iTechNote

NexentaOS is a complete GNU-based open source operating system built on top of the OpenSolaris kernel and runtime. So what’s the big deal?

It’s a “best of both worlds” kind of operating system gluing SunOS kernel with GNU software. SunOS kernel is the most sophisticated UNIX kernel, period. Even Google Inc. is experimenting with the open-source version of Sun Microsystems Inc.’s Solaris operating system as a possible long-term prelude to replacing its massive global network of Linux servers, according to sources. GNU software is what make Linux so popular among different class of users.

Nexenta’s Alpha 5 release is available as an installable ISO or LiveCD that is released on 15 June. NexentaOS currently requires 32- or 64-bit x86/x64 platform with at least 256MB RAM, and a CD-ROM drive. You can try out the OS using the Getting Started Guide (pdf) to install. LiveCD needs 512MB RAM for root partition’s ramdisk and kernel loaded together.

This release of NexentaOS brings to you fully integrated Ubuntu/Dapper Drake userland. NexentaOS APT repository contains more than 12,087 Ubuntu/Dapper packages as of this writing. This number is constantly growing, driven mostly by the AutoBuilder, a set of machines running around the world mostly on a donation basis to do distributed compiling and building.

As licensing issues prevent porting DTrace and Zones to Linux, Nexenta is a compelling operating system for developers to try out these killing technology that are only available on Solaris before. For a desktop user, Nexenta is too much the same as Ubuntu that makes it more or less unattractive now.

Joe ‘Zonker’ Brockmeier has posted a comprehensive review of Nexenta Alpha 5 on Linux.com. You can monitor the latest release as usual at DistroWatch.