A virtual network enables domains to communicate with each other without using any external physical networks. A virtual network also can enable domains to use the same physical network interface to access a physical network and communicate with remote systems. A virtual network is created by having a virtual switch to which you can connect virtual network devices.
Oracle Solaris networking differs greatly between the Oracle Solaris 10 OS and the Oracle Solaris 11 OS. The following two sections provide overview information about networking for each OS.
The feature differences between Oracle Solaris 10 and Oracle Solaris 11 networking are described in Oracle Solaris 11 Networking Overview.