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Solaris isnīt Linux + ZFS
Saturday, January 20. 2007
There is a perception in many forums, it shops and blogs, that Solaris is only Linux plus ZFS. How often do you read "Okay, ZFS is cool. But i wait, until ZFS is in Linux" or "When ZFS is in Linux, then Solaris is finally dead". Sometimes i ask myself, if Linux makes morons out of otherwise intelligent to brilliant people or if this is a effect of dis- and misinforment.
ZFS is cool. Itīs gigantic. But itīs only a small part of Solaris 10. I donīt know where i should start: Zones, Fault Management Architecture, a real enterprise class cluster framework available, real scaleability up to a thousand of processors (scalability like in "you get the performance of additional processors, not like in "it runs on 16 core, but you have the performance of 10"), a real resource management integrated to the kernel. All this in a package that leverages a feature in a different feature, eg. zone cloning with a ZFS snapshot in seconds, a cryptographic framework that leverages cryptographic hardware throughout the operating environment. A diagnostic tool like dtrace isnīt existent on Linux (No, systemtap is not like dtrace, completly different scope).
To all the people, who reduce Solaris 10 to ZFS: There is so much more to explore in Solaris 10. Give it a chance. Even when you donīt like Sun HW, you can even run it on your systems from your favourite box mover.
ZFS is cool. Itīs gigantic. But itīs only a small part of Solaris 10. I donīt know where i should start: Zones, Fault Management Architecture, a real enterprise class cluster framework available, real scaleability up to a thousand of processors (scalability like in "you get the performance of additional processors, not like in "it runs on 16 core, but you have the performance of 10"), a real resource management integrated to the kernel. All this in a package that leverages a feature in a different feature, eg. zone cloning with a ZFS snapshot in seconds, a cryptographic framework that leverages cryptographic hardware throughout the operating environment. A diagnostic tool like dtrace isnīt existent on Linux (No, systemtap is not like dtrace, completly different scope).
To all the people, who reduce Solaris 10 to ZFS: There is so much more to explore in Solaris 10. Give it a chance. Even when you donīt like Sun HW, you can even run it on your systems from your favourite box mover.
Posted by Joerg Moellenkamp
in English, Sun/Oracle
at
12:20
| Comments (14)
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"...you can even run it on your systems from your favourite box mover."
I am currently into giving right this a try... and I am curious to see how Solaris deals with more or less recent notebook hardware. I know Solaris is way more than "Linux+ZFS", but for the first attempt outside of the server room, it has to prove that "Solaris != Linux - device drivers" ...
I am currently into giving right this a try... and I am curious to see how Solaris deals with more or less recent notebook hardware. I know Solaris is way more than "Linux+ZFS", but for the first attempt outside of the server room, it has to prove that "Solaris != Linux - device drivers" ...
I tend to say "Solaris = Linux - device driver for obsolete soundcards"
What notebook do you want to use ?
What notebook do you want to use ?
Hallo Jörg,
weisst du was das "Project Crossover" ist? Unser Ansprechpartner wusste da nicht recht Bescheid.
Gruss,
Martin
weisst du was das "Project Crossover" ist? Unser Ansprechpartner wusste da nicht recht Bescheid.
Gruss,
Martin
Nee,
das heisst Project Crossover, hat mit T2000 zu tun.
Gruss,
Martin
das heisst Project Crossover, hat mit T2000 zu tun.
Gruss,
Martin
Ich habe da eine Ahnung was du meinst, aber bevor ich dir jetzt totalen Bullshit erzähle, gucke morgen früh im Büro nach, ob es das auch ist, was ich denke, was es ist.
Joerg;
the notebook is a Toshiba Tecra A8; for what the Sun Device Detection Tool says, each of the hardware components is supported except for the i3945 WLAN module and the 82801(ICH7) sound chip.
I will see how the machine does, however, starting like I did start into Linux - in dual boot.
Booting the BeleniX live system failed with some strange error, and today I will see how the Solaris Express Communtiy Edition installation does...
Cheers,
Kris
the notebook is a Toshiba Tecra A8; for what the Sun Device Detection Tool says, each of the hardware components is supported except for the i3945 WLAN module and the 82801(ICH7) sound chip.
I will see how the machine does, however, starting like I did start into Linux - in dual boot.
Booting the BeleniX live system failed with some strange error, and today I will see how the Solaris Express Communtiy Edition installation does... Cheers,
Kris
When all goes bad, i will have a Tecra M5 end of this week ... ;-(
Well, for what I have seen so far (Linux), the Tecra's aren't all that bad. Trying to install Solaris Express this afternoon, however, I never got beyond a message saying that Java is about to be initialized. The Nexenta installation image does seem to have some trouble detecting the SATA hard disk. Oh well... I'll make my way through google and try again later.
The problem is: I donīt want a laptop without Mac OS X . Definitly Solaris is the best server operating system on the planet, but Mac OS X is the best desktop.
. Definitly Solaris is the best server operating system on the planet, but Mac OS X is the best desktop.
I like your hardware, but there are some things i do not like about your software.
The shell environment made me a rough start, but a the moment i can not say what i changed to made it working.
