FAQ: Getting Started
These questions and answers cover more technical aspects of the OpenSolaris
project than the other FAQs.
How do I get started?
If you want to install OpenSolaris, visit the downloads page to choose the distribution that is best for you. If you need help installing OpenSolaris, there's a comprehensive list of resources on our Installing OpenSolaris page.
If you are interested in the OpenSolaris source code, using the source
browser to view and downloading the OpenSolaris source code and binaries
is the first step.
Where do I get the OpenSolaris source
code and binaries?
The Downloads page includes software
requirements and instructions for building the source.
What am I allowed to do with the OpenSolaris source
code and binaries?
You can freely view, modify, build, use, and redistribute the OpenSolaris
source code. Each of the binary downloads have their own licenses with
different rights and restrictions. Please refer to the
Licensing page for information about the
license terms associated with the source code and binaries.
Where do I get the source?
You can download the latest versions of the buildable OpenSolaris code
from our Downloads page.
Where do I find information about setting up a build
environment, getting the right tools, and actually building the source?
Start by reading the release notes for the build, these can be found
in the source download and on the Downloads page.
The release notes tell you everything you need to know about this specific
release of the OpenSolaris source code, including software requirements for
building the source.
The Developers Reference document
should answer most of your questions around building the source including
details about the tools you need. This document will also explain how to
update your system with the latest OpenSolaris binaries, and just about
everything else you need to know as a developer.
How frequently is the source updated?
The source will be updated approximately every two weeks. We plan to
provide more frequent updates in the future.
I've built the code. Now what?
You should start by joining communities of interest. This will help you
get a sense of what work is already being done and how you can best
contribute. There are many ways to contribute to the OpenSolaris project:
How do I participate in the communities?
Communities are the primary way to focus information and discussions on
particular technology areas. In the future, the website functionality
will provide each community with the capability to host multiple projects,
allowing the community to supply information common to all projects as well
as the infrastructure to provide project-specific information.
The Communities Portal and Website FAQ should give you all the information you need to participate in communities and use the website.
I found a bug while using the OpenSolaris source code.
How do I report it?
The first step is to search the bug database
to see if
the problem has already been reported. Anyone can search the database, but
you must be a registered user (who is signed into the site) to file bugs.
Currently, you can only search for and log bugs against technology
included in the OpenSolaris code base. We plan to expand our bug reporting
capabilities to include additional technologies in the Solaris OS as we make
their source code available. The next significant update of opensolaris.org
will add support for updating existing bugs.
Are security bugs handled differently than other bugs?
For obvious reasons, we want to be careful about information regarding
possible security vulnerabilities in the OpenSolaris code. If you think
you've found one, please alert the
Sun Security Coordination Team.
How do I contribute changes to the OpenSolaris code base?
The Improving the OpenSolaris project page outlines the development phases
associated with contributing code and provides links to documents
with even more detail.
Any recommendations about what I should work on?
In addition to your own ideas and what you learn about in community
discussions, you can search the bug
database using the keyword oss-bite-size to find bugs
the Solaris engineering team has identified as small, self-contained changes
that will help you get familiar with the code.
When you have a bug fix/feature idea or find an existing bug you want to
work on, send email to the
request-sponsor AT opensolaris DOT org alias to begin the process of getting
the change back into the OpenSolaris source base.
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