OpenSolaris Distributions

The very first distribution that is based on OpenSolaris. This is a Live-CD distribution for the X86 and AMD64 platforms ( EM64T ). The distribution is authored by Jörg Schilling, the author of cdrecord CD burning software. The distribution initially provided only command line tools. Starting with version 0.51, it supports X Window .

LiveCD is an operating system distribution based on OpenSolaris. Created in the Indian Silicon Valley by engineers at the SUN Microsystems Indian Center. In addition to all OpenSolaris components, BeleniX also includes other free software. Currently, the system supports only x86 32-bit platforms. Work is underway on the possibility of running Live-CD in AMD64 (which supports OpenSolaris itself). Recently, you can use BeleniX boot from USB devices - this is somewhat faster and also allows you to save your settings and data. Initially, the distribution was created to work with LiveCD / LiveUSB , but now you can install it on your hard drive.

Another goal of the OpenSolaris project, delivered by SUN, is to port Solaris to more common processor types than SPARC. The second prevalence platform is PowerPC (IBM). The aim of the Polaris project (inaccessible link) is to port to this platform. The project director is Dennis Clark. Sun itself uses the integrated PowerPC processor to manage the hardware components of some of its systems, including the Sun Fire v20z. The processor is currently running Linux. When the Polaris is sufficiently advanced, Sun, according to Clark, will be able to use this operating system. Also, for the first time in the world of commercial UNIX systems, it is porting its UNIX (Solaris) to a competitor platform (IBM) other than x86.

An operating system based on the OpenSolaris kernel and Ubuntu Linux for x86 and x64 platforms. This is the first distribution combining GNU utilities with the OpenSolaris kernel.

Nexenta uses the Debian package subsystem; in two currently existing repositories, more than 12,000 packages are available. The distribution can be used as a LiveCD and for installation on a hard disk.

Based on Nexenta, two distributions are created:

• NexentaStor - optimized for data storage
• StormOS - A Lightweight Desktop System

SUN will be used in the OpenSolaris project code in its future distributions of the commercial version of Solaris. All systems after Solaris 10 are called Nevada. Nevada and OpenSolaris had common source code. Solaris Express is a binary distribution that can be downloaded from the SUN site for testing future versions of Solaris (such as beta versions - snapshots). Since the distribution is distributed in binary form, it is impossible to understand whether any of the OpenSolaris project is taken into it.

MilaX is a small-sized LiveCD distribution built around OpenSolaris. An attempt was made to build a small-sized OpenSolaris distribution that resembles DamnSmallLinux . Uses the JWM window manager; a number of utilities are ported from DSL. Able to boot from CD, USB-drives and SD-cards. It can be installed on a hard drive with ZFS- boot. Both x86 / 64 and SPARC versions are available.

MarTux is the first (after Solaris Express / Solaris Express Community Release) OpenSolaris distribution for the SPARC architecture ( sun4u , sun4v ).

This is a Japanese distribution ( "Japanese Solaris" ). Modified to support the Madoris emulator (version of Wine ), which runs Windows programs without loss of speed.

• OSUNIX
• Opensolaris jeos

• GenUnix.org
• OpenSolaris Distribution Designer - article on how to create your own distribution