Linux to Solaris Comparison Guide?

[r0d3nt]

Hi All,

I'm looking to play around with Solaris, but am very familiar with Linux and not familiar with Solaris. Are there any guides or books out there that will help me transition to Solaris? Or would I just be better off installing it and just figuring it out?

[etacarinae]

Hi All,

I'm looking to play around with Solaris, but am very familiar with Linux and not familiar with Solaris. Are there any guides or books out there that will help me transition to Solaris? Or would I just be better off installing it and just figuring it out?

My advice is to try out OpenSolaris 2009.06 b110, see if all devices are natively supported on your hardware, play around with boot environments after you have it installed, e.g.:
$ pfexec beadm create test-env
$ pfexec reboot

Boot into test-env

cd /.zfs && ls -l

Try out the IPS packaging system, etc..

If you like it and want to know more of it, either use the web resources or if you want a definitive book on the subject then "OpenSolaris Bible" is an excellent choice.

[jadrevenge]

If you want a nice network manager, or use bluetooth a lot, you're gonna be disappointed ...

I'm sure they'll come, and if you can live without them (I've used solaris since 2.0 days, and am used to it) then you've got a rock hard system with lots of nice toys and features ...

ZFS is hard to beat (I don't care what that new system that Linux is coming up with) and with improved driver support (graphics and wireless) ... It's beginning to become a half decent desktop OS

[r0d3nt]

I'm planning on running Solaris and OpenSolaris as VMs on VMware Server. I've already got them installed, so hardware compatibility won't be an issue. I do agree about the network manager though. OpenSolaris appears to be too forward thinking with the whole everything defaults to IP6 thing [at least from my limited testing with the built-in ping command]. It is odd because both of these OSs are familiar to me coming from a Linux background, but are ultimately very different. I'm still trying to figure out how to set the right timezones for both OSs since Solaris thinks I'm in Europe [even though I'm in West Coast US and I told it as much] and Open Solaris thinks it is 1986. I've got some research to do. I'll have to check out the OpenSolaris Bible. I'm assuming that most things related to OpenSolaris will apply to Solaris? Or would that be too easy? Any other good sites out there for Solaris resources? Command references, etc?

Thanx!

[joffe]

You might find the UNIX rosetta stone useful. Personally I barely know any commands no matter which of them you pick for me to wrench on so it's not much use to me.

[kraftman]

ZFS is hard to beat (I don't care what that new system that Linux is coming up with)...

Hehe, especially for desktop where 768MB RAM is recommended minimum...

[joffe]

I don't even have any machines left with less than 2GB RAM. What's the issue?

[kraftman]

I don't even have any machines left with less than 2GB RAM. What's the issue?

So there shouldn't be any issue right?

Here's probably explanation:

http://209.85.129.132/search?q=cache:gfBuBC4sSxgJ:mail.opensolaris.org/pipermail/zfs-discuss/2006-April/031451.html+ZFS+requirements&cd=1&hl=pl&ct=clnk&gl=pl

[r0d3nt]

Wow, wasn't looking for a flame war on ZFS, just looking for good info on how to best use Solaris, or at least put up with it from a Linux user's perspective [flame war probably to ensue from that last bit].

Thanx!

[kraftman]

Wow, wasn't looking for a flame war on ZFS, just looking for good info on how to best use Solaris, or at least put up with it from a Linux user's perspective [flame war probably to ensue from that last bit].

Thanx!

Where do you see flame? I didn't know high memory recommendation for ZFS is tabu which someone will take as flame and you asked how to best use Solaris... It's little strange... Flame war usually ensue from stupidity when someone see flame where it isn't.