In the Oracle Solaris 11 release, the IPS packaging system is used to perform software updates. This simplifies the process of updating a system regardless of whether you are updating single packages or multiple packages as part of an system update.
There are two sources of packages for Oracle Solaris 11 systems. The support repository is for customers with a support agreement, and the release repository is for customers without a support agreement. Each repository requires different steps to complete an OS update. See Determining Your Starting Point to determine which repository, version of the OS, and SRU you are using. Next, follow the steps in the appropriate procedure in Updating a System to Oracle Solaris 11.3.
All of the zones on your system will automatically be updated when you update the global zone. Make sure that you follow any specific instructions to deal with special packages as noted in the following procedures.
In general, third-party packages are not touched during the update process. Third-party services, and the software they deliver, will only be disturbed by the update process when the service shares configuration files with the OS, or when the files are installed in directories that are written over by the update process. See File Actions in Packaging and Delivering Software With the Image Packaging System in Oracle Solaris 11.3.