Sun drives Linux interoperability with Solaris application compatibility technology

Issued by Citigate PR for Sun Microsystems
Johannesburg, 17 Sep 2004

Sun Microsystems has previewed a new feature of the Solaris 10 operating system, code-named Project Janus. This new technology will allow users to run Linux binary applications unchanged on the Solaris OS, reducing the development and administration costs of operating in a heterogeneous environment without sacrificing performance, scalability or manageability.

According to Dumisani Mtoba, senior systems engineer at Sun Microsystems SA, Project Janus will provide businesses that are using mixed Solaris OS and Linux environments with broader access to applications written for both operating systems.

"Project Janus is an exciting development that will make in-house designed or independent software vendor (ISV) applications for Linux run on the Solaris OS. Sun has already successfully run a number of applications such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Oracle 9.2.i, SAS, BEA WebLogic and others using Project Janus," he says.

A complete list of tested applications will be available when the Solaris 10 operating system is released later this year.

In addition, Linux interoperability will enable organisations to benefit from the security, scalability and reliability of the enterprise-class Solaris OS without having to acquire additional x86-based hardware.

"Sun's commitment to Linux and the Linux community is stronger than ever. Our strategy has always been to provide the very best interoperability for heterogeneous environments. Now businesses can benefit from all the attributes of the Solaris 10 operating system with existing investments in the Linux applications at a price lower than they are paying for Linux. There is no longer a reason to make sacrifices when choosing between Linux and Solaris," Mtoba adds.

Project Janus is designed to meet a variety of interoperability needs: IT managers have greater efficiencies through a more interoperable Solaris OS/Linux environment; developers can use a single workstation/server to develop, test and deploy for both environments; system administrators can transfer common administration skills between platforms; and when used with N1 Grid Container software, customers can create a virtual Linux environment on a Solaris OS system, isolating Solaris OS and Linux applications from each other and from system faults. Project Janus is designed for 100% compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 (RHEL 3).

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