Its here… Solaris 11 Express. Billed as snv_151a.

You can download it immediately. Be careful when you do so, the version most people will want is the LiveCD, which is under the “Other Downloads” section. If you download the “Text Only” version you will not get a desktop environment. Maybe a subtle hint about the return of Solaris as a server centric OS.

Lets get the bad news out of the way…. No source. If that’s a deal killer for you, go download OpenIndiana based on Illumos.

So, if you aren’t as principled and just want to get back to the latest and greatest from Sun/Oracle you can wipe out your workstation and have a go with the LiveCD. So long snv_134 (ie: the now dead last release of OpenSolaris).

The important news is really for enterprise shops that plan to continue with Solaris. If you’ve spent time with OpenSolaris then you already know most of what you need to. If you didn’t soak into OpenSolaris then you need to start getting up to speed now. Your primary concern will be IPS, ZFS Boot Environment (no more UFS root), and Automated Installer (AI). You’ll need all the time you can get to familiarize yourself with these big changes prior to Solaris 11’s real arrival.

Besides the “catchup” from snv_134, which is itself significant, namely in the networking space (VRRP, w00t!), snv_151 includes ZFS Encryption. ZFS Crypto has been talked about for years now, but its here at last. Darren Moffat shared the good news in his blog. Give it a read for all the crypto-ee goodness.

So sink in your teeth and enjoy the sweet taste while it lasts. The gravy train is over and I don’t expect much more to write-home about, some tweeks but nothing fantastical. Get ready for the new normal, and keep Illumos visible in the corner of your eye to see some real innovation start to unfold there.