A group package specifies the set of packages that constitute a feature or tool.
IPS group packages consist solely of packages with dependencies on other packages that make up a logical grouping of software. IPS group packages are similar to Oracle Solaris 10 metaclusters. The primary difference is that metaclusters are nested subsets ranging from a minimal installation to nearly all packages on the media. Group packages have no such hierarchy. Two different IPS group packages can specify some of the same packages as members of the group.
You can install multiple IPS group packages in the same image, including multiple installation group packages. For example, you can install both the solaris-large-server and solaris-desktop group packages if you need a system that has both server and desktop capabilities. See descriptions of these packages in Packages Installed by Group Packages for SPARC Based Systems and in Packages Installed by Group Packages for x86 Based Systems.
You can choose not to install some of the packages that are members of a group package. You can uninstall packages that were installed as part of a group package installation. When you choose not to install members of group packages, additional packages might be affected because of other package dependencies.