systems, and for originating many innovative features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.<ref>{{cite news |author=Michael Totty |date=September 11, 2006 |title=Innovation Awards: The Winners Are... |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115755300770755096-Puh3Kr2L9dGEhvkWyO94UivIRwA_20070910.html |access-date=July 5, 2008 |work=[[Wall Street Journal]] |quote=The DTrace trouble-shooting software from Sun was chosen as the Gold winner in The Wall Street Journal's 2006 Technology Innovation Awards contest |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705214128/http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115755300770755096-Puh3Kr2L9dGEhvkWyO94UivIRwA_20070910.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=January 2008 |title=2008 Technology of the Year Awards: Storage – Best File System |url=http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/01/150-2008_technology-2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703030515/http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2008/01/150-2008_technology-2.html |archive-date=July 3, 2008 |access-date=July 5, 2008 |work=[[InfoWorld]]}}</ref> After the [[Acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle Corporation|Sun acquisition by Oracle]] in 2010, it was renamed Oracle Solaris.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/solaris.html
 | title = Oracle Solaris Documentation
 | work = Operating Systems Documentation, Oracle official website
 | publisher = Oracle
 | access-date = October 31, 2021
| archive-date = October 6, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211006091300/https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/solaris.html
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref>

Solaris was registered as compliant with the [[Single UNIX Specification]] until April 29, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Brand Certificate, Unix 03, Oracle Solaris 11 FCS and later |url=https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/certificates/1196p.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022053203/https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/certificates/1196p.pdf |archive-date=October 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Open Brand Register of Certified Products, Wayback machine, January 11, 2020 |url=http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111125333/http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/ |archive-date=January 11, 2020 |publisher=[[The Open Group]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Open Brand Register of Certified Products |url=http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111125333/http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/ |archive-date=January 11, 2020 |access-date=June 9, 2014 |publisher=[[The Open Group]]}}</ref> 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 software|open-source]] project.<ref>{{cite web
  | author = Michael Singer
  | date = January 25, 2005
| title = Sun Cracks Open Solaris
  | url = http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3463621
  | publisher = InternetNews.com
  | access-date = April 12, 2010
| archive-date = June 22, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110622033159/http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3463621
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> Sun aimed to build a developer and user community with OpenSolaris; after the Oracle acquisition in 2010, the OpenSolaris distribution was discontinued<ref>{{cite web
  | date = August 13, 2010
| author = Steven Stallion / Oracle
  | title = Update on SXCE
  | url = http://sstallion.blogspot.com/2010/08/opensolaris-is-dead.html
  | publisher = Iconoclastic Tendencies
  | access-date = September 30, 2010
| archive-date = November 9, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109033546/http://sstallion.blogspot.com/2010/08/opensolaris-is-dead.html
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref><ref name="mail.opensolaris.org">{{cite mailing list|url=http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/opensolaris-discuss/2010-August/059310.html|title=OpenSolaris cancelled, to be replaced with Solaris 11 Express|mailing-list=osol-discuss|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816225601/http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/opensolaris-discuss/2010-August/059310.html |author=Alasdair Lumsden|archive-date=August 16, 2010|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref> 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 software|closed-source]] proprietary operating system.<ref>[https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2010/08/solaris-still-sorta-open-but-opensolaris-distro-is-dead/ Solaris still sorta open, but OpenSolaris distro is dead] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905030542/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2010/08/solaris-still-sorta-open-but-opensolaris-distro-is-dead/ |date=September 5, 2017 }} on [[Ars Technica]] by Ryan Paul (August 16, 2010)</ref> Following that, OpenSolaris was forked as [[Illumos]] and is alive through several [[Illumos#Distributions|Illumos distributions]]. In September 2017, Oracle laid off most of the Solaris teams.<ref>{{cite web | date = September 4, 2017 | title = Oracle staff report big layoffs across Solaris, SPARC teams | url = https://www.theregister.com/2017/09/04/oracle_layoffs_solaris_sparc_teams/}}</ref>

==History==
<!-- Line breaks make citations easier to maintain, and there's no benefit to removing them; please discuss on talk before "cleaning up white space" -->

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).<ref name="Salus">{{cite book
  |title=A Quarter Century of Unix
  |last=Salus
  |first=Peter
  |publisher=Addison-Wesley
  |year=1994
  |isbn=0-201-54777-5
  |pages=199–200
}}</ref> 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.<ref name="patton19880118">{{Cite magazine |last=Patton |first=Carole |date=18 January 1988 |title=Sun and AT&T Plan to Engineer Next-Generation Unix System 
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11 |access-date=2025-05-25 |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |page=11 |volume=10 |issue=3}}</ref>

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''.<ref>{{cite press release
  | title = SunSoft introduces first shrink-wrapped distributed computing solution: Solaris
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  | date = September 4, 1991
  | url = http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/media/presskits/25years/pr.html#solaris
  | access-date = August 7, 2007
  | archive-date = February 2, 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080202213359/http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/media/presskits/25years/pr.html#solaris
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> 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 [[retronym|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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://kb.iu.edu/data/agjq.html
  | title = What are SunOS and Solaris?
  | access-date = November 10, 2014
  | date = May 20, 2013
  | work = Knowledge Base
  | publisher = Indiana University Technology Services
  | archive-date = November 4, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131104000433/https://kb.iu.edu/data/agjq.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>[[File:Solaris 9 logo.svg|thumb|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.[[File:Solaris OS logo.svg|thumb|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 computer|desktop]] and uniprocessor workgroup server operating system. It included the [[Wabi (software)|Wabi]] emulator to support Windows applications.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Noel-Marie |last1=Taylor |first2=Mark |last2=Wallace |title=Solaris 2.1: The Rise of a New Sun? |newspaper=PC Magazine |date=June 15, 1993 |pages=243–244 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jMKfH6i9OcYC&pg=PA244}}</ref> At the time, Sun also offered the [[Interactive Unix]] system that it had acquired from [[Interactive Systems Corporation]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Steven J. |last=Vaughan-Nichols |title=Interactive Unix |newspaper=PC Magazine |date=June 15, 1993 |page=240 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jMKfH6i9OcYC&pg=PA240}}</ref> 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]] [[Source code leak|leaked]].<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAzMDE Oracle Solaris 11 Kernel Source-Code Leaked] on [[Phoronix]] by [[Michael Larabel]] (on 19 December 2011)</ref><ref>[https://arstechnica.com/business/2011/12/disgruntled-employee-oracle-doesnt-seem-to-care-about-solaris-11-code-leak/ Disgruntled employee? Oracle doesn’t seem to care about Solaris 11 code leak] on [[Ars Technica]] by Sean Gallagher (Dec 21, 2011)</ref>

