Option 1: Install software from OpenIndiana repositories via IPS

OpenIndiana uses the same package management system, IPS, as Oracle Solaris 11, and Oracle is thus far continuing Sun's practice of providing well written manuals:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E19963-01/html/820-6572/index.html

The command line package manager is pkg(1).

Package management is performed with super-user privileges (prepend sudo or pfexec to the commands shown below).

Syntax for adding a repository

# pkg set-publisher -g repository_url repository_name

Syntax for replacing a repository

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

Example of replacing a repository

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

Listing repositories

# 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 (current as of October, 2016)

Searching remotely for IPS packages

# pkg search -p git

Installing an IPS package

# pkg install git

Upgrading a package

# pkg update git

Upgrading all the packages on the system

# pkg update

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 http://pkgsrc.joyent.com/packages/SmartOS/bootstrap/bootstrap-2014Q2-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 .