Chapter 1 What's New Highlights

The Solaris^TM operating environment is the foundation for web-based computing. Solaris provides the manageability, scalability, and high performance that compute-intensive tasks require.

Key Features in Solaris 9

The following key features and enhancements are highlights from the Solaris 9 software release. For a complete list of new features, see chapters 2-4.

• Solaris 9 Resource Manager - Solaris 9 Resource Manager improves functionality for allocating, monitoring, and controlling system resources. Key features include the new fair share scheduler (FSS) and resource pools for partitioning system resources. See "System Resources Enhancements".

• Linux Compatibility - Many Linux applications run virtually unchanged in the Solaris operating environment. The Solaris 9 release enables users to maintain productivity in mixed environments by further adding to the Linux commands and applications that are integrated into the release. In addition, software application developers can now develop and compile their Linux applications more easily in the Solaris operating environment. See "Development Tools" and "Freeware".

• Increased Security - The Solaris 9 release includes significant security enhancements, such as the following features:

  • Internet Key Exchange - Internet Key Exchange (IKE) enables administrators to manage larger numbers of secure networks.

  • Solaris Secure Shell - Secure shell allows a user to securely access a remote host over an unsecured network.

  • Secure LDAP Client - A new Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) library provides for SSL (TLS) and CRAM-MD5 encryption mechanisms.

  • Strong Encryption - Strong encryption with a maximum size of 128 bits is available as a default for certain functionality.

    For further information, see "Security Enhancements".

• iPlanet Directory Server 5.1 - iPlanet^TM Directory Server 5.1 is now an integrated part of the Solaris 9 software release. See "Networking".

• Solaris Volume Manager - Solaris Volume Manager provides storage management tools that enable you to create and manage RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 5 volumes, as well as transactional (logging) devices and soft partitions. See "System Administration Tools".

• File System Enhancements - The Solaris 9 release contains several file system enhancements, such as extended file attributes and Direct I/O improvements. See "File System Enhancements".

• Solaris Live Upgrade 2.0 - Solaris Live Upgrade provides a method of upgrading that substantially reduces the usual service outage that is associated with an operating system upgrade. See "Installation".

• Web Start Flash - You can create a reference installation of the Solaris operating environment and replicate that installation on other machines. See "Installation".

• Minimal Installation - You can choose to install a minimal set of packages with the Solaris 9 operating environment, then add only the packages you need. See "Installation".

• Multiple Page Size Support - Multiple Page Size Support (MPSS) allows a program to use any hardware-supported page size to access portions of virtual memory. See "System Performance Enhancements"and "Development Tools".

• Improved Multithreading Library - The Solaris 9 software release contains an improved and faster multithreading library. See "System Performance Enhancements".

Available With the Solaris 9 Release

Netscape^TM 6.2.1 for the Solaris Operating Environment - Netscape^TM 6.2.1 Enterprise, the most customizable, convenient, and connected browser, is available in the Early Access directory of the Solaris 9 release. In addition, it will be available for the Solaris 7 and Solaris 8 operating environments. For further information on Netscape 6.2.1, see "Other Software".

Available on the Web

GNOME 2.0 Desktop for the Solaris Operating Environment - GNOME 2. 0 is an upcoming feature that is planned for the Solaris 9 operating environment and is currently available for preview on the Web. Built on free source software, GNOME 2.0 is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Internet. GNOME 2.0 provides a user experience that will increase personal productivity. Get an early preview of GNOME 2.0. For information, see "Other Software".