Oracle Solaris Reviews

Name: Oracle Solaris
Brand: Oracle
Rating: 4.3 (50 reviews)

4.3 out of 5

50 reviews
94% willing to recommend

What is Oracle Solaris?

Oracle Solaris is a trusted business platform that provides consistent compatibility, is simple to use, is always secure, and is designed to help you run your modern and legacy enterprise applications. The solution is the most recommended enterprise operating system for Oracle Database and Java applications and is engineered for large-scale enterprise deployments.

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Oracle Solaris is the #10 ranked solution in top Operating Systems for Business. PeerSpot users give Oracle Solaris an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Oracle Solaris is most commonly compared to Ubuntu Linux: Oracle Solaris vs Ubuntu Linux. Oracle Solaris is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 64% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 14% of all views.

Helped 862,452 peers since 2012

Featured Oracle Solaris reviews

Erick Kathurima

CIO at Clarinox Technologies Kenya

I installed Oracle Solaris on a normal PC to test its functionality. It is comfortable to use and provides a good test environment, especially because it is not commonly known or recognized in the market Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of…

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Zandile Mushi

Network Administrator at Mzansi Security and Fire

The tool is quite complex and difficult for anyone trying to use or study it. The complexity of learning the tool is an area of concern where improvements are required. Oracle Solaris' lighter and simpler version can be introduced. I feel that Oracle Solaris is a user-friendly tool because I am exposed to it.

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Peter Karlsson

System specialist at Savecore

Solaris' performance and reliability for running databases and applications is very good. One of the main advantages is the rock-solid reliability. It works. The stability is very good. It has a very good track record in the data security database. A valuable feature is the file system it has, ZFS. It does check on old data which enables us to be able to rely on the date that's written on the discs. We know the data is correct because when you read the data, you can verify the checks of the data itself.

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Oracle Solaris mindshare

As of July 2025, the mindshare of Oracle Solaris in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category stands at 2.0%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Operating Systems (OS) for Business

PeerResearch reports based on Oracle Solaris reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Operating Systems (OS) for Business	Jul 18, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jul 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	Oracle Solaris vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)	Jul 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	Oracle Solaris vs Ubuntu Linux	Jul 18, 2025	Download
Comparison	Oracle Solaris vs Oracle Linux	Jul 18, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Ubuntu Linux	4.3	12.5%	95%	150 interviews Add to research
Rocky Linux	4.1	15.6%	100%	7 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Oracle Solaris is praised for its robust virtualization capabilities, featuring Containers, Zones, and LDOMs. Its ZFS file system offers unmatched stability, security, and scalability. Users appreciate its performance, fault analysis tools like DTrace, and compatibility with Oracle applications. The operating system's security, reliability, and seamless upgrades stand out. High availability and efficient resource allocation further enhance its value. Its user-friendly interface and integration ease with databases and platforms are highly valued.

"Oracle Solaris has a graphical interface that is user-friendly, especially with its use of dark colors."
"We are able to deploy new environments very quickly and securely. Using the virtualization features, we can migrate the environments very flexibly between our servers."
"One of the main advantages is the rock-solid reliability. It works. The stability is very good. It has a very good track record in the data security database."

Room for Improvement

Oracle Solaris requires improvements in certification for non-Oracle x86 systems, user interface, compatibility with x86 hardware, and integration with office tools. Better patching without downtime, a simplified learning process, and enhanced third-party support are desired. Performance on non-Oracle hardware, marketing efforts, and documentation need enhancement. Improving ease of use and packaging to resemble Linux could help adaptability. Training availability and cost are challenges, and some users report hardware-specific stability issues.

"Oracle Solaris needs to improve its compatibility with office tools like Excel."
"Patching without downtime would be nice."
"One of the drawbacks is Oracle itself. Oracle has its good and bad they are not putting resources into the development."

ROI

Oracle Solaris ensures high economic returns due to its seamless integration with other Oracle offerings, leading to reduced implementation time. Its stability minimizes downtime, enabling efficient business operations. Users experience faster troubleshooting with DTRACE and benefit from low maintenance, maximizing time saved. While some challenges arise in pricing structures and architecture, overall performance remains strong, resulting in significant man-hours saved. أOracle Solaris is maintained diligently by Oracle, ensuring enduring performance improvements.

Pricing

Enterprise users have mixed experiences with Oracle Solaris pricing and licensing. Many highlight the software's expensive nature, especially compared to Linux, yet some appreciate its cost-effectiveness when paired with Oracle hardware, as Solaris itself is free. Licensing complexity is noted, with savings possible through core management features like zones and LDOMs. Although support and annual licenses incur costs, some see these as reasonable. Solaris is lauded for performance and integration, though pricing improvements are desired.

