Free Solaris

As of August 1998, users at educational institutions can obtain free Solaris licenses and media for just the cost of shipping and handling ($18.50) directly from Sun. The implications for UIUC depend on the platform on which you're running Solaris:

Solaris SPARC

Sun's new "free Solaris" policy has almost no effect on software licensing for Sun workstations owners. Specifically, we still need the campus Solaris license for the following reasons:

• It is a prerequisite for being able to obtain site licenses for unbundled products, such as Sun compilers.
• The free Solaris does not include any support from Sun; no access to Technical Support or online support databases, no guarantee of access to Solaris maintenance updates, and no bug fixes for compilers and related software.
• The campus Solaris license entitles us to much better prices for hardware maintenance. Without the campus license, hardware maintenance would cost over 25% more.
• The free Solaris distribution does not include supplementary CDs and other software that are shipped as part of the supported Solaris. Further, Sun has stated that they will make "significant" Solaris releases available for free, but updates to support new hardware may not be offered.

Solaris x86

In the past, UIUC did not have a Solaris x86 site license. Now Sun has made Solaris x86 available for free, offered in somewhat the same spirit as free Linux: free software, but with no accompanying vendor support.

If you're interested in installing Solaris x86, here are some links and related information:

• You can obtain the software media for an $18.50 shipping & handling fee from Sun.
• If you already have access to the media, you don't need to contact Sun; a blanket registration for UIUC users has been done.
• Before installing, check the Hardware Compatibility List to be sure your hardware is supported. Sun also periodically releases driver updates.
• No compilers are included with Solaris x86. You can purchase Sun compilers (the current ScholarPAC price is $385), or download a copy of the GNU compilers that can be installed with the pkgadd command.
• Sun maintains online FAQs for various kinds of Solaris x86 problems.

For Solaris support information, please contact us at cites-wsg-sw@uiuc.edu.