TurnKey Linux Virtual Appliance Library

Last updated
TurnKey Linux Virtual Appliance Library
Screenshot-webmin3.png
OS family Linux (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source model Open source
Latest release 18.0 [1] / 14 September 2023;59 days ago (14 September 2023)
Update method APT
Package manager dpkg
Platforms X86-64
Kernel type Monolithic (Linux)
License Free software licenses
Official website www.turnkeylinux.org

The TurnKey Linux Virtual Appliance Library is a free open-source software project which develops a range of Debian-based pre-packaged server software appliances (also called virtual appliances). Turnkey appliances can be deployed as a virtual machine (a range of hypervisors are supported), in cloud computing services such as Amazon Web Services or installed in physical computers.

Contents

Features

The project maintains around 100 virtual appliances, all freely licensed, with daily automatic security updates and backup capabilities. [2] They are packaged in formats for different virtualization platforms, and two builds for installing onto physical media (to non-virtualized hard disk or USB from a hybrid ISO) or onto the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. [3]

Pre-integrated server applications include LAMP, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Redmine, MySQL, MediaWiki, Domain controller, File server, Ruby on Rails, phpBB, and many others.

History

Founded by engineers of an Israeli startup, [8] the project was conceived in mid-2008 as a community-oriented open source project that would focus on helping users piece together turnkey solutions from open source components in the largest Linux distributions. According to one of TurnKey Linux's co-founders, the project was in part inspired by a desire to provide open source alternatives to proprietary virtual appliance vendors that would be aligned with user interests and could engage the community. [9]

The project launched in September 2008 with three prototype appliances for Drupal, Joomla and LAMP, based on the Ubuntu 8.04.1 build. [10] In the following months usability was improved and a dozen additional appliances were released including Ruby on Rails, MediaWiki and Django. [11]

In October 2009, the project released 40 appliances based on Ubuntu 8.04.3 including 25 new additions to the virtual appliance library. The release included support for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, and a new Virtual machine image format with OVF support.

TurnKey Linux was listed as a winner of the 2009 "Bossies" by InfoWorld as one of the "top 40 open source products" of that year. [12] [13]

In September 2010, Turnkey Linux Backup and Migration (TKLBAM) was announced.. [14] In November 2010, further additions to TKLBAM were announced including the integration of Webmin, which was discussed as a future feature in the original unveiling of the TKLBAM. [15]

Turnkey Linux was nominated for the SourceForge February 2012 Project of the Month. [16]

In August 2012, version 12.0 was released with the library increased to include over 100 appliances. This release also marked a move away from Ubuntu as the underlying Operating System to Debian 6.0 (a.k.a. Squeeze). This move was cited as being for various reasons, particularly security. [17]

Early June 2013 saw a significant change of tack with the version 12.1 update release; built with the new "TKLDev" open build infrastructure. This release also included the first X86-64 builds. [18] Later that same month, the Turnkey Linux custom application code was moved to GitHub which also included a tracker for appliances bug reports. [19] As promised, in mid July Turnkey Linux released their image building appliance (TKLDev) as well as an additional separate GitHub account to house all the appliance specific code (used by TKLDev to build the appliances). [20]

November 2013 saw the release of v13.0, based on Debian 7.2 (a.k.a. Wheezy). [21]

September 2015 saw the long overdue release of v14.0, based on Debian 8.2 (a.k.a. Jessie), [22] followed by an April 2016 maintenance release, v. 14.1, based on Debian 8.4. [23]

Design

TurnKey's virtual appliances start life as a "stripped down" Debian bootstrap (versions previous to v12.0 based on Ubuntu. [11] ) To this is added the TurnKey Core, which includes all the common features for the project's virtual appliances, [24] including:

The TurnKey Core has a footprint of approximately 110 MB, and is available as a separate download. Application software is installed on top of the Core, which typically increases the size of a virtual appliance up to approximately 160 MB. [26] By downloading and installing the appliance package to the hard drive, it is intended by the developers that administrators would gain an easy method of setting up a dedicated server. [11]

New software appliances, or customised appliances can be developed by forking the appropriate appliance build code on GitHub [27] and then built using TKLDev. [28] Additionally appliances can also be customized and extended using TKLPatch, [29] a simple appliance modification mechanism.

