Solaris oprating system is created by Sun Microsystems based on UNIX OS. Solaris, which Oracle eventually purchased. In 1993, Solaris replaced the business's earlier SunOS operating system. Because of its scalability and availability of modern features, Solaris became well-known. Solaris supports Scalable Processor Architecture(SPARC) and x86-64 workstations and servers from Oracle and other vendors.
Oracle stopped supporting and developing OpenSolaris after purchasing Sun Microsystems. In August 2010, Oracle ceased to publicly update the Solaris kernel's source code. Reverting Solaris 11 to a closed-source, proprietary operating system.
Solaris OS has three extensions. Those are as follows -
- Easy Server was made for running in networks with Windows New Technology (Windows NT) systems.
- Enterprise Server is oriented for business environments. It also supports clustering.
- Internet Service Provider server.
Version History of Solaris OS
Below are some of the major versions of Solaris OS over the years -
Version 1.x: It was released in 1991 and supported until September 2003.
Version 2.0: It was released in June 1992 and supported until January 1999. It has only Sun 4th Generation(sun4c) architecture.
Version 2.1: It was released in December 1992 and supported until April 1999. It has Sun 4th Generation(sun4 and sun4m) architecture.
Version 2.2: It was released in May 1993 and supported until May 1999. It has Sun 4th Generation(sun4d) architecture. It also supports multithreading libraries.
Version 2.5: It was released in November 1995 and supported until December 2003. It was the first that included Ultra Scalable Processor Architecture(UltraSPARC). It also supports Common Desktop Environment(CDE), Network File System over Transmission Control Protocol(NFS/TCP) and Network File System version 3(NFSv3).
Version 2.5.1: It was released in May 1996 and supported until September 2005. It was the only Solaris OS that supported Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC Performance Computing(PowerPC). It also included Resource Management Technologies.
Version 7: It was released in November 1998 and supported until August 2008. It was the first 64-bit Ultra Scalable Processor Architecture(UltraSPARC)-supported Solaris.
Version 8: It was released in February 2000 and supported until March 2012. It was the first version that supported Internet Protocol version 6(IPv6) and Internet Protocol Security(IPsec). It removed Sun 4th Generation(sun4c) support and included Role-Based Access Control(RBAC).
Version 9: It was released on May 2002 and supported until October 2014. It includes iPlanet Discovery System, Internet Protocol Security(IPsec) keying and Linux compatibility. It removed Sun 4th Generation(sun4d) support.
Version 10: It was released in January 2005 and will support until January 2025. It was introduced with many features. Some of them are x86-64 (AMD64/Intel64) architecture support, Dynamic Tracing(DTrace), and Service Management Facility(SMF). It also supports Sun 4th Generation(sun4m) and Ultra Scalable Processor Architecture I(UltraSPARC I) processors.
Version 11 Express: It was released in November 2010 and supported until November 2011. It has a new packaging system, such as Image Packaging System(IPS) and Zettabyte File System(ZFS). It also supports fast reboot, Zettabyte File System(ZFS) encryption, virtual console and duplication.
Version 11.4: It was released in August 2018 and will support until November 2034. It is the latest version of Solaris released by Oracle. It comes with Open System Adapter 2011(OSA2011) architecture. It includes many features such are Zettabyte File System(ZFS), Solaris Web Dashboard, Native Zones and GNU Network Object Model Environment(GNOME) 3.
Structure of the Solaris Operating System
The structure of the Solaris operating system have:
- Kernel: The Solaris kernel is the core of the operating system, responsible for managing hardware resources, providing process scheduling, memory management, file system support, and handling I/O operations.
- Device Drivers: Solaris includes a comprehensive set of device drivers to enable communication between the kernel and various hardware devices. Device drivers are crucial for hardware abstraction and ensuring compatibility.
- Process Management: Solaris manages processes and threads, providing mechanisms for process creation, scheduling, and termination. It supports multithreading to enhance system performance.
- Memory Management: The memory management subsystem in Solaris is responsible for managing physical and virtual memory. This includes virtual memory addressing, paging, and swapping to optimize memory usage.
- File System: Solaris supports various file systems, including UFS (Unix File System) and ZFS (Zettabyte File System). The file system provides a hierarchical structure for organizing and storing data.
- Networking: Solaris has a robust networking stack that supports various network protocols. It provides facilities for network configuration, socket communication, and network security.
- User Interface: Solaris typically provides a command-line interface (CLI) as well as a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may include a windowing system, such as X Window System, and a desktop environment.
- System Libraries: Solaris includes a set of system libraries that provide essential functions and services to applications. These libraries offer standardized interfaces for tasks like I/O operations, networking, and memory management.
- Utilities and Commands: Solaris includes a rich set of command-line utilities and commands for system administration, development, and user interaction. These utilities cover a wide range of tasks, from file manipulation to system monitoring.
- Security Mechanisms: Solaris incorporates various security mechanisms to protect the system and user data. This includes user authentication, access control, encryption, and auditing features.
- System Configuration and Administration Tools: Solaris provides tools and utilities for configuring and administering the system. This includes tools for managing users, configuring system parameters, and monitoring system performance.
- Development Tools: Solaris includes a set of development tools, compilers, and libraries to support software development on the platform.
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