Solaris 9 x86 proves uneven

Other welcome additions are two graphical administration tools, Resource Manager and Volume Manager, that allocate processor, memory, and storage resources through a Windows-style GUI. In the past, Solaris x86 was stuck with clumsy command-line tools. Sun is to be commended for adding these tools, previously only available on SPARC, to the Intel version of the OS.

Free IT resource Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) May 22-23, 2007 Sponsored by OSBC Free IT resource TechNet: More ways to know it, share it, and keep it running. Sponsored by Microsoft Sun Solaris 9 for x86 Sun Microsystems, sun.com/solaris Good  6.0 criteria score weight Administration 8 20% Availability 3 20% Security 8 20% Hardware support 4 15% Scalability 5 15% Setup 8 10% Cost: $99 for uniprocessor laptops or desktops; $250 for dual-processor workgroup servers or desktops; $1,500 for four-processor servers. Sun also charges a significant piece of the list price for a right-to-use license on used systems with Solaris installed. Platforms: 32-bit Intel x86 servers, desktops, and laptops Bottom Line: Positioned as a competitor for Linux on Intel-based systems, Solaris 9 for x86 lacks broad hardware support. A dearth of Sun and third-party applications limits value to Sun shops seeking low-priced servers, desktops, or laptops. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

On the down side, Solaris x86 is less scalable than its Intel-architecture competitors, with an out-of-the-box four-processor limit. A spokesperson told me, "Sun is able to respond to OEM and customer requests for eight-way and above." Red Hat Linux AS, by contrast, supports eight-way servers out of the box; and Windows 2000 Server Datacenter Edition handles 32 x86 processors. Microsoft says that Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition will support 64-way servers; and Solaris on SPARC scales to 128 processors.

Glimmer of hope

The big problem with Solaris x86 is the scarcity of available software. I had few applications to test, even from Sun. The OS does include Sun's SunScreen firewall, as well as the latest iPlanet directory server. It can also run StarOffice 6.0. However, Sun has not yet ported its J2EE-based Sun ONE Application Server 7.0, Sun ONE Web Server 6.0, or the rest of its Sun ONE stack to Solaris x86. The company does, however, offer them for Solaris on SPARC, as well as for Linux and Windows on x86. That's a big negative.

More missing software includes Sun ONE Studio 7.0 app-dev suite, which exists on Linux, Windows, and Solaris on SPARC, but not on Solaris x86. The only C++ compilers available right now from Sun are its Forte Developer 6, which came out in mid-2001. Although Sun has publicly committed to bringing its Sun ONE software stack (currently available for SPARC only) over to Solaris x86, the company has not committed to a date or to future simultaneous releases on SPARC and x86. And it has promised that Sun ONE Studio 8.0 release will support both SPARC and x86.

As for third-party apps, they're few and far between. Forget running DB2 or Oracle. Solaris x86 does include native binaries for Apache or Sendmail, as well as a J2SE 1.4 virtual machine (new to version 9 and a very welcome improvement).

It's also possible to run some Red Hat Linux application binaries using the lxrun open-source Linux emulator. Although lxrun is included on a companion CD, it's not supported by Sun. Sun also does not include the lxrun run-time libraries necessary to run software compiled for other versions of Linux.

But there is a glimmer of hope: Sun has publicly committed that at some future point, Linux software written to the LSB (Linux Standard Base) will be able to run natively on Solaris x86.

Although Sun's commitment to the Intel platform with Solaris x86 is laudable, the solution isn't for the masses. Overall, Solaris x86 is a credible OS that might make sense as a low-end server platform for Sun shops, perhaps as an Apache Web server platform, or for hosting custom applications. It can also be used to drive laptops and desktop PCs as a substitute for more expensive SPARC workstations. But that's about it.