Legacy Technology · Migrations
Solaris to Linux migration, from SPARC or x86
Oracle’s Extended Support for Solaris 10 and 11.3 ends in January 2027. If upgrading to 11.4 isn’t the right answer, we move your Solaris workloads to Linux with services, zones and data intact.
- UK contract with Dreams Technologies Hub Private Limited (VAT registered)
- Engineers delivered from our own Coimbatore office, India
- Shortlist within 5 working days
- Building software since 2013
Upgrade to 11.4, or move to Linux?
Solaris 11.4 has Premier Support to November 2031 and Extended Support to November 2037, so upgrading is a real option if your hardware is healthy. Moving to Linux makes more sense when SPARC hardware is ageing, when skills are thin, or when you want one standard platform. We help you choose, then deliver either route.
What’s in scope
Every migration starts with a full inventory. On this kind of move, that means:
- Global and non-global zones, including branded zones.
- SMF services and their dependencies.
- ZFS pools, datasets, snapshots and replication.
- Applications built with Sun Studio / Oracle Developer Studio.
- DTrace scripts, monitoring and scheduling.
- Solaris Cluster or Veritas Cluster configuration.
How we run the migration
- Assess. Inventory, dependencies and risks, delivered as our fixed-fee legacy estate assessment.
- Plan. Migration waves, test approach, cutover and rollback, agreed with you. Fixed price from here.
- Build the target. New environment built to your standards and automated where it helps.
- Port and test. Code, scripts and configuration moved and tested, with before-and-after comparison of outputs.
- Run in parallel. Old and new side by side until results match.
- Cut over. Planned, rehearsed, with a rollback ready.
- Hypercare. Our engineers stay on hand while the new platform settles in.
The problems we plan for
| What goes wrong | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| SPARC is big-endian; x86 Linux is little-endian. | Binary formats identified and converted; databases moved by export, import or replication. |
| SMF manifests don’t run on Linux. | Converted to systemd units with equivalent dependencies and restart rules. |
| Zones have no exact Linux twin. | Mapped to VMs or containers depending on isolation needs, then tested. |
| ZFS features (snapshots, send/receive) are used by scripts. | Rebuilt on XFS with LVM, or OpenZFS where suitable, with scripts updated. |
| Code relies on Solaris-only APIs and the Sun Studio compiler. | Ported to GCC or Clang with Linux equivalents, and outputs compared. |
| DTrace scripts are part of operations. | Rewritten with Linux tooling such as eBPF where they are still needed. |
What you receive
- Inventory and a recommendation: upgrade to 11.4 or move to Linux.
- Target environment, documented.
- Converted services, scripts and applications with test evidence.
- Cutover and rollback runbooks, rehearsed, plus hypercare.
How it’s priced
We start with a fixed-fee assessment so the scope is clear. The migration itself is then quoted at a fixed price, with any optional work listed separately. If you prefer, we can supply specialists to work inside your own migration team instead.
Related services
Why teams come to us for scarce skills
Finding thin talent pools is our core skill
Large service firms rarely staff a single Pro*C or HP-UX role quickly. We keep a vetted network of engineers who have these skills and want this work.
Screened by people who have done the work
Our own senior engineers run the technical interview. Candidates are tested on the platform you run, not on general programming.
UK contract, India delivery
You contract with our UK company. The work is delivered from our own office in Coimbatore with working hours that overlap the UK day.
AI-assisted code understanding
Our team works with Claude Code to read, document and test old codebases faster. Every finding is checked by an engineer before it reaches you.
Continuity built in
Every engagement keeps a runbook and code notes from week one, and a second engineer is briefed on your system. Losing one person does not mean losing the knowledge.
We also run the migration
When you are ready to leave the platform, the same team that kept it running plans and delivers the move.
Tell us what you’re running
Send us the stack and the problem. We’ll reply within one working day and, if it’s a staffing request, send a shortlist within five.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can you upgrade us from Solaris 10 to 11.4 instead?
Yes. That is often the faster route when hardware is healthy. Solaris 10 applications can often run in branded zones on 11.4 after testing.
What happens after January 2027 if we stay on Solaris 10?
Oracle’s Extended Support for Solaris 10 and 11.3 ends. You can still run the systems, but with only sustaining-level support. Plan the upgrade or move before then.
Can you migrate Oracle databases off SPARC?
Yes. We plan cross-platform moves using Oracle’s supported methods, because the byte order changes.