It's stable. It scales.
Software Engineer at a tech company with 10,001+ employees
It is stable and it scales. Unlike open source solutions, there is service for it.
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
It’s hard to say where I think Solaris can improve. I feel like Solaris is getting more and more into a niche. The problem Solaris has is, it's fighting against open source. Open source is taking more and more of the market. It's for free. Solaris you have to pay for. I think there is a problem. I feel it's a propriety system; not open to be modified by the community.
For how long have I used the solution?
We’ve been using it a long time; since Solaris 2.6.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Running tests can cause it to crash. I do quality engineering off Oracle Solaris. We make changes to adapt it to our hardware. Of course, then we need to make sure that those changes don't cause problems. When you have your first implementation, you didn't think about things and you might run into problems; the system can crash or stop.
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Solaris
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Solaris. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What other advice do I have?
It's scalable. It's stable. You have service for it. If you have a problem, you call and there will be somebody coming and helping you with it.
I can't live without Solaris, because that’s my job.
Solaris has a big customer base, compared to others; at least that's what I feel. I'm mostly focusing on Linux as its competitor. I see that you have servers there; you can scale much higher than on Linux. Linux is more in the field where you do multiple small systems, and I'm at the end of big-use systems.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Enterprise Architect at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
The compliance command simplifies how complex security audits are performed.
What is most valuable?
Too many features to count, the built in, low overhead integration is a huge plus, as is the ease of patching, the ability to use DTRACE to real time troubleshoot issues, the integrated security and most of all the performance.
How has it helped my organization?
The compliance command simplifies how complex security audits are performed, saving time. Also the patching is better than Linux, just as easy to patch, but with the integrated snapshots easier to back out of a patch. This saves hours of patch prep each time you patch a server. Enabling admin/server rations exceeded any linux or windows solution.
What needs improvement?
One cool feature with Oracle Linux, is the ability to patch without a reboot. Getting this working on Solaris would rock! With the new M7/S7 chips, better DTRACE visibility into the hardware acceleration offloading would be nice. Difficult to explain a server that is 90% idle but doing the workload of 4 Intel servers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Solaris since the early 90s.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No major issues, the biggest challenge is retraining older Solaris 10 admins. The Linux admin shave no issues switching over.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues, recovery from patching is simple and I have yet to have a Solaris 11 system core dump. Troubleshooting RCA on a core dump is very easy though.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues scaling this, you can scale to over 1024 cores using the Fujitsu M10-s servers. I don;t think any Intel system can do that.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service is what you would expect from a large multi-national company... but I rarely call support. The online tools are great.
Technical Support:The online tools are great, but the phone folks could use a little more training. But I rarely call them, as the online tools work %90 of the time.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Linux, Windows, AIX and more. With Solaris 10, I stopped using AIX for any solutions, and focus on Solaris for larger systems, Linux for smaller systems and Windows when I need Microsoft. The new S7 is having me take a second look at using Solaris for the smaller systems as well.
How was the initial setup?
Install is simple, the OS is preinstalled on the servers. Installing from ISO is simple,and Oracle also has several VMs you can download and deploy.
What about the implementation team?
We use in-house staff most of the time. As I said, Linux admins can easily transition over. Patching is a great example.. linux is "yum update" and Solaris 11 is "pkg update"
What was our ROI?
The ROI is higher than Windows, due to the ease of patching and troubleshooting issues with DTRACE. Running down issues is wickedly fast, as you can use dtrace while the problem is happening.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is a core feature, as you can use zones and LDOMs to reduce the number of core you need to license Oracle product for. This is a huge saving for anyone using Oracle Database of Middleware.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Yes, we look at all options, and pick the OS that is the best match for the application. Solaris is more often or not the choice.
What other advice do I have?
Have an open mind when looking at a new OS. Many things have changed in the last five years, you can not compare Solaris 11 to older versions.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Solaris
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Solaris. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Consultant: Unix and Clusters (Orange UNIX Engineering) at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Robust kernel and its patch and package management system is strong.
What is most valuable?
Robust kernel: The heart of an OS, i.e., it’s the base/foundation of any operating system. If we have a robust kernel, the chance of getting server panic, etc., is reduced to almost negligible levels and that’s true with Solaris and even with IBM AIX. The bug levels and vulnerabilities to hit such robust kernels are very low.