TurnKey Linux can be run as a virtual machine with VirtualBox and VMWare, although the former has been described as having been provided with more documentation. [30]

Screenshots

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linux distribution</span> Operating system based on the Linux kernel

A Linux distribution is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel, and often a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading one of the Linux distributions, which are available for a wide variety of systems ranging from embedded devices and personal computers to powerful supercomputers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light-weight Linux distribution</span> Operating system with low resource requirements

A light-weight Linux distribution is one that uses lower memory and/or has less processor-speed requirements than a more "feature-rich" Linux distribution. The lower demands on hardware ideally result in a more responsive machine, and/or allow devices with fewer system resources to be used productively. The lower memory and/or processor-speed requirements are achieved by avoiding software bloat, i.e. by leaving out features that are perceived to have little or no practical use or advantage, or for which there is no or low demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubuntu</span> Linux distribution developed by Canonical

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in multiple editions: Desktop, Server, and Core for Internet of things devices and robots. All of the editions can run on a computer alone, or in a virtual machine. Ubuntu is a popular operating system for cloud computing, with support for OpenStack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexenta OS</span> Discontinued computer operating system

Nexenta OS, officially known as the Nexenta Core Platform, is a discontinued computer operating system based on OpenSolaris and Ubuntu that runs on IA-32- and x86-64-based systems. It emerged in fall 2005, after Sun Microsystems started the OpenSolaris project in June of that year. Nexenta Systems, Inc. initiated the project and sponsored its development. Nexenta OS version 1.0 was released in February 2008.

TrueNAS is the branding for a range of free and open-source network-attached storage (NAS) operating systems produced by iXsystems, and based on FreeBSD and Linux, using the OpenZFS file system. It is licensed under the terms of the BSD License and runs on commodity x86-64 hardware.

Vyatta is a software-based virtual router, virtual firewall and VPN product for Internet Protocol networks. A free download of Vyatta has been available since March 2006. The system is a specialized Debian-based Linux distribution with networking applications such as Quagga, OpenVPN, and many others. A standardized management console, similar to Juniper JUNOS or Cisco IOS, in addition to a web-based GUI and traditional Linux system commands, provides configuration of the system and applications. In recent versions of Vyatta, web-based management interface is supplied only in the subscription edition. However, all functionality is available through KVM, serial console or SSH/telnet protocols. The software runs on standard x86-64 servers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMware ESXi</span> Enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor for deploying and serving virtual computers

VMware ESXi is an enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware for deploying and serving virtual computers. As a type-1 hypervisor, ESXi is not a software application that is installed on an operating system (OS); instead, it includes and integrates vital OS components, such as a kernel.

OpenJDK is a free and open-source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition. It is the result of an effort Sun Microsystems began in 2006. The implementation is licensed under the GPL-2.0-only with a linking exception. Were it not for the GPL linking exception, components that linked to the Java Class Library would be subject to the terms of the GPL license. OpenJDK is the official reference implementation of Java SE since version 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubuntu JeOS</span>

Ubuntu JeOS is a discontinued variant of Ubuntu that is described as "an efficient variant ... configured specifically for virtual appliances." It is a concept for what an operating system should look like in the context of a virtual appliance. JeOS stands for "Just enough Operating System." JeOS has been replaced by Ubuntu Core, which is now an officially supported minimal variant of Ubuntu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitnami</span> Software library

Bitnami is a library of installers or software packages for web applications and software stacks as well as virtual appliances. Bitnami is sponsored by Bitrock, a company founded in 2003 in Seville, Spain by Daniel Lopez Ridruejo and Erica Brescia. Bitnami stacks are used for installing software on Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and Solaris. VMware acquired Bitrock, along with its two largest properties, Bitnami and InstallBuilder, on May 15, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FUDforum</span> Free Internet forum software

FUDforum is a free and open-source Internet forum software, originally produced by Advanced Internet Designs Inc., that is now maintained by the user community. The name "FUDforum" is an abbreviation of Fast Uncompromising Discussion forum. It is comparable to other forum software. FUDforum is customizable and has a large feature set relative to other forum packages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubuntu One</span> Cloud service operated by Canonical Ltd.

Ubuntu One is an OpenID-based single sign-on service operated by Canonical Ltd. to allow users to log onto many Canonical-owned Web sites. Until April 2014, Ubuntu One was also a file hosting service and music store that allowed users to store data "in the cloud".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OpenStack</span> Cloud computing software

OpenStack is a free, open standard cloud computing platform. It is mostly deployed as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) in both public and private clouds where virtual servers and other resources are made available to users. The software platform consists of interrelated components that control diverse, multi-vendor hardware pools of processing, storage, and networking resources throughout a data center. Users manage it either through a web-based dashboard, through command-line tools, or through RESTful web services.

