View source for SunOS

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{{Infobox OS 
| name = SunOS
| creator = [[Sun Microsystems]]
| current version = SunOS 4.1.4 (1994) 
| year introduced = 1982/1983
| type = Multitasking, multiuser UNIX
| architecture = [[Sun-1]], [[Sun-2]], [[Sun-3]], [[Sun-4]] ([[SPARC]])
}}

== Introduction ==

SunOS is, in a sense, the predecessor to Solaris, Sun's current operating system, and was the first Unix system used by many.  Unlike Solaris, which is based primarily upon [[System V]], SunOS is based extensively on [[BSD]], and by the 4.x releases, being based heavily on 4.3 BSD.  For this reason, SunOS 4.x maintained some extremely loyal users into the 21st century, long after Sun had moved their entire base to Solaris.  Sun finally discontinued support for SunOS in 2003.

==History==
{| class="wikitable"
! '''SunOS version'''
! '''Release date'''
! '''[[Code base]]'''
! Description
|-
|'''Sun&nbsp;UNIX&nbsp;0.7'''
|1982
|UniSoft [[Version 7 Unix|UNIX v7]]
|Bundled with [[Motorola 68000|68000]]-based Sun-1 system
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;1.0'''
|1983
| rowspan = "3" |4.1BSD
|Support for [[Motorola 68010|68010]]-based Sun-1 and [[Sun-2]] systems
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;1.1''' 
|Apr 1984
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;1.2'''
|Jan 1985
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;2.0'''
|May 1985
|4.2BSD
|Introduced VFS layer and the NFS protocol
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;3.0'''
|Feb 1986
|4.2BSD + [[System V]] IPC
| coincided with release of [[Motorola 68020|68020]]-based [[Sun-3]] series. Optional System V tape offered utilities and development libraries.
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;3.2'''
|Sep 1986
| rowspan = "2" | Same as 3.0, plus some 4.3BSD
|First support for [[Sun-4]] series
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;3.5'''
|Jan 1988
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.0'''
|Dec 1988
| rowspan = "17" | 4.3BSD with System V IPC
| New virtual memory system, dynamic linking, automounter, System V STREAMS I/O. Sun386i support.
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.0.1'''
|1988
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.0.2'''
|Sep 1989
|Sun386i only 
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.0.3'''
|May 1989
|Support for Sun 3/80, 3/470, 3/480 (sun3x)
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.0.3c'''
|Jun 1989
|[[SPARCstation 1]] (Sun-4c) only 
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1'''
|Mar 1990
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1e'''
|Apr 1991
|Sun-4e only
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.1'''
|Mar 1990
|Bundled with [[OpenWindows]] 2.0
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.1B'''
|Feb 1991
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.1.1'''
|Jul 1991
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.1_U1'''
|Nov 1991
|Sun-3/3x only
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.2'''
|Dec 1991
|Support for multiprocessor (SPARCserver 600MP) systems; first CD-ROM-only release
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.3'''
|Aug 1992
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.3C'''
|Nov 1993
|SPARCclassic/SPARCstation LX only 
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.3_U1'''
|Dec 1993
|
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.3_U1B'''
|Feb 1994
|Earliest release for which [[Y2K]] compliance patches were available
|-
|'''SunOS&nbsp;4.1.4'''
|Nov 1994
|Last release of SunOS 4
|}

== Availability == 

SunOS was apparently redistributable by users when it was released, as Sun was more interested in selling their hardware, with their software as a tack-on service.  As Solaris is still freely available, it is presumable SunOS tape images are acceptable for redistribution.  They can be run on [[The Machine Emulator]], apparently.

* SunOS 2.x to 4.x for [[Sun-2]] - http://www.soupwizard.com/sun2/sunos/
* SunOS 4.x for [[Sun-3]] - http://www.sun3arc.org/

{{Nav Unix}}