A Comprehensive Guide to Buying OpenSolaris

Your Guide to buying the best OpenSolaris

Overview

This buying guide provides a comprehensive overview of OpenSolaris, a powerful and versatile open source operating system. It covers the key considerations to keep in mind when purchasing OpenSolaris, such as hardware requirements, compatibility with other software, its features and its relative cost. With this guide, you can make an informed decision about the best OpenSolaris solution for your needs.

Key features

  • Compatibility with other Operating Systems - It is important to make sure that OpenSolaris is compatible with any other operating systems you may be using. This can include both software and hardware compatibility.
  • Support Options - Consider the level of support available for OpenSolaris, such as forums, online tutorials, and technical support.
  • Pricing - OpenSolaris is free and open source; however, there may be additional costs associated with installation, customization, and support.
  • User Interface - Evaluate the user interface of OpenSolaris to make sure it is intuitive, easy to use, and consistent throughout each version.
  • Security - Make sure OpenSolaris is up to date on its security patches, and has secure user authentication measures in place.
  • Network Capabilities - Consider the networking capabilities of OpenSolaris to make sure it meets your needs, such as support for multiple operating systems, sound and video capabilities, access to remote services, and support for various types of hardware.
  • Application Support - Be sure to check which applications are compatible with OpenSolaris prior to purchase to ensure that you will be able to work with any desired software.

See the most popular OpenSolaris on Amazon

Important considerations

Pros

  • Secure - OpenSolaris leverages Oracle's Solaris Security Toolkit for the secure configuration and management of the OS.
  • Open Source - OpenSolaris is an open-source software product, and can be freely modified, redistributed, and used in commercial applications.
  • Stability & Reliability - OpenSolaris is built from the rock-solid Solaris platform, giving it a unique combination of stability, reliability, and performance.
  • Flexibility - OpenSolaris is flexible and customizable, allowing users to tailor the OS to their specific needs.
  • Virtualization - OpenSolaris includes a comprehensive set of virtualization technologies, such as xVM and Zones, for easy and effective virtualization.
  • Storage Management - OpenSolaris includes an advanced storage management solution, allowing users to easily configure, manage, and monitor their physical and virtual storage.

Cons

  • Cost - OpenSolaris is free to download and use, but if you need support you will have to purchase one of the commercial editions offered by Oracle.
  • Hardware compatibility - OpenSolaris is not always compatible with all hardware systems, so research needs to be done to ensure it works with your system.
  • Security - OpenSolaris is not as secure as some of the other operating systems out there, so extra precautions need to be taken for it to be secure.
  • Installation - OpenSolaris requires a more advanced level of knowledge when installing, so it may not be suitable for novice users.
  • Support - OpenSolaris does not offer as much support as other operating systems, so users may have to rely on the community forums for help.

Best alternatives

  1. Solaris - Sun's UNIX-based OS
  2. CentOS - Red Hat Linux-based community-supported OS
  3. Ubuntu - Popular Linux-based OS with a wide range of support
  4. Fedora - Red Hat's community-supported OS
  5. Debian - OS based on the Linux kernel

Related tools, supplies, and accessories

  • SunRay Server - A server that enables networked clients to access OpenSolaris applications and services.
  • SunRay Clients - Clients that are used to access OpenSolaris applications and services through a SunRay Server.
  • OpenSolaris Desktop - An operating system that provides a graphical user interface for interacting with OpenSolaris applications and services.
  • Solaris Studio - An integrated development environment for creating and debugging OpenSolaris applications.
  • OpenSolaris Package Manager - A tool for managing, downloading, and installing OpenSolaris software packages.

Common questions

  1. What is OpenSolaris? OpenSolaris is an open source operating system based on Solaris, a proprietary operating system created by Sun Microsystems. It was first released in 2005 and is designed to be customizable, secure, and reliable.
  2. What hardware is required to run OpenSolaris? OpenSolaris can run on a variety of hardware, including x86-based and Sparc-based systems. It is recommended to have at least a 1.2 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM for an optimal experience.
  3. What features does OpenSolaris offer? OpenSolaris offers a number of features, including ZFS, a powerful file system that provides advanced storage management capabilities; SMF, a service management framework that simplifies system administration; DTrace, a dynamic tracing facility for troubleshooting; and the Zones feature, which allows for the creation of multiple isolated, virtual environments on a single system.
  4. What software is included with OpenSolaris? OpenSolaris includes a variety of software packages, such as a web server, database server, compilers, development tools, and the popular GNOME and OpenOffice.org desktop applications.
  5. Where can OpenSolaris be purchased? OpenSolaris is available for free download from the OpenSolaris website. There are also a number of vendors who offer commercial versions of OpenSolaris, such as Oracle and Nexenta.
  6. Is OpenSolaris compatible with other operating systems? OpenSolaris is compatible with other operating systems, such as Linux and Windows. It can also be used to create a virtual environment within another operating system, such as VMware.

Trivia

OpenSolaris was praised for being more secure than most of its counterparts. In fact, in 2006, the National Security Agency (NSA) deemed it to be the most secure operating system available. This earned OpenSolaris the nickname of "Trusted Solaris."1 1Wikipedia:OpenSolaris

Disclaimer: This buying guide was not created by humans, and it is possible that some of it's content is inaccurate or incomplete. We do not guarantee or take any liability for the accuracy of this buying guide. Additionally, the images on this page were generated by AI and may not accurately represent the product that is being discussed. We have tried to convey useful information, but it is our subjective opinion and should not be taken as complete or factual.