On September 2, 2017, [[Simon Phipps (programmer)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.itwire.com/opinion-and-analysis-sp-481/open-sauce/79738-bye,-bye-solaris,-it-was-a-nice-ride-while-it-lasted.html|title=Bye, bye Solaris, it was a nice ride while it lasted|last=Varghese|first=Sam|website=ITWire|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-09-04}}</ref> While Oracle did have a large layoff of Solaris development engineering staff, development continued and Solaris 11.4 was released in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/continuous-delivery,-really|title=Continuous Delivery, Really?|last=Lynn|first=Scott|access-date=2018-01-23|archive-date=January 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123163819/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/continuous-delivery,-really|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/2017-in-review-and-looking-ahead-to-2018|title=2017 in Review and Looking ahead to 2018|last=Lynn|first=Scott|access-date=2018-01-23|archive-date=January 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123170913/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/2017-in-review-and-looking-ahead-to-2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Supported architectures==
Solaris uses a common [[Source code|code base]] for the platforms it supports: 64-bit [[SPARC]] and [[x86-64]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oracle Solaris 11 - Downloads {{!}} Oracle Technology Network {{!}} Oracle |url=https://www.oracle.com/solaris/solaris11/downloads/solaris-downloads.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205033816/https://www.oracle.com/solaris/solaris11/downloads/solaris-downloads.html |archive-date=December 5, 2024 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.oracle.com |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref>

Solaris has a reputation for being well-suited to [[symmetric multiprocessing]], supporting a large number of [[central processing unit|CPUs]].<ref>{{cite news
  | first = Ashlee
  | last = Vance
  | author-link = Ashlee Vance
  | title = Sun rethinks Solaris on Intel
  | url = http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/04/19/020419hnsecretsix.html
  | work = Infoworld
  | publisher = [[International Data Group|IDG]]
  | date = April 19, 2002
  | access-date = December 11, 2006
  | quote = Neither Microsoft Windows nor Linux can match Solaris in this type of high-end architecture, said Tony Iams, an analyst at Port Chester, N.Y., research company D.H. Brown and Associates. "Solaris has earned its reputation over a long period of time," Iams said. "They have been working on high-end scalability features for 10 years, and that's the only way you can get solid results."
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012153147/http://infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/04/19/020419hnsecretsix.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->
  |archive-date = October 12, 2007}}</ref> 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 computing|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]] [[workstation]]s, and [[server (computing)|servers]] based on [[AMD]] [[Opteron]] and [[Intel]] [[Xeon]] processors, as well as x86 systems manufactured by companies such as [[Dell]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000147631/oracle-solaris |title=Oracle Solaris |publisher=Dell USA |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714221938/https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000147631/oracle-solaris |url-status=live }}</ref> [[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"<ref>{{cite web
  | title = Dell to Offer Sun's Solaris, OpenSolaris in Servers
  | publisher = [[eWeek]]
  | date = November 14, 2007
  | url = http://www.eweek.com/article2/0%2C1895%2C2216876%2C00.asp
  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130122193340/http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2216876,00.asp
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = January 22, 2013
  | access-date = November 14, 2007
  }}</ref>
* Intel<ref>{{cite press release
  | title = Intel Carrier Grade Platforms Certified for Sun Solaris
  | publisher = Intel Corp.
  | date = July 16, 2007
  | url = http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20070716corp_b.htm
  | access-date = August 16, 2007
  | archive-date = December 16, 2007
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071216161008/http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20070716corp_b.htm
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Hewlett Packard Enterprise<ref>{{cite press release
  | title = Oracle Solaris Certification and Support
  | publisher = Hewlett Packard Enterprise
  | url = http://h17007.www1.hpe.com/us/en/enterprise/servers/supportmatrix/solaris.aspx
  | access-date = February 3, 2019
  | date = 2019
  | archive-date = January 27, 2019
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190127204217/http://h17007.www1.hpe.com/us/en/enterprise/servers/supportmatrix/solaris.aspx
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> – distributes and provides software technical support for Solaris on BL, DL, and SL platforms
* Fujitsu Siemens<ref>{{cite press release
  | title = Sun Microsystems and Fujitsu Siemens Computers Power PRIMERGY Servers with Solaris Operating System
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  | url = http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/pr/2008-06/sunflash.20080610.2.xml
  | access-date = June 10, 2008
  | archive-date = July 8, 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080708230551/http://www.sun.com/aboutsun/pr/2008-06/sunflash.20080610.2.xml
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

===Other platforms===
Solaris 2.5.1 included support for the [[PowerPC]] platform ([[PowerPC Reference Platform]]), but the port was canceled before the Solaris 2.6 release.<ref name="ppc-kickstart" /> In January 2006, a community of developers at Blastwave began work on a PowerPC port which they named ''Polaris''.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh011606-story02.html
 |title       = OpenSolaris Community Creates Kernel for Power Chips
 |publisher   = ITJungle
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120405144010/http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh011606-story02.html
 |archive-date = April 5, 2012
}}</ref> In October 2006, an [[OpenSolaris]] community project based on the Blastwave efforts and Sun Labs' ''Project Pulsar'',<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://research.sun.com/spotlight/2006/2006-06-14-SolarisPPC.html
 |title       = Embedded Solaris on PowerPC
 |publisher   = Sun Research
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060627042251/http://research.sun.com/spotlight/2006/2006-06-14-SolarisPPC.html
 |archive-date = June 27, 2006
}}</ref> which re-integrated the relevant parts from Solaris 2.5.1 into OpenSolaris,<ref name="ppc-kickstart">{{cite web
 |url         = http://opensolaris.org/os/project/ppc-dev/kickstart/
 |title       = Kickstarting OpenSolaris on PowerPC
 |publisher   = OpenSolaris Project
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120229133259/http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Project+ppc-dev/kickstart
 |archive-date = February 29, 2012
}}</ref> announced its first official source code release.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/power_pc/
 |title       = PowerPC at OpenSolaris
 |access-date  = October 4, 2007
 |publisher   = OpenSolaris Project
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120229133135/http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Community+Group+power_pc/WebHome
 |archive-date = February 29, 2012
}}</ref>

