IBM splits with Solaris 10 on x64 IBM will soon cease to sell Solaris 10 on x64 machines. Oracle, it seems, has decided that companies who have their own Unix iron can't peddle Solaris on their x64 tin. Oracle yanked Hewlett-Packard's Solaris OEM contract, which allows it to distribute Solaris 10 and sell support contracts for it on its ProLiant servers, and …
As the previous post related (if you followed the link) that HP and Oracle reversed course and HP is back in the game of supporting Solaris 10 x64 on HP hardware.
I look at it this way, Oracle by letting 3rd party hardware vendors get on the HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) and offer support Oracle will at least buy it time to redesign their x86 product line.
I wonder if this is just the precursor to a renewed agreement between Oracle and IBM based on the new Oracle support offerings rather than the ones originally offered by Sun.
The agreement with HP was cancelled recently, only to be renewed last week. HP announced last week that they will be offering Solaris support on Proliants and Blades, even providing part numbers and prices. $1000 per socket per year for a 1- 4 socket system and $2000 per socket per year for a 5+ socket system.
I've heard from some big Solaris shops that Sun really struggled to fulfill orders; if you wanted/needed a rack full of new x64 kit running Solaris, you could go cap in hand to Sun and grovel, and they might eventually manage to get you some one day ... or go to Dell and have it on a truck the next day. Unless Oracle's somehow suddenly sorted those issues out, losing that option would be a big setback.
I suspect Oracle will give up on the hardware side (indeed, I suspect Sun had been moving in that direction already, with the IBM, HP and Dell deals and OpenSolaris) to be a pure software business with "certified" hardware from partner(s). The problem with HP and IBM is they would be wanting to push their own Unix options as first choice, with Solaris always taking the back seat;. Dell, at least, won't care whether you want Windows, Linux or Solaris on the boxes they sell you, giving them a level playing field.
This could be a Jobs-style 'my way or the highway' move, killing off the hardware choices; it did work quite well for Apple in the end, but I find it hard to imagine that kind of insular approach working in the server space like that. Anyone know when Dell's deal is up for (non-)renewal?
This stuff changes daily, huh? Better call back your Dell account reps.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dell-and-hp-to-certify-and-resell-all-three-oracle-operating-systems-oracle-solaris-oracle-enterprise-linux-and-oracle-vm-on-their-x86-server-computers-2010-07-29
"the problem with HP and IBM is they would be wanting to push their own Unix options as first choice, with Solaris always taking the back seat"
I think the only problem with this comment is that Oracle are the only Tier 1 vendor to supply UNIX on x86 hardware (excluding Linux obviously).
IBM and HP can only supply their UNIX variants, AIX and HP-UX, on their own proprietary hardware which if competing against a "industry standard" platform is not competitive at all.
AIX is not unix, its unix like. Just enough like unix SV5.4 to make you think you understand it, then it bites. OTOH, as an enterprise OS, it is excellent if you RTFM, often and make no assumptions. It now has capabilities for migrating running servers to new hardware at new sites, non stop. Just like VAX had 30 years ago, not that it saved Digital from being borged.
HPUX, altho once a good OS for running DBs, has become unloved and stuck on a dead platform, despite having useful but little known capabilities. PA-RISC hardware had some excellent smarts built in.
Sol10 is not bad, and being able to run it on X86 commodity hardware is a big plus. However, for playing with stuff in my own bunker, my choice is now linux because it has drivers for more hardware.
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