Patch/package management: Change is a part of IT, with the increased technologies day by day, new software is evolving every day. If the way to install, manage, upgrade, configure them is not easy, then instead of using the software for growth, techies will be killing their time fixing them. With Solaris, this system is very strong. Regular security fixes, vulnerability fixes, recommended patches for new kernel and for new features is in Oracle’s release management process, which is very beneficial for customers to stay updated and fix old bugs.
Visibility at the OS level (nothing hidden): In case of issues, the logging system for Solaris is outstanding. With logs, we can debug the issues to a higher degree by ourselves. In case any changes to kernels are required, Oracle is always there to fix them via patches/pkgs, which is again valued added for any customer.
Compatibility with third-party DB's and applications: The compatibility to install databases and application on top of Solaris is just amazing, we hardly see any issues during installation/upgrade, except third-party driver issues. So overall, it’s an amazing OS to work with.
How has it helped my organization?
It integrates with different applications with complete stability.
What needs improvement?
I think Oracle should also promote x86 architecture for Solaris, so that the same can be used in ESX and in cloud environments with an x86 variant. It would be a bonus for Oracle.
SPARC hardware is costly. Most businesses want to run their infrastructure environments - especially non-production environments - on x86 hardware, where customers can run heterogeneous OS platforms (Linux, Solaris and/or AIX). However, this is not possible with AIX at all (especially with Solaris). So, if Oracle improved x86 support in Solaris, it could promote Solaris x86 as having the same stability and reliability levels as Solaris SPARC servers. This would provide customers a reason to move their servers - which are currently migrating to Linux servers – to Solaris x86. And I am sure this will boost Solaris even further. I am well aware that Oracle is promoting Oracle Linux for the same reasons, but I think the same can be done in a better way for the existing Solaris OS.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it since 2007 until now.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
We always perform POCs first and try to do all possible testing in that phase. As such, we have not encountered any major deployment issues.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It actually depends on the application version, and compatibility also. Sometimes, after a kernel patch, we might encounter some issues, but that’s just because of poor planning and poor documentation.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For standalone systems, scalability’s always a challenge, but improved T-series and M-series have good options. However, Oracle still lags behind in this area, compared to ESX and IBM (LPARs), to a great extent.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Sun Microsystems customer service was superb!!! (My first love sunsolve.sun.com.) When Oracle initially took over, their customer service was just pathetic, but it slowly improved. It’s always hard to maintain the same standards and I can understand it’s tough in the initial phases. I would say, from my experience, there is still room for improvement in this area.
Technical Support:Technical support is good, as it’s divided into different levels. Sometimes, it takes time before L1 escalates to L2/L3 and that sometimes is frustrating (sometimes :-) ).
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before moving to engineering, I worked as admin / implementation team in a heterogeneous environment. So this solution completely depends upon cost and the client’s requirements.
How was the initial setup?
Migration is always a challenging step, if you want everything to be the same as it is running on an existing environment. AIX to Solaris or Linux to Solaris or vice versa is always a job to be performed with extra precaution, as you are going to play with your data.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it ourselves and did the hardware replacements via a global vendor. It’s good.
What was our ROI?
ROI is good. I am sure Solaris has devoted everything to it. For an OS to survive a long time, Oracle has to maintain Solaris like a baby, as Sun Microsystems did until 2010.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Since taken over by Oracle, there has been an increase in the software cost (earlier patch/packages were free with SunSsolve), but that’s business and I think it’s okay.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Today, if you ask me for low-cost solutions, I have open-source Linux versions and for stable releases, we have RedHat and IBM AIX.
What other advice do I have?
It’s a very good product to use. You are going to love this OS.
I still love Solaris; for me, it’s always been the best.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Specialist at Bureau of labor statistics
Allows us to move our database from platform to platform; it's reliable and secure
What is most valuable?
- Its portability is most important. We can move our database from platform to platform.
- The database itself is fast and reliable and secure.
How has it helped my organization?
I think it's more industry an standard and, as a result, we're able to have the right people, the right skill sets, to work on our solution.
What needs improvement?
Right now, we don't have any difficulties.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Based on my experience I'm very satisfied with the solution. Based on the architecture we have, based on the dependedability, we never have downtime or impact of sorts.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm pretty happy with it.
How are customer service and technical support?
I think Oracle is great in support. We have 24/7 support and anytime that we have any technical hardware or software issue, then we can call and get help.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I think right now everyone talks about the cloud. I think we were falling behind. I would say in, perhaps, not 10 years, maybe less, something like five years, we have to follow the trend.
At that time we had Sybase and we had SQL Server, but then we started moving everything to Oracle.
How was the initial setup?
