Solaris Reaching End of Life: How to Remain Updated?

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Solaris is a Unix-based operating system developed in 1992 by Microsystems and later acquired by Oracle. It is renowned for its robustness, security, and scalability. For decades, it has played a vital role in running mission-critical applications for businesses. It powered legacy hardware like SPARC servers to support high-performance workloads.

As businesses gradually move to modern infrastructures, legacy applications like Solaris are reaching the end of life (EOL) cycle. Oracle has officially moved Solaris into the “sustaining support” category, signaling that Sun Solaris is at the end of its life cycle. Oracle will no longer offer new updates, security patches, or support. In this blog, explore Solaris OS end of life stage, challenges, and strategies for staying updated while transitioning from legacy systems.

What is Sun Solaris Operating Systems?

Sun Solaris operating system is a successor to SunOS and a proprietary Unix operating system designed to run on legacy SPARC architecture. It has been largely used in server and workstation ecosystems. It supports not only SPARC hardware but also x86-64 servers and is well-recognized for its compliance with nearly every Unix specification. Over the years, there have been numerous updates and various versions of Solaris operating systems. The latest version is Oracle Solaris 11.4.

Key Features of Solaris Operating Systems

Here are significant features of Solaris OS that make it popular for running critical operations:

• Scalability and Performance: The Solaris operating system can be efficiently scaled on SPARC systems. It seamlessly manages large workloads without much latency, resulting in optimum performance.
• DTrace: It is a powerful troubleshooting tool that offers real-time information to analyze system behavior and performance. It enables the admin to manage resources efficiently.
• ZFS: ZFS, or Zettabyte File System, is an advanced file system that offers robust data management capabilities, such as data integrity monitoring, regular snapshots, and high storage capacity.
• Virtualization: Solaris operating systems support a range of virtualization technologies, such as Logical Domains (LDoms) and Solaris Zones.
• Security: It has built-in security features like RBAC (role-based access control) and default configurations that offer a secure framework for running operations seamlessly.

What is the Sun Solaris End of Life (EOL) Cycle?

The Solaris OS end of life cycle means the conclusion of the official support and maintenance from the vendor, Oracle Corporation. It states that software will no longer be sold or marketed by the vendor, meaning Solaris OS will not get any new licenses for older versions, and there will be no updates or security patches.

It is essential to manage the lifecycle of different versions of Solaris for the smooth functioning of system operations and to ensure their security. Therefore, Oracle offers five-year support after the last ship date (LSD), which includes a full support period followed by limited support.

Different Versions of Sun Solaris OS and Their End of Life

Sun Solaris OS has undergone several iterations since its inception in 1992. Here is a list of different versions of Solaris operating systems and their end of life cycle dates.

Solaris 8 End of Life Cycle

• Released in February 2002
• Solaris 8 end of life cycle: Oracle support ended in February 2007
• Indefinite sustaining support from Oracle Corporation

Solaris 9 End of Life Cycle

• Released in April 2002
• Solaris 9 end of life cycle; Oracle stopped supporting it from the year 2014, April
• Indefinite sustaining support from Oracle Corporation

Solaris 10 End of Life Cycle

• Released in January 2005
• Solaris 10 end of life cycle was in January 2027
• Oracle continues to offer limited support.

Solaris 11 End of Life Cycle

• Released in November 2011
• Oracle Corporation actively supports Solaris 11
• The latest version Oracle released for Solaris 11 was Solaris 11.4.

Sun Solaris End of Life Cycle: Current Support Status of Different Version

• Solaris 10: Solaris 10 end of life was in January 2021, but Oracle decided to extend it to January 2027 so that businesses can migrate to the latest version of Solaris. They will continue to offer indefinite sustaining support after 2027.
• Solaris 11: It is an active version that will continue to be supported by Oracle. The latest version is Solaris 11.4, which will be supported until November 2031. However, Solaris 11.3 support will end in 2027.

Challenges Due to Sun Solaris End of Life (EOL) Cycle

Sun Solaris end of life cycle is a significant challenge for businesses mainly relying on legacy systems for their operations. Here are some critical challenges that enterprises encounter due to Solaris end of life (EOL):

No Vendor Support for Solaris OS End of Life Cycle

Solaris end of life cycle means Oracle has ceased support, including critical security patches and updates. This means businesses that are still relying on outdated software will be exposed to vulnerabilities and lack modern technologies or security measures to protect them. These issues can also expose the organization to cyber-attacks and non-compliance.

Increase in the Operational Costs

Businesses face rising costs due to the maintenance of unsupported legacy systems. Older hardware becomes less reliable as it ages and is prone to system failure, which can result in potential downtime. Additionally, looking for replacement parts or parts compatible with legacy hardware can be extremely challenging and expensive.

A survey report stated that 67% of businesses face data loss issues due to hardware failure and are unable to completely recover them, leading to a long-term operational setback.

Business Continuity Risks Due to Solaris End of Life Cycle

The Solaris end of life cycle results in the discontinuation of the operating system, which can impact business continuity. Organizations that rely on Solaris operating systems to run their critical applications may encounter disruptions due to hardware failure, resulting in unplanned downtime and loss of revenue.

Modernizing Legacy Infrastructure with Stromasys

Stromasys is a global leader in the emulation and virtualization of legacy systems and has more than two decades of experience. The Charon SSP emulates the SPARC legacy hardware on a modern platform like an x86 server or a cloud platform, where the Solaris operating systems can seamlessly run, ensuring business continuity.

It is a zero-code change with no migration risk. By modernizing legacy SPARC hardware, businesses can reduce additional maintenance costs, enhance performance, and build robust security infrastructure.

Contact our legacy experts to learn more about how Charon SSP ensures the seamless operation of the Solaris operating system.

Talk to Our Experts!

Conclusion

Solaris end of life cycle impacts business continuity. While Solaris OS has offered significant benefits over the years as it reaches its EOL, it can limit its growth. Solaris has been built to run on legacy architecture like SPARC, but as it ages, it cannot bring significant results due to its outdated infrastructure. For better results, it is recommended to migrate legacy to a modern platform to run legacy applications like Solaris, which will bring greater efficiency and improved performance due to the modernized architecture.

Solaris end of life poses numerous challenges for businesses, disrupting continuity and impacting ROI. Therefore, it is recommended to adopt the latest version of Solaris to get optimum results and support from Solaris. Oracle has also extended the support of Solaris 10 and 11.3 until 2027 so that businesses can migrate to Solaris 11.4 for better performance and robust security infrastructure.