UnixWare
| Company type | Operating system |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Predecessor | Unix System V Release 4.2 |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Univel (joint venture of AT&T's Unix System Laboratories and Novell) |
| Products | Unix operating system |
| Owner | Xinuos (formerly UnXis) |
UnixWare is a Unix operating system that was initially launched by Univel, a collaborative venture formed by AT&T's Unix System Laboratories (USL) and Novell. The rights to UnixWare transitioned from Novell to Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), then passed through Caldera Systems, Caldera International, The SCO Group, and ultimately to UnXis (currently known as Xinuos). After Caldera's acquisition of SCO, the product briefly adopted the name Open UNIX before reverting back to UnixWare. Its binary releases are designed for machines based on the x86 architecture, with UnixWare primarily positioned as a server-oriented operating system.
Univel (1991–1993)
In the wake of the SVR4 initiative aimed at merging SunOS and System V, AT&T's USL collaborated with Novell to establish Univel, which developed a desktop Unix system for i386 and i486 processors, internally called "Destiny".
Destiny was constructed upon the Unix System V release 4.2 kernel. It incorporated the MoOLIT toolkit, enabling users to toggle between OPEN LOOK and MOTIF-like graphical interfaces during operation. To enhance stability on standard desktop hardware, it employed the Veritas VXFS journaling file system rather than the conventional UFS. Networking capabilities included support for both TCP/IP and Novell’s NetWare protocols (IPX/SPX), catering to both enterprise and PC networking requirements.
UnixWare 1.0 was introduced in 1992 with the goal of consolidating the fragmented PC Unix market. Although it reached enterprise customers ahead of Microsoft's Windows NT, industry analysts regarded it as merely another Unix variant, with Novell’s participation seen predominantly as a marketing effort. Two versions were available: a Personal Edition that supported Novell IPX networking but omitted TCP/IP and was limited to two simultaneous users; and an Advanced Server Edition that included TCP/IP support along with server software, allowing unlimited user connections. Sales of UnixWare 1.0 totaled roughly 35,000 units.
The 1992 release of UnixWare 1.0 Personal Edition bundled DOS Merge 3.0 and Novell’s DR DOS 6.0.
In 1993, Novell purchased USL from AT&T and consolidated USL with Univel into a newly formed entity named the Unix Systems Group.
Novell Era (1993–1995)
In 1994, Novell introduced UnixWare 1.1, offering TCP/IP capabilities in both its personal and advanced server editions. This release incorporated MOTIF 1.2 runtime libraries to comply with COSE standards and included the NetWare Unix Client (NUC) software for seamless integration with Novell NetWare servers. Additionally, the Advanced Merge utility allowed users to operate DOS and Windows 3.1 applications across both editions.
A series of maintenance updates followed, with versions 1.1.1 through 1.1.4 being issued, the last of which appeared in June 1995.
UnixWare 2.0, built upon the Unix System V release 4.2MP kernel supporting multiprocessing, was distributed to OEMs and developers in December 1994 and became available to end-users by March 1995. Both the personal and server editions supported dual-processor configurations, with server versions offering optional Processor Upgrade licenses for additional CPUs. Supported multiprocessor platforms included Intel MP 1.1 SMP systems and Corollary C-bus architectures. The system broadened its networking capabilities by adding support for NetWare ODI network drivers and introduced a POSIX Threads library alongside the existing UI threads library.
Prior to transferring UnixWare licensing rights to SCO in 1995, Novell announced intentions to develop "SuperNOS," a hybrid combining features from NetWare 4.1 and UnixWare 2.0; however, this initiative was never brought to fruition. Instead, Novell later released NetWare 4.10 on Linux under the Caldera NetWare for Linux brand starting in 1998, eventually leading to the debut of Novell's Open Enterprise Server in 2005.
Santa Cruz Operation Period (1995–2001)
In 1995, UnixWare was acquired by the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) from Novell, although subsequent legal decisions confirmed that Novell retained ownership rights.[1] SCO’s strategy focused on integrating UnixWare with its existing OpenServer operating system based on System V Release 3.2.[2] The initial SCO release was UnixWare 2.1 in 1996, which marked the beginning of project Gemini, aiming to unify UnixWare and OpenServer by 1997 and planning a 64-bit variant for release in 1998.[3]
A notable modification in UnixWare 2.1 was the adoption of a user licensing scheme similar to OpenServer: the server edition came with a default license for five users, with options to purchase additional licenses up to an unlimited number.[4]
SCO rolled out three updates for UnixWare 2.1: version 2.1.1 in 1996 achieved certification under the Unix 95 standard,[5] while versions 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 released in 1998 primarily addressed bug fixes.
In 1998, Compaq introduced the Integrity XC—a single-system image cluster comprising Proliant servers running UnixWare 2.1 coupled with NonStop Clusters software.[6]
UnixWare 7, the first product emerging from project Gemini, was launched in early 1998.[7] Predominantly based on UnixWare 2.1, it incorporated the Unix System V Release 5 kernel along with compatibility for OpenServer drivers and administration tools such as scoadmin. Key improvements included multi-path I/O support and enhanced handling of large files and memory capacities.[8] However, support for legacy Xenix applications was discontinued.