A port of Solaris to the Intel [[Itanium]] architecture was announced in 1997 but never brought to market.<ref>{{cite press release
  | publisher = Intel Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
  | date = December 16, 1997
  | url = http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/1997-12/sunflash.971216.3.xml
  | title = Sun to deliver enterprise-class solaris for intel's merced processor
  | access-date = September 10, 2006
  | archive-date = December 5, 2006
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061205030551/http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/1997-12/sunflash.971216.3.xml
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

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 computer|mainframe]] under [[z/VM]],<ref>{{cite press release
 |url         = https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/22718.wss
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080206163737/http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/22718.wss
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-date = February 6, 2008
 |title       = OpenSolaris Runs on IBM Mainframe
 |publisher   = IBM
 |access-date  = January 21, 2018
 |date        = November 30, 2007
}}</ref> called ''Sirius'' (in analogy to the Polaris project, and also due to the primary developer's Australian nationality: [[HMS Sirius (1786)|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<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://opensolaris.org/os/project/systemz/
 |title       = OpenSolaris Project: Systemz
 |publisher   = OpenSolaris Project
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090825162814/http://opensolaris.org/os/project/systemz/
 |archive-date = August 25, 2009
}}</ref> and on November 19 the same year, IBM authorized the use of Sirius on System z [[Integrated Facility for Linux]] (IFL) processors.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/24/ibm_authorizes_mainframe_opensolaris/
 | title = IBM authorizes OpenSolaris on mainframes
 | date = November 24, 2008
 | access-date = November 24, 2008
 | work = [[The Register]]
 | archive-date = December 25, 2008
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081225042159/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/24/ibm_authorizes_mainframe_opensolaris/
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref>

Solaris also supports the [[Linux]] platform [[application binary interface]] (ABI), allowing Solaris to run native Linux [[object file|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.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/brandz/brandz_lae_faq/
 |title       = BrandZ/SCLA FAQ
 |access-date  = September 10, 2006
 |publisher   = OpenSolaris Project
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20061004053007/http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/brandz/brandz_lae_faq/
 |archive-date = October 4, 2006
}}</ref>

=={{Anchor|SUNFREEWARE}}Installation and usage options==
<!-- See also User:Colinp386/sunfreeware -->
Solaris can be installed from various pre-packaged software groups, ranging from a minimalistic ''Reduced Network Support'' to a complete ''Entire Plus [[original equipment manufacturer|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''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sunfreeware.com/|title=Sunfreeware Package List|publisher=Sunfreeware|access-date=November 24, 2014|archive-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025121941/http://www.sunfreeware.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[OpenCSW]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opencsw.org/packages|title=OpenCSW Package List|publisher=[[OpenCSW]]|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref> 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.<ref name="install-options">{{cite web |title=Overview of Installation Options |url=https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E21798/intropart.html |access-date=29 July 2025 |publisher=Oracle Corporation}}</ref>

==={{Anchor|SUPPORTSRU}}Updates===
There are several types of updates within each major release, including the Software Packages, and the Oracle Solaris Image. {{expand section|date=December 2023}}

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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Accessing Support Updates |url=https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/solaris/oracle-solaris/11.4/update-sys-add-sw/accessing-support-updates.html |publisher=Oracle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222073215/https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/solaris/oracle-solaris/11.4/update-sys-add-sw/accessing-support-updates.html |archive-date=December 22, 2022 |pages=1 |language=english}}</ref>

==Desktop environments==
[[File:Sol24-telnet.png|alt=Solaris 2.4 (86Box) connected through Telnet on a virtual machine running Dell Unix. (also on 86Box)|thumb|Solaris 2.4 via Telnet]]
[[Image:openwindows.jpg|thumb|250px|[[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 Window System|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 programming|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.

[[Image:CDE running on Solaris 10.png|thumb|250px|The [[Common Desktop Environment]] (CDE) was [[open-source license|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 [[X window manager|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 (software)|Motif]] look and feel and the old OPEN LOOK desktop environment was considered legacy. CDE unified Unix desktops across multiple [[Open system (computing)|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.

[[Image:Java Desktop running on Solaris 10.png|thumb|250px|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.<ref name="gnome1.4">{{cite web
  | url = http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-announce-list/2001-May/msg00046.html
  | title = Sun Announces GNOME 1.4 for Solaris
  | last = Mannina
  | first = Scott
  | date = May 23, 2001
  | access-date = February 9, 2009
  | archive-date = October 15, 2007
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015182943/http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-announce-list/2001-May/msg00046.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.sun.com/software/javadesktopsystem/
  | title = Sun Java Desktop System
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems Inc
  | date = May 22, 2006
  | access-date = March 10, 2007
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070315004836/http://www.sun.com/software/javadesktopsystem/
  | archive-date = March 15, 2007
}}</ref> The Java Desktop System is not included in Solaris 11 which instead ships with a stock version of GNOME.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E24456/desktop-123.html|title=Oracle Solaris 11 Desktop Feature Summary - Transitioning From Oracle Solaris 10 to Oracle Solaris 11|date=March 1, 2011|publisher=[[Oracle Corporation]]|access-date=November 24, 2014|archive-date=October 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017172858/http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E24456/desktop-123.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = https://lg3d-core.dev.java.net/
 |title       = Project Looking Glass Homepage
 |access-date  = January 6, 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070712044749/https://lg3d-core.dev.java.net/
 |archive-date = July 12, 2007
}}</ref>