It was pretty straightforward. It depends on the skill set of the people working with it. I think, for us, we have a group of people that have been working on the operation of the system for a long time.
What other advice do I have?
Regarding selecting a vendor, we are public sector, so we need to have a vendor that has been an industry leader for a long period of time. That's so we can have, in the next decade or two, have reliability.
I think I'd follow the majority of the customers and learn what the vendor has been doing, but not only in the past, what they intend to do in the future as well.
I base my rating of nine out of 10 on the technical solution, and the customer relationship, and the technical support.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Very clear. The Solaris portability has no comparison with other Os.
Director at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Enables us to transition our large customers from datacenters to the cloud
What is most valuable?
The facility to work between database and the equipment. The facility to integrate with other platforms. Our customers use our cloud. They know the importance of Oracle. They have your own datacenter, but slowly, they want to change to the cloud.
How has it helped my organization?
Our strategy is to sell the Oracle cloud because it's easy to configure and to increase demand. And most important for us is the security. We have the biggest customers in Colombia, for example, Bank Colombia, Exito Retail, the biggest retailer in Colombia. Davivienda is another big bank in Columbia; Aval Group. All are working with us with Oracle Solaris.
It's slowly come to them. All the customers I named used IBM before. For example, Bank Colombia was on a platform called IBM Power. We sold to them the Solaris platform, the M7 platform, for digital information.
I think Oracle Solaris is stronger than Power in Colombia.
What needs improvement?
It's good. To me, it's better than other products. For example, Power AIX. I think Solaris better.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. When we sold the solutions with Solaris, we sold them with premium support. The stability is sometimes is not good. That's the truth. So we sold another component, the TAM (Technical Account Manager) for complete premium support. Oracle TAM helps us to have better support.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. For example, when the customer uses Oracle databases, you can migrate to the biggest version easily. This includes migrating from IBM Power to Solaris. I think this is added value for Solaris.
How is customer service and technical support?
Good. I think it's good.
What other advice do I have?
To me, the perfect vendor provides reliability, that's the big one. And security. That is the other big one.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Solution Architect at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
Easy to use, scalable, but price reduction needed
Pros and Cons
- "One of the main features of this solution is the ease of use."
What is our primary use case?
We are using the solution as an operating system for some of our charging systems.
What is most valuable?
One of the main features of this solution is the ease of use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is good and we have approximately 10 users using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support was satisfactory.
What about the implementation team?
We used a vendor team to do the implementation of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There should be an option to install the solution for free and just pay for the support. We purchased an annual license and the price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
We are going to continue using the solution in the future and I recommend it to others.
I rate Oracle Solaris a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
I absolutely agree, especially that the prices could be better
Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Stable and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "Solaris is scalable because they have their own file system, like CFS."
- "Solaris is not easy to use. It needs better GUI, UI, and configuration tools."
What is our primary use case?
I'm a distributor who provides Oracle Solaris virtualization solutions to about 100 customers. I'm with the biggest distributor of Sun Microsystems.
What is most valuable?
It's stable.
What needs improvement?
Solaris is not easy to use. It needs better GUI, UI, and configuration tools.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Oracle Solaris for 16 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Solaris is scalable because they have their own file system, like CFS.
How are customer service and technical support?
Oracle support is getting better.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is complex and it takes up to two days. To install and configure Solaris to meet the average customer's requirements takes two or three engineers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing for Solaris is normally on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Solaris eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Distributor
Senior System Administrator at a logistics company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Compressible file system has been a great benefit for archiving large numbers of small text files
What is most valuable?
ZFS.
How has it helped my organization?
Compressible file system has been a great benefit for archiving large numbers of small text files.
What needs improvement?
Software availability.
For how long have I used the solution?
10+ years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No, very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No, not really an issue in our environment.
How are customer service and technical support?
Not available.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No.
How was the initial setup?
Fairly straightforward. Storage seems to be the most complicated part when dealing with physical servers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
This was a long time ago. We considered Linux but wanted the vendor support offered by Sun at the time with both hardware and software, because we didn't have expertise in the area.
What other advice do I have?
Nowadays, I don't think Solaris has a lot of advantages over less expensive options. I do love ZFS and have found it to be very stable. I don't have much experience with it in other distributions but some early attempts with fuse were not stable. That was a while ago, so I bet you can get a stable release of something with ZFS.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
"Compressible file system has been a great benefit for archiving large numbers of small text files." Yes, i'm agree with you. Did you use zfs snapshots? Amazing
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Very agree with Scalability Issues