General

FAQ: General

What is OpenSolaris?

OpenSolaris is an Operating System (OS), an open source engineering project, website of multiple services, and a global community of developers and users. The project's goals are innovation, collaboration, and the extension of OpenSolaris technology. Below are key OpenSolaris-related technologies:

OpenSolaris Source Code: This is the source base for open development. It consists of several components called consolidations. See the downloads page for the technologies and developer builds released. Browse the source via OpenGrok.

OpenSolaris Operating System: This is a community-developed binary distribution of an operating system based on the OpenSolaris source code. Development efforts take place at Project Indiana on opensolaris.org. The distribution runs on SPARC, Intel, and AMD processors on the server and desktop and as a storage platform. It is free to use, modify, and redistribute. Support is available from Sun Microsystems.

Solaris Operating System: This is Sun's fully supported and tested enterprise operating system, and future versions of Solaris will be based on technology from the OpenSolaris project. Solaris is available as a free binary download, and Sun offers service packages and regular updates.

What does the OpenSolaris binary release mean for other OpenSolaris distributions?

The OpenSolaris community has several distributions controlled by their respective project teams. None of the freedoms that allow for the creation of derived works of the OpenSolaris code base are affected by this distribution, although new distributions may be built as customized versions of the OpenSolaris OS. Sun retains control over its distributions (Solaris 10, Solaris Express) and may consolidate its release model around the OpenSolaris OS at some point in the future.

What source code does the OpenSolaris project include?

Initially, the OpenSolaris project included source for the kernel, networking, libraries, and commands from Sun's Solaris OS. This set of source is often referred to as the OS/Networking consolidation (O/N). But since the launch in 2005, source for additional parts of that system have been released, and the goal is to make as much of the Solaris OS source available as is legally possible. See the 2005-2008 roadmaps for detail about what became available when; see the downloads page for pointers to all the available consolidations. The 'no source' page contains information about components not available in source form.

Why did Sun create the OpenSolaris project?

There were many reasons for the decision:

A community development model creates opportunities for collaboration between Sun and the developer and user community.
Many Solaris OS customers care about and require open source.
It allows Sun and its partners to participate in more projects requiring open source software.
Open sourcing creates a platform for a new generation of innovation by allowing developers to leverage the Solaris technology.
It opens up opportunities in new markets for Solaris: for example, startups can now build products around OpenSolaris technology.

Is OpenSolaris technology for SPARC and x86 architectures?

Yes. There is only one source base for the Solaris OS for both SPARC and x64/x86 systems, and binaries are built from that common source. By open sourcing the common Solaris source base you automatically get the code for all Solaris-supported platforms.

What license is used for the OpenSolaris source code?

OpenSolaris community contributions and Sun-written/-owned code is released under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) Version 1.0, which is an Open Source Initiative (OSI)-approved open source license. The OpenSolaris project also includes a number of existing open source project components, which are released under their current licenses (e.g., Perl is licensed under The Perl Artistic License).

Please refer to the Licensing Page for more details about the licenses associated with the OpenSolaris project, see the CDDL FAQ for more information about the CDDL, and visit the OSI website for information about other open source licenses.

What license is used for the OpenSolaris Operating System?

The contents of the OpenSolaris OS Live Media Image are governed by the Common Development and Distribution License Version 1.0, with the exception of certain portions under other licenses such as the OpenSolaris Binary License. Details are included with Live Media Image. Additional software available from the OpenSolaris Package Repository on opensolaris.org and not included on the Live Media Image is governed by the licenses provided in the OpenSolaris Package Repository License file and/or in the individual software packages located in that repository. All of the licenses permit use, copying and redistribution of the software.

Is OpenSolaris free software?

Yes, OpenSolaris is free to use, free to modify, and free to redistribute.

Do I need to register to download OpenSolaris?

Registration is not required to download the source code from opensolaris.org or the binary distribution from opensolaris.com.

What version of the Solaris Operating System is OpenSolaris?

The latest development release of the OpenSolaris source code roughly corresponds to Solaris 10 plus development work completed since the release of the Solaris 10. At this time, Sun has no plans to open source the code for the Solaris 10 release or earlier releases.

How do I participate?

Participate by joining Collectives, getting involved in discussions, filing bugs, testing, contributing packages and code, translating content, and evangelizing the community and the technology. Start here.

Should I be concerned about compromises in security in the Solaris OS due to the availability of the OpenSolaris source code?

No. The Solaris source code has been available on a controlled basis for many years, and this has enhanced the security features of the system. Open source software is well-known for its advantages when it comes to security. Security is all about getting the details right, so having thousands of people examining the source code dramatically reduces the chance that an important bug remains undiscovered and ensures the fastest possible resolution.

If you find a security bug in the OpenSolaris source code, please follow Sun's standard security-reporting process detailed on the Sun Security Coordination Team page.

How will the OpenSolaris program affect Sun's ISV partners who support the Solaris Operating System?

Unless an ISV partner's solution requires customization of the operating system, ISVs will continue to certify to the Solaris OS, which offers regular release cycles, stringent quality control, and Sun support.

OpenSolaris FAQ Center

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Created by admin on 2009/10/26 12:18

Last modified by Jim Grisanzio on 2010/11/10 15:32