==License==

===Traditional operating system license (1992 to 2004)===
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:

{{blockquote|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)===
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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Main/general_faq#HWhatsourcecodedoestheOpenSolarisprojectinclude
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120102124622/http://hub.opensolaris.org/bin/view/Main/general_faq#HWhatsourcecodedoestheOpenSolarisprojectinclude3F
  |archive-date = 2012-01-02
  | title = What source code does the OpenSolaris project include?
  | access-date = May 13, 2010
  | work = OpenSolaris FAQ
  | publisher = OpenSolaris Project
}}</ref>

===Post-Sun closed source (March 2010 to present)===
When Sun was acquired by [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] in 2010, the OpenSolaris project was discontinued after the board became unhappy with Oracle's stance on the project.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://techie-buzz.com/foss/oracle-has-killed-opensolaris.html
  | title = Oracle Has Killed OpenSolaris
  | publisher = Techie Buzz
  | date = August 14, 2010
  | access-date = July 17, 2013
  | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806044747/https://techie-buzz.com/foss/oracle-has-killed-opensolaris.html
  | archive-date = August 6, 2020
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
  | last = Paul
  | first = Ryan
  | date = March 30, 2010
  | url = https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2010/03/solaris-10-no-longer-free-as-in-beer-now-a-90-day-trial
  | title = Solaris 10 no longer free as in beer, now a 90-day trial
  | website = Ars Technica
  | access-date = July 17, 2013
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/licenses/solaris-cluster-express-license-167852.html
  | title = Oracle Technology Network Developer License Terms for Oracle Solaris, Oracle Solaris Cluster and Oracle Solaris Express
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | date = July 13, 2011
  | access-date = July 17, 2013
}}</ref> Educational use is permitted in some circumstances. From the OTN license:

{{blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/articles/servers-storage-admin/howto-update-11dot1-ips-1866781.html
  | title = How to Update to Oracle Solaris 11.1 Using the Image Packaging System
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | date = November 30, 2012
  | access-date = July 17, 2013
  | archive-date = August 9, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130809152854/http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/articles/servers-storage-admin/howto-update-11dot1-ips-1866781.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>

==Version history==
Notable features of Solaris include [[DTrace]], [[Doors (computing)|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:

{{Version|l|show=111100}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: small;"
|-
! rowspan=2 | Solaris version
! rowspan=2 | SunOS version
! colspan=2 | Release date
! rowspan="2" | End of support<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.oracle.com/us/support/lifetime-support/index.html
  | title = Lifetime Support Policies, see Oracle and Sun System Software and Operating Systems (PDF)
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = April 18, 2013
  | archive-date = April 29, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130429180633/http://www.oracle.com/us/support/lifetime-support/index.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
!Basis
! rowspan=2 | Major new features
|-
! SPARC
! x86
!SPARC/x86
|-
| {{version|o| 1.x}}
| 4.1.x
| align=center | 1991–1994
| align=center | –
| align=center | September 2003
|4.3BSD
| SunOS 4 rebranded as Solaris 1 for marketing purposes. See [[SunOS]] article for more information.
|-
| {{version|o| 2.0}}
| 5.0
| align=center | June 1992
| align=center | –
| align=center | January 1999
|SVR4
| Preliminary release (primarily available to developers only), support for only the sun4c architecture. First appearance of [[NIS+]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.sunmanagers.org/archives/1992/1133.html
 |title       = SUMMARY: Solaris 2.0 vs 2.1
 |access-date  = September 10, 2006
 |author      = Demetrios Stellas
 |date        = September 3, 1992
 |publisher   = Sun Managers mailing list
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061004080321/http://www.sunmanagers.org/archives/1992/1133.html
 |archive-date = October 4, 2006
}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o| 2.1}}
| 5.1
| align=center | December 1992
| align=center | May 1993
| align=center | April 1999
|SVR4
| Support for sun4 and sun4m architectures added; first Solaris x86 release. First Solaris 2 release to support [[symmetric multiprocessing|SMP]].
|-
| {{version|o| 2.2}}
| 5.2
| align=center | May 1993
| align=center | –
| align=center | May 1999
|SVR4
| SPARC-only release. First to support sun4d architecture. First to support [[Thread (computing)|multithreading]] libraries ([[Unix International|UI]] threads API in libthread).<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://home.mit.bme.hu/~meszaros/edu/oprendszerek/segedlet/unix/2_folyamatok_es_utemezes/solaris_multithread.pdf
  | title = Multithreading in the Solaris Operating Environment
  | access-date = August 19, 2012
  | date = May 17, 2002
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  }}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o| 2.3}}
| 5.3
| align=center | November 1993
| align=center | –
| align=center | 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.
|-
| {{version|o| 2.4}}
| 5.4
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| November 1994
| align=center | September 2003
|SVR4
| First unified SPARC/x86 release. Includes [[Motif (software)|OSF/Motif]] runtime support.
|-
| {{version|o| 2.5}}
| 5.5
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| November 1995
| align=center | December 2003
|SVR4
| First to support UltraSPARC and include CDE, [[Network File System (protocol)|NFSv3]] and NFS/TCP. Dropped [[sun4]] ([[VMEbus]]) support. POSIX.1c-1995 [[pthreads]] added. [[Doors (computing)|Doors]] added but undocumented.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.5.html
 |title       = Solaris 2.5
 |work        = OCF Solaris History
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20051118141731/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.5.html
 |archive-date = November 18, 2005
}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o| 2.5.1}}
| 5.5.1
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| May 1996
| align=center | September 2005
|SVR4
| The only Solaris release that supports PowerPC;<ref>There was a later PPC port with help from Sun, based on OpenSolaris that was withdrawn because the related hardware could not be produced in a [[RoHS]] compliant variant</ref> Ultra Enterprise support added; user and group IDs (uid_t, gid_t) expanded to 32 bits,<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.5.1.html
 |title       = Solaris 2.5.1
 |work        = OCF Solaris History
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20050912194850/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.5.1.html
 |archive-date = September 12, 2005
}}</ref> also included processor sets<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://developers.sun.com/solaris/articles/solaris_processor.html
  | title = Solaris Processor Sets Made Easy
  | author = Matthias Laux
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems Inc
  | date = June 2001
  | access-date = March 10, 2007
  | archive-date = February 21, 2006
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060221075020/http://developers.sun.com/solaris/articles/solaris_processor.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> and early resource management technologies.
|-
| {{version|o| 2.6}}
| 5.6
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| July 1997
| align=center | July 2006
|SVR4
| Includes [[Kerberos (protocol)|Kerberos]] 5, [[Pluggable Authentication Modules|PAM]], [[TrueType]] fonts, WebNFS, [[large file support]], enhanced [[procfs]]. SPARCserver 600MP series support dropped.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.6.html
 |title       = Solaris 2.6
 |work        = OCF Solaris History
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20051113144231/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.6.html
 |archive-date = November 13, 2005
}}</ref> Last update was Solaris 2.6 5/98.
|-
| {{version|o| 7}}
| 5.7
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| November 1998
| align=center | August 2008
|SVR4
| The first 64-bit UltraSPARC release. Added native support for file system meta-data logging ([[Unix File System|UFS]] logging). Dropped [[Micro Channel architecture|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.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.7.html
 |title       = Solaris 7
 |work        = OCF Solaris History
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20050907220232/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/2.7.html
 |archive-date = September 7, 2005
}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o| 8}}
| 5.8
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| February 2000
| align=center | March 2012
|SVR4
| Includes [[Solaris Multiplexed I/O|Multipath I/O]], [[Solaris Volume Manager|Solstice DiskSuite]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/8/ds/ds-sol8oe/index.xml|title=Solaris 8 Operating Environment Data Sheet|publisher=Sun Microsystems|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803063632/http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/8/ds/ds-sol8oe/index.xml |archive-date=August 3, 2009|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref> [[IP network multipathing|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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/8.html
  | title = Solaris 8
  | access-date = September 10, 2006
  | work = SunOS & Solaris Version History (OCF Solaris History)
  | publisher = UC Berkeley Open Computing Facility
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060907000356/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/solaris/8.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> 
  | archive-date = September 7, 2006
}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o| 9}}
| 5.9
| align=center | May 28, 2002
| align=center | January 10, 2003
| align=center | October 2014
|SVR4
| iPlanet Directory Server, Resource Manager, [[Extended file attributes#Solaris|extended file attributes]], [[Internet key exchange|IKE]] IPsec keying, and Linux compatibility added; OpenWindows dropped, sun4d support removed. Most current update is Solaris 9 9/05 HW.<ref>{{cite web|title=Solaris Operating System - Releases|url=http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris/overview/releases-jsp-140987.html|publisher=Oracle|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-date=June 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619195031/http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris/overview/releases-jsp-140987.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|co| 10}}
| 5.10
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2005|01|31}}
| align=center | January 2027
|SVR4
| Includes x86-64 (AMD64/Intel 64) support, [[DTrace]] (Dynamic Tracing), [[Solaris Containers]], [[Service Management Facility]] (SMF) which replaces [[init]].d scripts, [[Network File System (protocol)|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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-0547
  | title = Solaris 10 What's New
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  | access-date = April 29, 2008
  | archive-date = May 3, 2009
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090503112133/http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/817-0547
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Solaris 10 1/06 (known internally as "U1") added the [[GNU GRUB|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 (software)|Samba]] Active Directory support,<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://blogs.sun.com/timthomas/entry/samba_and_swat_in_solaris
 |title       = SAMBA and SWAT in Solaris 10 Update 4 (Solaris 10 8/07)
 |work        = As Good A Place As Any: Tim Thomas' Blog
 |access-date  = December 1, 2007
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080312212825/http://blogs.sun.com/timthomas/entry/samba_and_swat_in_solaris
 |archive-date = March 12, 2008
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://blogs.sun.com/mhaywood/entry/introducing_speedstep_on_solaris
 |title       = Introducing Enhanced Intel SpeedStep to Solaris
 |access-date  = May 6, 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080501125300/http://blogs.sun.com/mhaywood/entry/introducing_speedstep_on_solaris
 |archive-date = May 1, 2008
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url        = http://blogs.sun.com/mhaywood/entry/powernow_for_solaris
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121026115238/http://blogs.sun.com/mhaywood/entry/powernow_for_solaris
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-date = October 26, 2012
 |title      = AMD PowerNow! for Solaris
 |publisher  = Sun Microsystems
 |access-date = May 6, 2008
}}</ref>
* 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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/faqs_general.jsp
  | title = General FAQs for Solaris 10
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  | access-date = October 23, 2008
  | archive-date = March 28, 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080328104856/http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/faqs_general.jsp
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Solaris 10 5/09 ("U7") added performance and power management support for Intel [[Nehalem (microarchitecture)|Nehalem]] processors, container cloning using ZFS cloned file systems, and performance enhancements for ZFS on [[solid-state drive]]s.