CloudStack is open-source Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud computing software for creating, managing, and deploying infrastructure cloud services. It uses existing hypervisor platforms for virtualization, such as KVM, VMware vSphere, including ESXi and vCenter, XenServer/XCP and XCP-ng. In addition to its own API, CloudStack also supports the Amazon Web Services (AWS) API and the Open Cloud Computing Interface from the Open Grid Forum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open vSwitch</span> Virtual network switch

Open vSwitch, sometimes abbreviated as OVS, is an open-source implementation of a distributed virtual multilayer switch. The main purpose of Open vSwitch is to provide a switching stack for hardware virtualization environments, while supporting multiple protocols and standards used in computer networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proxmox Virtual Environment</span> Linux distribution for server virtualization

Proxmox Virtual Environment is a hyper-converged infrastructure open-source software. It is a hosted hypervisor that can run operating systems including Linux and Windows on x64 hardware. It is a Debian-based Linux distribution with a modified Ubuntu LTS kernel and allows deployment and management of virtual machines and containers. Two types of virtualization are supported: container-based with LXC, and full virtualization with KVM. It includes a web-based management interface. There is also mobile application available for controlling PVE environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSP360</span>

MSP360, formerly CloudBerry Lab, is a software and application service provider company that develops online backup, remote desktop and file management products integrated with more than 20 cloud storage providers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proxmox Backup Server</span> Linux distribution for backup of VMs, container, and physical hosts.

Proxmox Backup Server is an open-source backup software project supporting virtual machines, containers, and physical hosts. The Bare-metal server is based on the Debian Linux distribution, with some extended features, such as out-of-the-box ZFS support and Linux kernel 5.4 LTS. Proxmox Backup Server is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3.

References

  1. ↑ "Core & TKLDev v18.0 Stable Release".
  2. ↑ "TurnKey Linux: 100+ Free Ready-to-Use System Images for Virtual Machines, the Cloud, and Bare Metal". TurnKey Linux. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Supported virtualization platforms and build types". TurnKey Linux docs. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  4. ↑ "Using default VM build with KVM". TurnKey Linux docs. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  5. ↑ "Appliance downloads are back (Proxmox VE 2.0rc1) including TurnKey Linux library". Martin Maurer - Proxmox VE project lead via ProxmoxVE announcement thread. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Introducing TurnKey Linux Appliance Library". OpenNode Cld Platform. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Installing TurnKey from USB flash drive". Alon Swartz. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Scannell, Ed (March 10, 2009). "TurnKey Linux Delivers Open Source Appliances". InformationWeek . Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  9. ↑ Panettieri, Joe (March 12, 2009). "12 Ubuntu Server Appliances Meet the Cloud". WorksWithU. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  10. ↑ "TurnKey Linux: new project builds Ubuntu based Live CD appliances". Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter (108). 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  11. 1 2 3 Fransen, Matto (February 25, 2009). "Kant-en-klare open source bedrijfsapplicaties". Infoworld. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  12. ↑ Dineley, Doug; Borck, James R.; Mobley, High (August 31, 2009). "Best of Open Source Software Awards 2009". InfoWorld . Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  13. ↑ "2009 BOSSie for Open Source Platforms and Middleware, see Slide 7". Archived from the original on 2009-12-04. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  14. ↑ "a new kind of smart backup/restore system that just works". Liraz Siri. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "New release candidates for TurnKey Linux 11.0 (part 1)". Liraz Siri. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "SourceForge.net: VOTE for the February Project Of The Month". SourceForge.net. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  17. ↑ "Announcing TurnKey Linux 12.0: 100+ ready-to-use solutions". Liraz Siri. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "TurnKey Linux offers 64-bit server apps on Amazon cloud". Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "TurnKey moves to GitHub". Alon Swartz. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  20. ↑ "Introducing TKLDev - Turnkey's appliance development and build system in a box". Alon Swartz. 18 July 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  21. ↑ "TurnKey 13 out, TKLBAM 1.4 now backup/restores any Linux system". Liraz Siri. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "v14.0 stable release - Massive Community Effort!". Jeremy Davis. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "v14.1 Release - Bugfixes, Maintenance and More". Jeremy Davis. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "TurnKey Linux Core - Common Base Appliance". TurnKey Linux. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  25. ↑ TKLBAM - Smart automated backup and restore
  26. ↑ "Open source server appliances ship". LinuxDevices.com. March 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  27. ↑ Turnkey Linux Appliance Build code repository
  28. ↑ TKLDev - Appliance Build Engine
  29. ↑ TKLPatch - a simple appliance customization mechanism [ permanent dead link ]
  30. ↑ Proffitt, Brian (February 15, 2010). "Virtual Appliances Offer Fast Sandboxes, Production Environments". ITWorld. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.