Solaris[tm] 9 Operating Environment 12/03 x86
Description and What's New

The Solaris 9 12/03 Operating Environment builds on the success of the Solaris 9 OE. Enhancements in the areas of scalability, availability, manageability and security define the industry leading UNIX(TM) operating environment. This Solaris 9 update integrates fixes, performance improvements as well as select new technologies in a tested easy-to-install configuration, while maintaining guaranteed binary compatibility with prior Solaris releases. Our commitment to compatibility ensures the highest level of investment protection for our customers.

• Guided Tour
• Datasheet
• Solaris Operating Environment - Family Comparison Chart

Key Features

• Solaris and Java Enterprise Software Common installer

  Installation of Solaris and Java Enterprise Software is fully integrated using a common installer to simplify the provisioning of new systems. The use of a common installer for both Solaris and for all the common components of the Java Enterprise Systems simplifies Java Enterprise System component installation on both Solaris x86 and Solaris SPARC systems. The Java Enterprise System common installation enables customers to acclerate the install the component parts of Java Enterprise System with minimal interaction onto both Solaris x86 and Solaris SPARC systems.

• WAN Boot

  Ability to boot systems over the Internet (WAN Boot), Secure WAN Boot, Flash and Package/Patch via HTTPS/SSL Install. Secure, encrypted, Internet-based provisioning and change management enhancements via WAN Boot, Flash and Package/Patch install via HTTPS (SSL encrypted) URLs. These combined technologies help to eliminate the need to have JumpStart boot servers on each subnet, thus reducing administrative overhead by allowing centralized JumpStart servers. Transactions from the OpenBoot PROM level to the retrieval of Flash archives can be encrypted via an SSL channel and images may be stored on any HTTP/HTTPS server. This makes remote, secure, encrypted installations of Solaris possible. A side benefit is that Solaris patches and packages may now be installed by specifying an HTTPS (SSL encrypted) URL, instead of just a local file system, as the source.

• Sun Java Enterprise System Application Server Platform edition 7.0

  Sun Java Enterprise System Application Server Platform edition 7.0 available on Solaris x86 brings feature parity between Solaris SPARC and Solaris x86 platform editions. Provides Sun Java Enterprise Application Server functionality in Solaris x86 software, bringing Solaris x86 feature set on parity with Solaris SPARC software. Gives Solaris x86 users a industry accepted Application Server at no additional cost. Assures compatibility between Solaris SPARC and Solaris x86 features and functions.

• Solaris Containers

  Allocating exclusive use of real memory to applications via Solaris Containers Allows processes to be bounded in their memory requirements to insure consistent service levels. Allows multiple applications to co-exist on system without memory resource conflicts.

• IPsec/IKE Acceleration and Improvements

  IPsec acceleration enhancements when used with the Sun Crypto Accelerator 4000 card. Storage of IKE digital encryption keys on the SCA 4000's hardware key storage device. IKE support extended for use with IPv6 protocols. IPsec acceleration increases the overall throughput of an encrypted connection between servers. Storage of IKE encryption keys on the tamper proof hardware key storage ensures that no sensitive information about existing encrypted connections is stored in the operating system's main memory. This reduces the risk of exposure of these keys to attackers. Adding IKE for IPv6 allows full function IPsec/IKEconnections amongst servers using the scalable IPv6 protocol for networking.

• NFS Database Performance Enhancement (Client ONLY)

  Increase the performance of Oracle using NFS to connect to Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices These client changes will result in up to 300% performance increase on databases. Most enterprise applications will also experience a performance boost due to this enhancement.

• NIS to LDAP Migration tools

  This update of Solaris 9 provides customers the necessary tools to migrate their naming service environment from NIS to LDAP Migration from NIS to LDAP is a two-step process; data migration & client migration. The migration tool incorporates functionality that allow smooth transition from NIS to LDAP environments. * Data Migration: The migration tool functions as a gateway that can reside separately from the server and provides synchronization tools that facilitate data migration from a NIS server to an LDAP server. * Client Migration: The gateway also provides the ability for NIS clients to communicate to the LDAP server transparently i.e. coexistence of NIS and LDAP clients. This facilitates a phased migration of NIS clients to LDAP clients. The added benefit is the flexibility to deploy a standards (LDAP) based naming environment that is scalable, secure and robust.

• lgroup

  Applications can be be programmed to control the affinity of their resources (CPU and memory) through the locality group API set. An lgroup is a "locality group" which represents the set of CPU-like and memory-like hardware resources which are within some latency of each other. The latency is determined by the type of system and its configuration. The latency topology of a system is represented by a hierarchy of lgroups. An application can use lgroup APIs to improve its performance by allowing threads to specify their affinity for an lgroup. Threads can be distributed among lgroups to optimize for latency and/or bandwidth.

• CPU Productization for next generation (UltraSPaRC IV) CPU.

  Support for the next generation (UltraSPARC IV) CPU has been engineered into this update of Solaris Operating System. Operating Systems support for the next generation of UltraSPARC IV will be available at the time the hardware platforms are introduced.