* Solaris 10 10/09 ("U8") added user and group level ZFS quotas, ZFS cache devices and nss_ldap shadowAccount Support, improvements to patching performance.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/821-0382/
  | title = Solaris 10 10/09 What's New
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  | access-date = October 9, 2009
}}</ref>
* Solaris 10 9/10 ("U9") added physical to zone migration, ZFS triple parity RAID-Z and Oracle Solaris Auto Registration.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E18752_01/html/821-1840/index.html
  | title = Oracle Solaris 10 9/10 What's New
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = September 8, 2010
}}</ref>
* Solaris 10 8/11 ("U10") added ZFS speedups and new features, Oracle Database optimization, faster reboot on SPARC system.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23823_01/html/821-2730/index.html
  | title = Oracle Solaris 10 8/11 What's New
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = August 12, 2011
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | url = https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/oracle_solaris_10_8_11
  | title = Oracle Solaris 10 8/11 Released
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = September 28, 2012
  | archive-date = April 27, 2016
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160427162648/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/oracle_solaris_10_8_11
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Solaris 10 1/13 ("U11") see release notes.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26505_01/html/E27003/index.html
  | title = Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 What's New
  | access-date = February 10, 2013
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | url = https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/introducing_oracle_solaris_10_1
  | title = Introducing Oracle Solaris 10 1/13
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = February 10, 2013
  | archive-date = May 7, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130507113808/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/introducing_oracle_solaris_10_1
  | url-status = bot: unknown
  }}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o|11 Express 2010.11}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2010|11|15}}
| align=center | November 2011
|SVR4
| Adds new packaging system (IPS – Image Packaging System) and associated tools, ZFS (only) for boot, 1&nbsp;GB RAM min., x86, Solaris 10 Containers, network virtualization and [[quality of service]] (QoS), virtual consoles, ZFS encryption and deduplication, fast reboot,<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://dlc.sun.com/osol/docs/content/SYSADV1/ghsbc.html
 |title       = x86: Introducing Fast Reboot
 |access-date  = August 20, 2011
 |author      = Sun Microsystems
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110816095353/http://dlc.sun.com/osol/docs/content/SYSADV1/ghsbc.html
 |archive-date = August 16, 2011
}}</ref> updated [[GNOME]]. Removed [[Xsun]], CDE,<ref>{{cite web
  | url = https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/pdf/E24456.pdf
  | title = Transitioning From Oracle® Solaris 10 to Oracle Solaris 11
  | access-date = August 19, 2012
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | date = March 2012
}}</ref> and the <code>/usr/ucb</code> BSD-compatible commands{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}
|-
| {{version|o|11}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2011|11|09}}
| {{dunno}}
|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 <code>dladm</code> utility to manage data links, the <code>ipadm</code> utility to manage [[Internet Protocol|IP]] configuration (including [[IP network multipathing|IPMP]]), [[ProFTPD]] and enhancements;
* Zones: Immutable (read–only) Zones, NFS servers in zones, delegated administration, P2V pre–flight check, the <code>zonestat</code> utility coupled with the <code>libzonestat</code> dynamically linked library;
* Security: <code>root</code> as a role, <code>netcat</code> 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.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/
  | title = Oracle Solaris 11 Information Library, 11/11 Release
  | date = July 1, 2012
  | access-date = August 19, 2012
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | archive-date = September 8, 2024
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240908005356/https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o|11.1}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2012|10|03}}
| {{dunno}}
|SVR4
| New features and enhancements:<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/overview/solaris11-1-1845817.html
  | title = Announcing Oracle Solaris 11.1
  | date = April 18, 2013
  | access-date = April 18, 2013
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | archive-date = June 19, 2018
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180619201612/http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/overview/solaris11-1-1845817.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/announcing_oracle_solaris_11_1
  | title = Announcing Oracle Solaris 11.1 – solaris blog
  | date = April 18, 2013
  | access-date = April 18, 2013
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | archive-date = March 28, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130328091508/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/announcing_oracle_solaris_11_1
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/oracle_solaris_11_1_blog
  | title = Oracle Solaris 11.1 Blog Post Roundup
  | date = April 18, 2013
  | access-date = April 18, 2013
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | archive-date = March 28, 2013
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130328090939/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/entry/oracle_solaris_11_1_blog
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Installer enhancements
* [[Service Management Facility]] configuration improvements
* Zone improvements
* [[Address space layout randomization]]
* Per-file authorization to edit administrative files using pfedit command<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/documentation/solaris11-1-whatsnew-1732377.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030145536/http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris11/documentation/solaris11-1-whatsnew-1732377.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-30 |url-status=live|title=Oracle Solaris 11.1 — What's New|date=March 21, 2013|publisher=Oracle}}</ref>
|-
| {{version|o|11.2}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2014|04|29}}
| {{dunno}}
|SVR4
| New features and enhancements:<ref>{{cite press release
  | url = http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/pressrelease/solaris-11-2-042914
  | title = Oracle Introduces Oracle Solaris 11.2—Engineered for Cloud
  | date = April 29, 2014
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = April 29, 2014
  | archive-date = November 16, 2018
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116134818/http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/pressrelease/solaris-11-2-042914
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* Integrated hypervisor
* Kernel Zones
* Full [[OpenStack]] distribution
* Automation of software patches and updates, and other packaging improvements<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://timsfoster.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/ips-changes-in-solaris-11-2/
  | title = IPS changes in Solaris 11.2
  | first1 = Tim
  | last1 = Foster
  | date = April 30, 2014
}}</ref>
* [[Software-defined networking]]
|-
| {{version|co|11.3}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2015|10|26}}
| align=center | January 2027
|SVR4
| New features and enhancements:<ref>{{cite press release
  | url = https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54847/index.html
  | title = What's New in Oracle® Solaris 11.3
  | date = October 2015
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = October 28, 2015
  | archive-date = October 13, 2019
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191013102655/https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E53394_01/html/E54847/index.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* [[Live migration]] of Solaris Kernel Zones
* InfiniBand support for Kernel Zones
* Virtual Clocks for Solaris Zones
* [[ZFS]] [[LZ4 (compression algorithm)|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
|-
| {{version|c|11.4}}
| 5.11
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| {{Start date and age|2018|08|28}}
| align=center | November 2037<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 24, 2024 |title=Oracle and Sun System Software and Operating Systems |url=https://www.oracle.com/us/assets/lifetime-support-hardware-301321.pdf |page=40 |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=February 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218114041/https://www.oracle.com/us/assets/lifetime-support-hardware-301321.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|SVR4
| New features and enhancements:<ref>{{cite press release
  | url = https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E37838_01/html/E60974/index.html
  | title = What's New in Oracle® Solaris 11.4
  | date = August 2018
  | publisher = Oracle Corporation
  | access-date = August 14, 2018
  | archive-date = July 24, 2018
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180724152049/https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E37838_01/html/E60974/index.html
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref>
* CPUs with OSA2011 architecture required (UltraSPARC T4, SPARC64 X, or better)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://support.oracle.com/knowledge/Sun%20Microsystems/2382427_1.html |title=Oracle Solaris 11.3 Support (Doc ID 2382427.1) |date=2023-01-13 |access-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102161404/https://support.oracle.com/knowledge/Sun%20Microsystems/2382427_1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>'<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E37838_01/html/E60973/glmru.html#SERNSplatformsupport |title=Oracle Solaris 11.4 Release Notes: Platform Support |date=2021-05-01 |access-date=September 20, 2024}}</ref>
* [[ZFS]] Top-Level Device Removal. <code>zpool remove</code>
*Solaris Web Dashboard and Analytics (sstore)
*Native Zones: Live Zone Reconfiguration for Datasets
*[[GNOME 3]] instead of the [[GNOME 2]] desktop<ref name="g3-in-solaris-11.4">{{Cite web |last=Coopersmith |first=Alan |title=Using GNOME 3 in Oracle Solaris 11.4 |url=https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/using-gnome-3-in-oracle-solaris-114 |website=Oracle Solaris Blog |access-date=June 25, 2020 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801051955/https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/using-gnome-3-in-oracle-solaris-114 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

