Nexenta Operating System

Nexenta Operating System is a free and open source operating system combining the OpenSolaris kernel with GNU application userland. Nexenta Operating System runs on Intel/AMD 32/64bit hardware and is distributed as a single installable CD. Upgrades and binary packages not included on the CD can be installed from NexentaOS repository using Advanced Packaging Tool. In addition, source based software components can be downloaded from network repositories available at Debian/GNU Linux and Ubuntu Linux, and built as described here.

Reminder for Developers: NexentaCore 2.x Hackathon is in progress! Development coordinated on #nexenta freenode.net IRC channel. Join now and make a difference! We are migrating from Ubuntu Dapper to Ubuntu Hardy user land!

Register your SSH-accessible ZFS build zone now! => Hackathon

NexentaCore

Nexenta Core Platform 1.0.1 (NexentaCore) is now available! NexentaCore includes complete OpenSolaris kernel and runtime, along with Debian and GNU toolchains. NexentaCore will serve as a stable platform for future Nexenta development.

You can download $/!\$ NexentaCore ISO image and burn it onto a CD.

NexentaCore is a minimal (core) foundation that can be used to quickly build servers, desktops, and custom distributions tailored for specialized applications. Similar to NexentOS desktop distribution, NexentaCore combines reliable state-of-the-art kernel with the GNU userland, and the ability to integrate open source components in no time. However, unlike NexentaOS desktop distribution, NexentaCore does not aim to provide a complete desktop. The overriding objective for NexentaCore is - stable foundation.

Download and run NexentaCore today, as a minimal console-based server system. Or, you can use NexentaCore as a foundation for your future products. NexentaCore is already used today as the foundation for NexentaStor storage appliance.

NexentaCore - the free and open source hybrid (core) operating system - will continue to be intensively developed and stabilized, along with commercial products and applications on top of it.

How NexentaCore is different from other OpenSolaris distributions:

Provides Debian environment
Provides Ubuntu/Dapper and Ubuntu/Hardy APT software repository
Provides Distribution Builder - platform for derivatives
Software optimized for server usage
Single CD, Easy to Install, Easy to Use and Deploy
Simplified software upgrades via Debian tools
Community-built, strong non-Sun centric community support
Wider range of HW support in some areas (e.g. Networking)
ZFS-bootable with transactional upgrades integrated
Small memory requirements - 256MB

Getting Involved

Nexenta Operating System is a community project run by individuals who are interested in the internals of OpenSolaris, Debian/GNU Linux, and Ubuntu Linux and who are investing their free time to the development of operating system that provides unique combination of features to their users saving them time and money. You can read more AboutNexenta, about the structure of our Community and on GettingInvolved with the project.

Legal

The software included with the Nexenta OS is in turn covered by a variety of open source licenses. To find out more about CDDL and GPL (the latter is probably the most widely used open source license), please see Documentation.

Sponsors & Support

This work is initiated by Nexenta Systems and sponsored by Sponsors. Technical support is available from a variety of sources, including Community and Web Forums.