Advantages of Migrating to the Solaris Operating Environment

The UNIX^\256 standard, SVR4, accommodates the leading UNIX variants (System V, BSD, SunOS, and XENIX), uniting the majority of the installed base of UNIX users. The Solaris operating environment, based on SVR4, gives software developers, system administrators, and end users the benefits of a standard operating system including broad compatibility, a growth path, and reduced time to market. It also delivers a functional and powerful product reflecting years of refinement. Among the many advantages the Solaris operating environment provides are portability, scalability, interoperability, and compatibility.

Although the foundation of the Solaris operating environment is based on SVR4, SunSoft has added extensive functionality in areas such as symmetric multiprocessing with multithreads, real-time functionality, increased security, and improved system administration.

The Solaris operating environment offers the following features:

• SunOS release 5.6, a full 32-bit operating system based on UNIX System V Release 4 (SVR4)

• Cross-functional compatibility, which enables the SunOS release 5.6 software to run on SPARC(TM) as well as Intel 386, 486, Pentium and other DOS-compatible CPUs

• Industry standards including SVR4 and the ONC family of networking protocols

• Graphical user interface (GUI) in the OPEN LOOK^\256 Window Manager

• Common Desktop Environment, a desktop graphical interface. This window environment helps you organize and manage your work. The desktop provides windows, workspaces, controls, menus, and a Front Panel allowing simple access to Mail, File Manager, Printers, Image Tool, Calendar Manager, and others

• Calendar Manager, a time management application that displays appointments and ToDo items at a glance and offers a multibrowse feature that makes scheduling among a group easy

• File Manager, a graphical and intuitive way to navigate to local and remote file systems

• Image Tool, which enables you to load, view and save images of over 40 different formats

• Audio, a new, Motif-based audio application for playing and recording AU, WAV, and AIFF files.

• OPEN LOOK Admintool, the base for local system administration

• Installation GUI for easing install and update

• Log-based file systems on servers

• Advanced architecture that includes fully symmetric multiprocessing and sophisticated multithreading

• Real-time priority scheduling and a fully pre-emptible kernel, providing the benefits of open systems while meeting the requirements of control applications

• Network Information Services Plus (NIS+), an upward-compatible version of the NIS name service with simpler hierarchical administration, improved security, and faster updates.

• Standards conformance for application developers interested in the benefits of application portability

• Multimedia Mail, for sending messages that incorporate audio, graphics, and embedded files

• Java Virtual Machine(TM), provides access to the Java platform for the Solaris operating environment

• WebNFS, makes it possible to make a file system accessible through a Web browser.

• AnswerBook2(TM) Viewer, Sun's premier online documentation system that uses a web-browser-based interface

Portability, Scalability, Interoperability, and Compatibility

The Solaris operating environment is portable, scalable, interoperable, and compatible.

Portability

The SunSoft SunOS product is portable across multiple vendor platforms. Software conforming to an application binary interface (ABI) runs as shrink-wrapped software on all vendor systems with the same microprocessor architecture. This enables application developers to reduce software development costs and bring products to market quickly, and enables users to upgrade hardware while retaining their software applications and minimizing conversion costs.

Scalability

Over time, applications become more widely used, and require more powerful systems to support them. To operate in a growing environment, software must be able to run in a wide power range and must be able to take advantage of the additional processing power. SunSoft's operating system runs on machines of all sizes, from laptops to supercomputers.

Interoperability

Heterogenous computing environments are a reality today. Users purchase systems from many vendors to implement the solutions they need. Standardization and clear interfaces are critical to a heterogeneous environment, enabling users to develop strategies for communicating throughout their network. Solaris systems can interoperate with every popular system on the market today, and applications running on UNIX can communicate easily.

Compatibility

Computing technology continues to advance rapidly, but the need to remain competitive requires vendors to minimize their costs and to maximize their investments. SunSoft will ensure that as new technology is introduced, the existing software investment is preserved. Users can take advantage of today's solutions and still be compatible with tomorrow's technologies.

Advantages for Large Organizations

The Solaris operating environment provides a number of sound business reasons for transitioning to an industry-standard-based UNIX operating system. Application development and maintenance costs are lower, and application portability is enhanced.