{{Timeline Solaris}} <!-- To edit go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Timeline_Solaris -->

A more comprehensive summary of some Solaris versions is also available.<ref>{{cite web
  | url = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions
  | title = SunOS & Solaris Version History
  | access-date = September 10, 2006
  | publisher = UC Berkeley Open Computing Facility
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060708215337/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> 
  | archive-date = July 8, 2006
}}</ref> Solaris releases are also described in the Solaris 2 FAQ.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.science.uva.nl/pub/solaris/solaris2/Q1.5.html
 |title       = What machines does Solaris 2.x run on?
 |access-date  = September 10, 2006
 |author      = Casper Dik
 |date        = April 26, 2005
 |work        = Solaris 2 FAQ
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060901012636/http://www.science.uva.nl/pub/solaris/solaris2/Q1.5.html
 |archive-date = September 1, 2006
}}</ref>

==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 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 [[codename]]d ''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.<ref>{{cite press release
  | url = http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2003-09/sunflash.20030916.5.xml
  | date = September 16, 2003
  | title = 10 New Network Services Components Featured in Sun's Java Enterprise System; New Software Express Program Accelerates Customer Access to Future Technologies
  | access-date = August 16, 2008
  | publisher = Sun Microsystems
  | archive-date = March 25, 2007
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070325054726/http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2003-09/sunflash.20030916.5.xml
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web
  |url = http://sun.com/featured-articles/2007-0731/feature/
  |title = Project Indiana
  |access-date = December 1, 2007
  |author = Robert Baty
  |date = July 31, 2007
  |publisher = Sun Microsystems
}}</ref> The first release of this distribution was ''OpenSolaris 2008.05''.

