Announcing Ubuntu JeOS for VMware Virtual Appliances

Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, today announced the availability of its Ubuntu JeOS (Just Enough Operating System) edition.

Ubuntu JeOS (pronounced “Juice”) is an efficient variant of the popular desktop and server operating system, configured specifically for virtual appliances.

“The efficiencies inherent in an operating system that is built for a virtualised world mean that ISVs looking to deploy their applications in this lucrative and growing market have an obvious deployment target in the Ubuntu JeOS Edition,” said Stephen O’Grady, analyst at RedMonk. “As the delivery platforms and economics of licensing continue to change, the flexibility and reach of the Ubuntu operating system make it an increasingly popular choice for far sighted ISVs.”

ISVs looking to develop virtual appliances will have a compelling platform in Ubuntu JeOS, an OS optimised for virtualisation that greatly reduces the complexity and maintenance overhead normally associated with general purpose operating systems. Ubuntu JeOS Edition has been tuned to take advantage of key performance technologies of the latest virtualisation products from VMware. This combination of reduced size and optimized performance ensures that Ubuntu JeOS Edition delivers a highly efficient use of server resources in large virtual deployments.

“Canonical has produced a robust virtualised OS core in the Ubuntu JeOS Edition that is optimized for virtual appliances,” said Dan Chu, vice president of emerging products and markets at VMware. “Virtual Appliances are fundamentally changing how software is developed and deployed, with ISVs now including a thin and highly optimized OS along with their application in a ready-to-run virtual machine. We are excited that Canonical is providing Ubuntu JeOS for vendors interested in building VMware virtual appliances.”

Business Objects today unveiled a virtual appliance based on Ubuntu JeOS that is being demonstrated at VMworld.

“Ubuntu fits naturally into the place where computing is happening today,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu Project. “Virtualisation is the key driver of data center restructuring at present, and Ubuntu’s popularity with developers makes it an excellent choice for the next generation of virtualized environments. We have worked with VMware to deliver a version of Ubuntu that complements its exceptional virtualisation capabilities, providing a solution for the ISVs building virtual appliances and for the enterprises planning to deploy them.”

About Canonical

Canonical is the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu project and the leading provider of support services for Ubuntu deployments in the enterprise.

Ubuntu is a free, open-source platform for client, server and cloud computing. Since its launch in 2004, it has become a natural choice for users of all kinds, from Fortune 500 companies to hardware makers, content providers, software developers and individual technologists.

With developers, support staff and engineering centres all over the world, Canonical is uniquely positioned to help its partners and enterprise customers make the most of Ubuntu. Canonical is a privately held company.