Sun Solaris on non Sun boxes?

[Shockwave]

Isnt Sun Solaris OS just a basic Unix OS with Sun has adapted to its own use? Can it be installed on a simple PC, or does it have to go on Sun boxes?
aka...Can I install Sun Solaris on my AMD PC at home with ATI vid card etc etc??

Thanks.

 

[Toxic]

They have a X86 version. You can download it from Sun for $20 (I think) if you want to try it out. Before jumping into it, you might want to check and see what hardware is supported by it.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Can I install Sun Solaris on my AMD PC at home with ATI vid card etc etc??

I doubt that you would want to do this. While Solaris is "just a UNIX," it's different enough that some software out there won't compile on it out of the box. Similiarly, hardware support is limited, as noted above. The appeal of i86 Solaris is mostly to admins that manage the Sun big iron servers, and want the PC's in their shop to have the same OS. If you just want to say that you have some Solaris experience, it might be worth doing, but expect headaches trying to accomplish typical home computer tasks.

 

[Shockwave]

Thanks guys!
As for having headaches doin this.....Did you think I WANTED it to be easy?? That'd take all the fun out of it now wouldnt it?

 

[ScottMac]

Good attitude! I'm a read & bleed kinda guy myself.

You don't learn a damn thing when stuff works right the first time

Seriously, it's a good thing. Just don't be obsessive. In the X86 Solaris environment it'll either work (with/without some tweaking) or it doesn't.

Check the hardware compatibility list on Sun.com to save yourself some unnecessary grief.

Good Luck !

Scott

 

[Nothinman]

I would avoid x86 Solaris if you can, it runs terrible compared to the Sparc version. I had Solaris 8 on an old Ultra 1 (167Mhz 128M) and it ran usable, even the GUI. When I tried to install it on a P233 it took 2+ hours just to install.

Older Sun boxes can be found fairly cheap if you look around. I just got my hands on a Ultra 2 with 2x300Mhz w/2M cache and 256M memory for a couple hundred bucks on eBay.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Fujitsu makes some nice hardware for Solaris

 

[Acts837]

I agree that Solaris x86 on a 233 would die. I have put it on a PIII 933 and a P4 1.6A and both were screamers! Now, it wasn't as fast as Red Hat or FreeBSD but I wanted Solaris. I disagree about the packages, go to sunfreeware and look at all the packages that they have for x86. Solaris 8 was a big jump from previous Intel versions and I heard 9 is out in the spring for x86.

 

[Nothinman]

I agree that Solaris x86 on a 233 would die

My point was that it shouldn't, it runs just fine on an UltraSparc 167Mhz.

I disagree about the packages, go to sunfreeware and look at all the packages that they have for x86

That's true there are lots of pre-packaged pieces of software for Solaris, and if you install the gcc packages most Open Source packages will compile fine.

Solaris 8 was a big jump from previous Intel versions and I heard 9 is out in the spring for x86.

Even so Sun still treats it like a bastard step child they don't really want around. The only reason they're doing it is because Linux is eating into their market share because it's easier and cheaper to install and try, why fuss with closed unix on expensive hardware when you can install free Linux on boxes you already own?

 

[Fallen Kell]

Nothinman: remember that the 167mHz processor that you are talking about is 64 bit SPARC or Ultra Sparc architecture. I have seen a single Ultra SPARC 167 outperform an 600 mHz XEON.

Now as for the x86 version of Solaris, I would just recommend looking around online, I am sure someone still has version 7 or lower out there, as those were free on x86 (well it might have been version 7 that they started to sell...). In anycase, I had 2.6 (version that came out before redid the naming convention to what was after the 2.x) running on an older Pentium II 400, and it ran pretty well.

 

[Darkcirc]

I would love to know how you crippled a Xeon 600 that bad. and Lets remember the 64 Bit solaris Kernel is just that: a 64bit Kernel. most of the apps are 32bit. I have an Ultra1 that I ran as a production server for multiple things, and I can tell you that even with SunOS2.9 is stil BOOTED THE 32BIT KERNEL. Apparently the first Gen Ultra's weren't so good with 64 bit ops. Its faily obvious that in that(100~400) range sun has the advantage but to put it up against a Xeon600? Thats kinda nuts, please enlighten us with specifics about outperformance. Solaris x86 does in fact suck, it is a pain to install and seems to hate most of the machines I own, most surprisingly a BX/333 combo. It does look and act like solaris, albeit slower once its up. Its kinda nice to have a Packaged Unix on peecee hardware, in fact I'm trying to ween a friend off MS with it. He mistakenly believes Linux is not mature enough to use as a prod OS ::shudder::. In any event, it was great to just have when it was free, but if your company can't buy it... might not be worth it.
dc

 

[Nothinman]

Nothinman: remember that the 167mHz processor that you are talking about is 64 bit SPARC or Ultra Sparc architecture. I have seen a single Ultra SPARC 167 outperform an 600 mHz XEON.

That seems a little far fetched, even if the x86 app was written extremely poorly.

Now as for the x86 version of Solaris, I would just recommend looking around online, I am sure someone still has version 7 or lower out there, as those were free on x86 (well it might have been version 7 that they started to sell...).

You can download Solaris 8 for free, I just did it a few weeks a go.

and Lets remember the 64 Bit solaris Kernel is just that: a 64bit Kernel. most of the apps are 32bit

Depends. When I compile something it makes a 64-bit executable, if the supplied apps are 32-bit that's Sun's fault.

and I can tell you that even with SunOS2.9 is stil BOOTED THE 32BIT KERNEL

And I can tell you that with a little work (very little IIRC) it will boot the 64-bit kernel just fine.

Its kinda nice to have a Packaged Unix on peecee hardware,

Only if you're trying to get accustomed to a certain unix for a job or something. Otherwise it's better to run a BSD or Linux, you get better performance and many more options.

He mistakenly believes Linux is not mature enough to use as a prod OS ::shudder::.

Tell him to give IBM a call, apparently they're not aware of this fact.

 

[Shockwave]

http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/binaries/get.html

The bottom link, Solaris 8 OE Downlaods? Is that what I want? I assume OE is Sun speak for OS, so the 8.0 OE is what I want right?

To give you a brief summary, I found a job I would like to apply for as a Solaris Admin. They want 1 to 3 years experience. I got 0 days. Bit of a dificiency eh? Well, I'm trying to correct that. The big kicker? Job apps no longer accepted after the 30th. Of October. I better get to crackin eh?