<span id="SXCE">
The ''Solaris Express Community Edition'' (SXCE)</span> was intended specifically for OpenSolaris developers.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://opensolaris.org/os/downloads/on/
 |title       = Operating System/Networking (ON) Download Center
 |access-date  = December 12, 2006
 |work        = OpenSolaris web site
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061210234421/http://opensolaris.org/os/downloads/on/
 |archive-date = December 10, 2006
}}</ref> It was updated every two weeks until it was discontinued in January 2010, with a recommendation that users migrate to the OpenSolaris distribution.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/opensolaris-announce/2010-January/001356.html
 |title       = Update on SXCE
 |access-date  = March 21, 2010
 |author      = Derek Cicero
 |date        = January 6, 2010
 |publisher   = Sun Microsystems
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100312151007/http://mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/opensolaris-announce/2010-January/001356.html
 |archive-date = March 12, 2010
}}</ref> 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==
===Current===
{{See also|OpenSolaris#Derivatives|illumos#Current distributions|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 "''...&nbsp;to become the de facto OpenSolaris distribution installed on production servers where security and bug fixes are required free of charge.''"<ref name="OIWikiFAQ">{{Citation
 | title       = Frequently Asked Questions
 | url       = http://wiki.openindiana.org:8080/display/oi/Frequently+Asked+Questions
 | publisher       = [[OpenIndiana]]
 | access-date       = 2012-12-29
 | archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20110209094047/http://wiki.openindiana.org:8080/display/oi/Frequently+Asked+Questions
 | archive-date       = February 9, 2011
 | url-status       = dead
 }}</ref>
* SchilliX<ref>{{Citation
 |title        = Preliminary Release
 |url          = https://schillix.sourceforge.net/
 |publisher    = Jörg Schilling
 |date         = 2017-01-17
 |access-date  = 2017-09-09
 |archive-date = September 8, 2024
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20240908005502/https://sourceforge.net/projects/schillix/
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> – The first LiveCD released after OpenSolaris code was opened to public.
* napp-it<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = napp-it ZFS server appliance
 | url       = http://www.napp-it.org/index_en.html
 | access-date       = 2012-12-29
 | archive-date       = April 24, 2021
 | archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20210424121855/http://www.napp-it.org/index_en.html
 | url-status       = live
 }}</ref> – 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===
* [[OpenSolaris]] – A project initiated by [[Sun Microsystems]], discontinued after the acquisition by Oracle.
* [[Nexenta OS]] (discontinued October 31, 2012) – First distribution based on [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] [[User space|userland]] with Solaris-derived [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]].<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = DownloadMirrors - Nexenta Project Wiki
 | url         = http://www.nexenta.org/os/DownloadMirrors
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100405120551/http://www.nexenta.org/os/DownloadMirrors
 | archive-date = 2010-04-05
}}</ref>
* StormOS (discontinued September 14, 2012<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = StormOS is dead. Long live osdyson
 | url         = http://www.stormos.org/node/2378
 | publisher   = stormos.org
 | date        = 2012-09-14
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131010001228/http://www.stormos.org/node/2378
 | archive-date = 2013-10-10
}}</ref>) – A lightweight desktop OS based on [[Nexenta OS]] and [[Xfce]].
* MartUX<ref>{{Citation
 |title        = Preliminary Release
 |url          = http://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2012-September/009792.html
 |publisher    = Martin Bochnig
 |date         = 2012-09-27
 |access-date  = 2014-02-13
 |archive-date = June 25, 2021
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20210625133644/https://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2012-September/009792.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 | title       = MartUX
 | url         = https://archiveos.org/MartUX/
 | date        = 2016-06-14
 | author      = pavroo
 | access-date  = 2018-02-02}}</ref> – The first [[SPARC]] distribution of OpenSolaris, with an [[alpha software|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blastwave.org/  |date=September 20, 2006 |title=Blastwave Open Source Sun Software |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060920105147/http://www.blastwave.org/ |archive-date=September 20, 2006}}</ref> 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<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = Preliminary SPARC 4u Release
 | url         = http://www.martux.org/
 | website     = marTux
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060920091101/http://www.martux.org/
 | archive-date=2006-09-20
 | url-status    = usurped
 | publisher   = Martin Bochnig
 | date        = 2006-09-13
 | access-date  = 2014-02-13
}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://netmgt.blogspot.com/2013/03/tab-update-opensxce-march-3013.html| title = Tab Update: OpenSXCE March 2013 Distribution| website = Network Management| date = March 13, 2013}}</ref>
* MilaX – A small Live CD/Live USB<ref>{{Citation
 |title        = MilaX
 |url          = http://www.milax.org/
 |publisher    = Alexander R. Eremin
 |access-date   = 2012-12-29
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180622065618/http://milax.org/
 |archive-date = June 22, 2018
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 |title        = MilaX
 |url          = https://archiveos.org/milax/
 |date         = 2015-08-11
 |author       = pavroo
 |access-date  = 2018-02-02
 |archive-date = February 3, 2018
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180203235712/https://archiveos.org/milax/
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> with minimal set of packages to fit a 90&nbsp;MB image.
* [[Dyson (operating system)|Dyson]] – illumos kernel with [[GNU]] userland and packages from [[Debian]]. Project is no longer active and the website is offline.
* EON ZFS Storage<ref>{{Citation
 | title       = EON ZFS Storage
 | url       = http://sites.google.com/site/eonstorage/
 | access-date       = 2012-12-29
 | archive-date       = September 8, 2024
 | archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20240908005356/https://sites.google.com/site/eonstorage/
 | url-status       = live
 }}</ref> – A [[network-attached storage|NAS]] implementation targeted at embedded systems.
* Jaris OS – Live DVD and also installable.<ref>{{Citation|title=Project Jaris |url=http://jaris.jp/index2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722111050/http://jaris.jp/ |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}</ref> Pronounced according to the IPA{{how|date=September 2020}} 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 [[IA-32|32-bit]] and [[x86-64|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<ref>[http://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2012-September/009792.html 151a0] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625133644/https://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2012-September/009792.html |date=June 25, 2021 }} (and soon to be last)</ref> SPARC distribution.<ref>{{Citation
 |url          = https://archiveos.org/opensxce/
 |title        = OpenSXCE
 |date         = January 8, 2016
 |author       = pavroo
 |access-date  = 2018-02-02
 |archive-date = September 8, 2024
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20240908005502/https://archiveos.org/opensxce/
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> 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 ==
*Robert Lipschutz and Gregg Harrington from ''[[PC Magazine]]'' reviewed Solaris 9 in 2002:<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.pcmag.com/archive/solaris-9-not-flashy-but-solid-25318| title = Solaris 9: Not Flashy but Solid| magazine = [[PC Magazine]]| date = May 7, 2002| access-date = January 15, 2022| archive-date = January 15, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115022004/https://www.pcmag.com/archive/solaris-9-not-flashy-but-solid-25318| url-status = live}}</ref>
{{cquote|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:<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://www.pcmag.com/archive/solaris-10-148842| title = Solaris 10| magazine = [[PC Magazine]]| date = March 31, 2005}}</ref>
{{cquote|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.}}
*Tom Henderson reviewed Solaris 10 for ''[[Network World]]'':<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.networkworld.com/article/861554/lan-wan-solaris-10-heads-for-linux-territory.html| title = Solaris 10 heads for Linux territory| first = Tom| last = Henderson| website = [[Network World]]| date = February 28, 2005| access-date = April 26, 2024| archive-date = September 8, 2024| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240908005357/https://www.networkworld.com/article/861554/lan-wan-solaris-10-heads-for-linux-territory.html| url-status = live}}</ref>
{{cquote|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.
}}
*Robert Escue for ''[[OSNews]]'':<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.osnews.com/story/9865 | title = Review of Solaris 10 | first = Robert | last = Escue | date = March 2, 2005 | website = [[OSNews]] | access-date = July 8, 2018 | archive-date = June 20, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180620153256/http://www.osnews.com/story/9865 | url-status = live }}</ref>
{{cquote|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.
}}
*Thomas Greene for ''[[The Register]]'':<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/16/solaris_x86_not_too_shabby/ | title = Sun's Linux killer shows promise | first = Thomas C | last = Greene | date = August 16, 2005 | website = [[The Register]] | access-date = July 8, 2018 | archive-date = June 20, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180620203731/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/16/solaris_x86_not_too_shabby/ | url-status = live }}</ref>
{{cquote|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==
* [[JavaOS]]
* [[SunOS]]
* [[IBM AIX]]
* [[HP-UX]]
* [[Trusted Solaris]]
* [[Oracle VM Server for SPARC]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/solaris.html Solaris Documentation]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525101430/http://www.oracle.com/us/products/servers-storage/servers/sparc/oracle-sparc/sparc-roadmap-slide-2076743.pdf |title= Oracle SPARC and Solaris Public Roadmap}}
* [http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-hardware-301321.pdf Lifetime Support Policy: Oracle and Sun System Software and Operating Systems]
* [http://www.sunhelp.org SunHELP] – Sun/Solaris News, References, and Information
* [http://www.softpanorama.org/Articles/solaris_vs_linux.shtml Nikolai Bezroukov. Solaris vs. Linux: Ecosystem-based Approach and Framework for the Comparison in Large Enterprise Environments] – Large Softpanorama article comparing Solaris 10 and Linux 2.6
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126085820/http://everythingsolaris.org/ |title=Everything Solaris}} – Solaris information site by [[Michael Holve]]

{{Unix-like}}
{{Oracle}}
{{Solaris}}
{{Operating system}}
{{Sun Microsystems}}
{{GNOME}}

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