At the moment i do not see there any acceptable built-in software management. I mean something like apt-get, yast, emerge you know from linux or ports+packages system from BSDs. You can use somethings like this blastwave.org tools, and i currently do, but why it is not built it? I did not like it, but the patch management really offended me. At first "smpatch analyze" showed me some patches "smpatch add" did not want to install. Even more important i need to register to get any patches, even security ones. Even it is for free, why bother me for an different auth than anonymous:anonymous, which worked for ftp servers for years?
By the way, you always discuss linux, does it mean you consider windows to be dead? Would be interesting to hear a opinion by someone who visits many sites.
The shell environment made me a rough start, but a the moment i can not say what i changed to made it working.
At the moment i do not see there any acceptable built-in software management. I mean something like apt-get, yast, emerge you know from linux or ports+packages system from BSDs. You can use somethings like this blastwave.org tools, and i currently do, but why it is not built it? I did not like it, but the patch management really offended me. At first "smpatch analyze" showed me some patches "smpatch add" did not want to install. Even more important i need to register to get any patches, even security ones. Even it is for free, why bother me for an different auth than anonymous:anonymous, which worked for ftp servers for years?
By the way, you always discuss linux, does it mean you consider windows to be dead? Would be interesting to hear a opinion by someone who visits many sites.
The patch management is a steady point of discussion even inside of sun. Itīs not optimal, but the problem is that the customers are used to ist and we promise the customers: "We will not break compatibility". This promise is great, but make some things more difficult. You have to build a patch system that looks like the old and a new at the same time. Without making problems, when you use both in parallel.
And then there is a different nature in patching between Linux and Solaris: Linux users tend to be release patchers. They update quite regulary to new releases. Solaris admins tend to be problem patchers. They have a problem, look at the sunsolve site, get the appropitate patch and patch the system (not that i like this behaviour, at least the recommended patch cluster should be used once in a quarter). Perhaps this is due to the cautious nature of people who admin the central datawarehous of a Fortune 500 company.
Windows? A good question: I see them quite regulary as Windows Terminal Servers. In the rest of the IT iīm aware of : Windows Server is not a decision by the admin. Itīs a decision that itīs made when a software was choosen. And the admin has to life with it. But sometimes you need a feature from it, for example when you need single-sign on with Windows.
I donīt like windows, but itīs dominance on corporate desktop often mandates itīs usage in the datacenter for certain tasks.
And then there is a different nature in patching between Linux and Solaris: Linux users tend to be release patchers. They update quite regulary to new releases. Solaris admins tend to be problem patchers. They have a problem, look at the sunsolve site, get the appropitate patch and patch the system (not that i like this behaviour, at least the recommended patch cluster should be used once in a quarter). Perhaps this is due to the cautious nature of people who admin the central datawarehous of a Fortune 500 company.
Windows? A good question: I see them quite regulary as Windows Terminal Servers. In the rest of the IT iīm aware of : Windows Server is not a decision by the admin. Itīs a decision that itīs made when a software was choosen. And the admin has to life with it. But sometimes you need a feature from it, for example when you need single-sign on with Windows.
I donīt like windows, but itīs dominance on corporate desktop often mandates itīs usage in the datacenter for certain tasks.
While I'm a Unix guy, I think it is important to know what the "enemy" does.
Now that I work in a smaller company, it is really easy to steal things from the Windows World to the Unix world. Reason? I can provide some services easier and faster, because my already installed Unix systems need less maintenance than windows systems. This means I have more time for engineering.
Now that I work in a smaller company, it is really easy to steal things from the Windows World to the Unix world. Reason? I can provide some services easier and faster, because my already installed Unix systems need less maintenance than windows systems. This means I have more time for engineering.
One sysadmin's opinion. I've used Linux since '93 and SunOS/Solaris for longer
Linux advantages:
updates vi apt/yum
3rd party installs via apt/yum
Useful, up to date binaries available - no compiling from source *needed*
More device drivers exist
The platform most OSS is written on (used to be SunOS 4.x once)
Security patches are available quickly
No registration to get any updates
Solaris Advantages:
Stable API
Dtrace
ZFS
Better Reliability and Scaleability
Speed
Right now, ZFS trumps the update advantage. I work mainly R&D type environments where change is more accepted. I also, currently, am 90% Solaris....
Linux advantages:
updates vi apt/yum
3rd party installs via apt/yum
Useful, up to date binaries available - no compiling from source *needed*
More device drivers exist
The platform most OSS is written on (used to be SunOS 4.x once)
Security patches are available quickly
No registration to get any updates
Solaris Advantages:
Stable API
Dtrace
ZFS
Better Reliability and Scaleability
Speed
Right now, ZFS trumps the update advantage. I work mainly R&D type environments where change is more accepted. I also, currently, am 90% Solaris....
Links in this article
The LKSF book
The book with the consolidated Less known Solaris Tutorials is available for download here
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Sat, 20.03.2010 21:36
I didn't have special interest
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Yes. And I just don't like the
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Well, I don't think many peopl
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Germany License
This month there has a been a noticible increase in buzz from IT pundits discussing whether Solaris now has the feature set critical mass required to win over exising Linux users and shops. On one hand, I think it’s tres cool that Solaris is and...
Tracked: Jan 21, 05:22
So, the article "Solaris != Linux + ZFS" gave me an idea: A series to explain the lesser known features of Solaris. Know i have a different view to Solaris than other people, so i want to start with a small poll: 1. What are the top three cool features
Tracked: Jan 21, 08:45