"We don't use an authorized license."
"As a private user or individual, I wouldn't recommend it to others, considering it is a costly product."
"It is an expensive product. I rate the pricing a ten out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Oracle Solaris is utilized for various purposes such as database management in financial institutions, telecoms, and energy sectors. It supports virtualization, core banking, application hosting, and storage solutions. Organizations use it across different platforms including SPARC and x86 servers for mission-critical systems. Companies appreciate its capabilities in managing and monitoring software, as well as operating system flexibility for Oracle applications and databases, leveraging its powerful virtualization features for hosting critical applications and minimizing operational costs.

Service and Support

Oracle Solaris customer service is generally reliable, offering 24/7 availability. Users appreciate professional technical support with knowledgeable staff. Some encounter delays in escalating issues, needing better engagement skills. Online tools like "My Oracle Support" are valued for troubleshooting. Experiences vary by geography, with some praising quick problem resolution. While some users find Oracle slow to respond, others benefit from regular patches and improved support. Many find online resources helpful, reducing the need for frequent contact.

Deployment

Oracle Solaris setup is often described as straightforward and uncomplicated. Documentation and pre-installed features facilitate ease of installation. Users appreciate retaining legacy commands and highlight the need for technical skills for customized environments. Most users find it easy and quick to implement, especially with experience or proper guidance. For some, complex environments require advanced skills, but generally, the setup process is considered efficient and manageable with available resources.

Scalability

Oracle Solaris demonstrates robust scalability, allowing for substantial storage and linear performance enhancements with new SPARC processors. It excels in handling large databases and applications, leveraging its powerful SPARC servers. Although scalability largely depends on hardware and application needs, users appreciate its ease of scaling vertically and horizontally, often rating it highly. While on-premise versions scale well, there are some limitations with cloud versions, yet it remains favored by large organizations for advanced applications.

Stability

Oracle Solaris is widely recognized as a highly stable operating system. Users report minimal downtime, with most issues attributed to external factors like third-party modules or hardware failures. It is praised for its reliability, with features enhancing security and stability. Some users mention minor issues post-patch, but these are rare and often related to planning. Across various platforms, Solaris consistently outperforms in stability ratings, frequently achieving scores of nine or ten out of ten.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Oracle Solaris Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

Government

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Hospitality Company

Retailer

Performing Arts

Media Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Insurance Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Transportation Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Construction Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Non Profit

Outsourcing Company

Legal Firm

Pharma/Biotech Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Consumer Goods Company

Compare Oracle Solaris with alternative products

Learn more about Oracle Solaris

Oracle Solaris Features

Oracle Solaris has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Application binary guarantee
Unified archives
Rich selection of DevOps tools
REST-based configuration and monitoring
Software security assurance
Automated installer
Image packaging system and ZFS boot environments
Simplified system life-cycle, application life-cycle, and cloud capabilities
Constraint packages
Fault diagnosis
Service management facility

Oracle Solaris Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Oracle Solaris. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

Portable and scalable
Interoperable and compatible
Simple to use
Infrastructure designed to scale on large systems without code
Supports a wide range of hardware
24 x 7 support from Oracle
Portability across different architectures
Supports tools optimized for Oracle hardware devices
Guarantees binary compatibility for your applications across various Oracle Solaris OS releases
Supports programming languages such as Perl, Ruby, and Python
Mitigates risk and easily proves compliance
Reduces costs
Helps reduce planned and unplanned downtime

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Oracle Solaris solution.

A CEO at a computer software company says, “The most valuable feature is virtualization. They have attained virtualization and it's quite simple to create the Oracle Solaris zones. The solution is quite powerful. Oracle Solaris is great due to the fact that it actually is meant for high-end servers. The high availability is great. You can clone and you can do quite a number of things with them. There's also the ZFS File system which is very good. Is one of the best file systems that there is.”

Diego A., Oracle ACE - Specialized in Systems Technologies at Telecom Argentina, mentions, “The most valuable features for me are virtualization (Containers, Zones, Security, PDOM's, LDOM's) and Performance, ZFS, Debugging with Dtrace.”

A Service Manager at a tech services company expresses that the solution is “Stable, scalable, and has easy installation.”

PeerSpot user Marcel H., Oracle ACE Director "Solaris," CEO, Enterprise Consultant at JomaSoft, explains, “Solaris includes two virtualization solutions: LDoms for SPARC and Solaris Zones. Both solutions can be combined to create private clouds. Solaris Zones is ideal to separate applications and to migrate from older to current hardware. LDoms is very efficient because it uses the hardware hypervisor of the SPARC servers. Both technologies increase Security, because they separate the applications from each other. Using the Security Compliance Framework we are sure the systems are set up properly.”

Shafiq K., Senior Manager IT Operations at a financial services firm, states, “The reliability of the solution is excellent. The security has been very good overall. We've found the solution to have good availability. The backup capabilities are quite good. The solution has proven to be quite stable so far. The product can scale. The solution is 100% free to use. It doesn't cost a company anything as it's embedded in the hardware.”

Oracle Solaris was previously known as Solaris 11, Solaris.