Option 1: Installing software from OpenIndiana repositories via IPS

OpenIndiana uses the Image Packaging System - IPS, pkg(5) , the same package management system as Oracle Solaris 11.
Oracle is continuing practice of providing well written manuals: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E19963-01/html/820-6572/index.html

To find more information on IPS/ pkg(5), using man command, use:

$ man -s 5 pkg

The command line package manager command is 'pkg'.
To find more information about pkg(1) , using man command, use:

$ man pkg

In IPS parlance, we are talking about adding publishers in place of term repositories.
Package management is performed using accounts with elevated Role Based Access Control (RBAC) privileges (using pfexec or sudo before commands shown below).

Adding publisher

$ pfexec bash
# pkg set-publisher -g repository_url repository_name

Replacing publisher

# pkg set-publisher -G old_repository_url -g new_repository_url repository_name

Replacing publisher - example

# pkg set-publisher \
-G http://pkg.openindiana.org/hipster-2015 \
-g https://pkg.openindiana.org/hipster openindiana.org

Listing publishers configured on the local system:

# pkg publisher
 
PUBLISHER                   TYPE     STATUS P LOCATION
openindiana.org             origin   online F https://pkg.openindiana.org/hipster/
hipster-encumbered          origin   online F https://pkg.openindiana.org/hipster-encumbered/

'OpenIndiana hipster' repositories (as of February, 2017)

Syntax for searching remotely for IPS packages

# pkg search -rp package_name

Syntax for installing an IPS package

# pkg install package_name

Syntax for upgrading a package

# pkg update package_name

Upgrading all the packages on the system, with linked image Solaris Zones. (-r) and verbose output (-v)

# pkg update -v -r

Option pkg -r updates all Solaris Zones , if not issued, thay are kept unupdated untill -r command is issued on update or they are updated separately.

Option 2:  Install software from SmartOS repositories via pkgin

All illumos-based operating systems, like OmniOS, Openindiana and SmartOS can use the repository from Joyent/SmartOS. Its main advantage is that you find there a lot of very up to date packages.

A list of available software: http://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/ in folder http://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/  (or http://pkgsrc.smartos.org/packages/illumos/).

If you want to install software via pkgin (installs every package to /opt), you need to (console as root):

1. add /opt/local/{s,}bin where all software is installed to your PATH (in your shell, maybe save to your .profile):

   PATH=/opt/local/sbin:/opt/local/bin:$PATH 
   export PATH

2. install the bootstrap-loader: (use the loader according to your repository, see http://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/bootstrap/)

   :; curl https://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/bootstrap/bootstrap-2016Q4-x86_64.tar.gz | gtar -zxpf - -C /  

3. update the repository database:

   :; pkgin -y update

4. install the needed package, for example – Apache 2.4.6:

   :; pkgin -y install apache-2.4.6 

   or, just for newest 2.4:

   :; pkgin -y install apache-2.4

For more information see:

• http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/Working+with+Packages
• http://www.perkin.org.uk/posts/whats-new-in-pkgsrc-2013Q2.html
  
  
• newest repository:http://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/

Option 3: Compile yourself

You need a compiler like gcc; download the sources, switch to the folder with your sources (make the content of your 'sourcefolder' executable recursively) and compile via:

:; cd /sourcefolder
:; ./configure
:; make
:; make install

You might want to first look into ./configure --help to see what options are available for building the software – quite often, some features useful for you might notbe a general choice enabled by default, or might require other dependency software to be available first in binary or source form, in order to compile.

For building software from NetBSD pkgsrc from sources, see page: pkgsrc in OI .

Option 4: Build software using oi-userland

For contributing to oi-userland, see page: Building with oi-userland