Preview Solaris™ 10 Operating System
com/software
Solaris™ 10 Operating
System
Enterprise-Class Functionality on x86-Based Systems
Key feature highlights
• Delivers enterprise-class Solaris™ Operating
System features, such as Predictive Self-
Healing, relentless availability, extreme
performance, and unparalleled security,
to x86 environments
• Provides guaranteed source code com-
patibility between UltraSPARC® and
x86-based systems
• Runs Linux applications unmodified
• Supports a wide range of Sun and third-
party servers, workstations, laptops,
and devices
• Provide mainframe-class functionality,
such as Solaris Containers (formerly N1™
Grid Containers), for simplified server
virtualization on x86 platforms
Key benefit highlights
• Take advantage of enterprise-class func-
tionality at low acquisition and owner-
ship costs
• Reduce IT complexity and business risk
• Increase interoperability in heterogeneous
computing environments
• Protect investments in existing applica-
tions and x86 hardware
• Hundreds of Sun and third-party applica-
tions are available for the Solaris OS on
x86 platforms
• Improve performance of applications
and services
• Gain data center-class availability
with Sun™ Cluster 3.1 software for Sun
x86-based systems
• Risk-free growth path to 64-bit computing
with seamless coexistence of 32- and
64-bit applications
On the Web sun.
Businesses the world over are continually challenged to deliver higher service levels at lower
cost. As companies look to technology to help them satisfy customer demands, win competitive
advantages, and reduce operating expenditures, they are increasingly turning to entry-level x86-
based systems. While these systems may reduce acquisition costs, they often fail to provide the
scalability, availability, manageability, and security that enterprises need to operate at peak
efficiency. To address these concerns, organizations need an operating environment that provides
enterprise-class features and leverages x86 economics.
The Solaris™ Operating System for With new features such as Predictive Self-
x86-Based Platforms Healing, Solaris ZFS (zettabyte file system),
The only industrial-grade UNIX® environment Solaris Containers (formerly N1™ Grid Contain-
for x86 systems, the Solaris Operating System ers) technology, and more, the Solaris 10 OS
(OS) provides the same enterprise-class func- provides organizations with all the tools and
tionality across UltraSPARC®, AMD Opteron, technologies they need to quickly and confi-
and Intel Xeon-based systems. The Solaris 10 dently create powerful computing infrastruc-
OS offers many exciting new features designed tures. A new Dynamic Tracing facility provides
to deliver the relentless availability, extreme built-in analysis and diagnostic capabilities,
performance, and unparalleled security today’s eliminating bottlenecks and enabling greater
enterprises demand. With the Solaris 10 OS, system utilization by diagnosing problems in
businesses can leverage the benefits of low- minutes rather than days.
cost hardware, yet standardize on a single The Solaris 10 OS even integrates many
operating system that can run throughout of the most popular open source packages and
the enterprise. applications, including Apache, Tomcat, Samba,
and Secure Shell. Many additional open source
Benefits of the Solaris OS for applications are provided — compiled, tested,
x86-Based Platforms and ready to run, reducing time to deployment.
Additionally, with Sun™ Cluster 3.1 software, Sun
Enterprise Ready Out of the Box extends data center-class availability to low-cost
The Solaris OS provides the stable, high-quality Sun x86-based systems with high-availability
foundation that companies can depend on to features such as Global File Systems, Global
develop, deliver, and manage business- and Devices, and Scalable Services.
mission-critical services — right out of the box.
Preview Solaris™ 10 Operating System On the Web sun.com/software

Solaris™ 10 Operating System

Low Total Cost of Ownership
The Solaris OS for x86 platforms delivers lower
total cost of ownership (TCO) than comparable
competitive offerings. For example, the Solaris
OS is 22 percent less expensive compared to Red
Hat Enterprise Linux ES, and 58 percent less
expensive than Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS for a
two-CPU system over a period of three years,
when operating system and standard support
1
costs are taken into consideration. Additionally,
the Sun Java™ Enterprise System gives organiza-
tions the enterprise software they need directly
integrated with the Solaris OS, providing an
innovative business model that reduces the
cost of acquisition, integration, and support.
Reduce Risk
The Solaris OS builds on a long history of pro-
viding high security levels. It delivers unparal-
leled security features, including authentication,
data integrity, data privacy, and single sign-on
capabilities, so tampering, snooping, and eaves-
dropping do not compromise data or associated
transactions. Additionally, many organizations
are concerned about operating system licensing
rights. With Sun, companies can rest assured
that their investments are safe. Sun has full
licensing rights to UNIX software, and indem-
nifies customers using the Solaris OS, making
it a safe, risk-free choice.
Sun’s software release process ensures
that all new features are integrated and rigor-
ously tested for performance and compatibility,
enabling Sun to preserve compatibility and
add new functionality quickly while continuing
to increase software quality at every turn. Sun
partners and customers benefit from a predict-
able product lifecycle, with a new release
occurring every 24 to 30 months and quarterly
updates between releases. In addition, Sun is
the only vendor that guarantees developers
and application ISVs compatibility with future
OS releases.
Sun’s AMD Opteron processor-based
product line and the Solaris OS enable a risk-
free growth path to 64-bit computing, helping
companies leverage the power and performance
of 64-bit computing while protecting investments
in 32-bit applications. 32-bit applications will
continue to run seamlessly at the same, or
higher, levels of performance.
Ensure Investment Protection
Sun understands that protecting existing
investments is a critical factor to reducing
TCO in today’s dynamic environments. With
the industry’s only Application Compatibility
Guarantee, massive scalability, integrated
open applications, and hundreds of Sun and
third-party applications, the Solaris OS lets
businesses standardize on a single operating
system — from entry-level x86-based systems
to mainframe-class servers.
With an unwavering commitment to open
standards, Sun has made Linux interoperability
a high priority. Sun has built-in Solaris and
Linux software interoperability at every level,
from binary and source code compatibility to
common applications and portability features in
Java technology. Sun is now taking Linux
interoperability to the next level with the new
Solaris Linux Application Environment feature in
the Solaris 10 OS for x86 platforms. The Solaris
Linux Application Environment allows Linux
binary applications to run unchanged on the
Solaris platform, enabling businesses to take
advantage of Solaris 10 OS innovations with-
out sacrificing investments in existing Linux
applications.
Improved Service and Application Performance
Sun continues to invest in technologies that
improve the performance for applications and
network services. With support for SSE/SSE2 on
Intel Xeon and AMD Opteron systems, compiler
optimizations, and Solaris 10 innovations like
Dynamic Tracing (DTrace) and a new high-
performance TCP/IP stack, Sun provides solutions
that help businesses run at top speed.
Learn More
Get the inside story on the trends and tech-
nologies shaping the future of computing by
signing up for the Sun Inner Circle program.
You’ll receive a monthly newsletter packed
with information, plus access to a wealth of

1. Based on the Solaris 9 OS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3

resources. Register today at sun.com/joinic.
pricing in August 2004.

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