The update UnixWare 7.1 arrived in 1999, introducing three editions: Business (supporting five users), Department (25 users), and Enterprise (50 users), replacing the earlier personal and server editions; it also integrated the WebTop application developed by Tarantella, Inc..[9]
In 2000, SCO launched UnixWare 7.1.1 along with an updated NonStop Clusters package versioned at 7.1.1+IP, which extended clustering capabilities beyond Compaq’s proprietary hardware to include commodity servers.[10]
Caldera Systems, Caldera International, and The SCO Group (2000–2011)
On August 2, 2000, Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) declared the divestiture of its Server Software and Services Divisions, transferring ownership of OpenServer and UnixWare rights to Caldera Systems. By March 2001, Caldera Systems had transitioned into Caldera International (CII), finalizing the SCO acquisition by May of that year. The remaining part of Santa Cruz Operation, the Tarantella Division, was spun off as Tarantella, Inc.
Caldera International rebranded UnixWare under the name Open UNIX 8 to highlight the integration of a "Linux Kernel Personality" compatibility layer, aligning with what would have been UnixWare 7.1.2. In August 2002, following expansion into mobile product offerings, Caldera International changed its name to The SCO Group.
Subsequently, The SCO Group reinstated the UnixWare branding and version sequence, issuing UnixWare 7.1.3 and 7.1.4 releases while retiring the Open UNIX label. The company maintained ongoing support and updates for UnixWare during this period.
From 2007 through 2011, The SCO Group was engaged in significant litigation. In September 2007, it sought protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
On April 11, 2011, following approval by a Delaware bankruptcy court, UnXis acquired The SCO Group’s operational assets along with its intellectual property rights.
Thereafter, The SCO Group rebranded as TSG Group, Inc., with SCO Operations becoming TSG Operations, Inc., which filed in August 2012 to convert its bankruptcy status from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 liquidation.
UnXis and Xinuos (2011–present)
In 2011, UnXis secured ownership of the UnixWare and OpenServer assets. By June 2013, UnXis had rebranded itself as Xinuos and announced the launch of SCO UnixWare 7.1.4+, now compatible with both physical hardware and virtualized environments.
Version history
| Year | Release | Company | Codebase | Kernel version | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | UnixWare 1.0 | Univel | SVR4.2 | 1 | ||
| 1993 | UnixWare 1.1 | Novell | 1 | |||
| UnixWare 1.1.1 | Novell | 1 | ||||
| UnixWare 1.1.2 | Novell | 1 | ||||
| UnixWare 1.1.3 | Novell | 1 | ||||
| 1995 | UnixWare 2.0 | Novell | SVR4.2MP | 2.0 | Introduced Symmetric multiprocessing support | |
| UnixWare 1.1.4 | Novell | 1 | Final release in the UnixWare 1 series | |||
| UnixWare 2.0.1 | Novell | 2.0.1 | ||||
| UnixWare 2.0.2 | Novell | 2.0.2 | July 1995 | |||
| UnixWare 2.0.3 | Novell | 2.0.3 | November 1995 | |||
| 1996 | UnixWare 2.1 | Santa Cruz Operation | 2.1 | |||
| UnixWare 2.1.1 | Santa Cruz Operation | 2.1.1 | ||||
| UnixWare 2.1.2 | Santa Cruz Operation | 2.1.2 | ||||
| 1998 | UnixWare 2.1.3 | Santa Cruz Operation | 2.1.3 | Final release of UnixWare 2 series | ||
| 1998 | UnixWare 7 | Santa Cruz Operation | SVR5 | 7.0.1 | Unified UnixWare 2 and OpenServer version 5 | |
| UnixWare 7.0.1 | Santa Cruz Operation | 7.0.1 | ||||
| 1999 | UnixWare 7.1.0 | Santa Cruz Operation | 7.1.0 | |||
| 2000 | UnixWare 7.1.1 | Santa Cruz Operation | 7.1.1 | |||
| 2001 | Open UNIX 8 | Caldera International | 7.1.2 | |||
| 2003 | UnixWare 7.1.3 | The SCO Group | 7.1.3 | |||
| 2004 | UnixWare 7.1.4 | The SCO Group | 7.1.4 | Linux Kernel Personality feature removed | ||
| 2004–2008 | UnixWare 7.1.4 MP (Releases 1–4) | The SCO Group | 7.1.4 | Annual maintenance packs issued | ||
| 2013 | UnixWare 7.1.4+ | Xinuos | 7.1.4 | Virtualization support added for VMware ESX | ||
| 2015 | UnixWare 7 Definitive | Xinuos | 7.1.4+ | Maintains backward compatibility with earlier UnixWare versions | ||
| 2017 | UnixWare 7 Definitive 2018 | Xinuos | 7.1.4+ | Enables in-place upgrades from previous versions |
SCO Skunkware and open source
Every version of UnixWare incorporates a range of open source elements, including BIND, X11, Sendmail, DHCP, Perl, and Tcl. Subsequent editions have integrated further open source software such as Apache, Samba, MySQL, PostgreSQL, OpenSSH, and the Mozilla suite, along with utilities like Sudo, Vim, Tar, Gzip, and Red Hat’s RPM Package Manager.
The SCO family of operating systems, UnixWare among them, provides a comprehensive collection of open source packages accessible at no cost through the SCO Skunkware website. These resources enhance system capabilities and facilitate seamless enterprise-level integration.