Ubuntu JeOS available today

It arrived a tad later than expected, but today the Ubuntu mailing list announced that Ubuntu JeOS (pronounced “juice”) is available for download.

Ubuntu JeOS is a variant of Ubuntu configured specifically for virtual appliances. As we reported back in September, with JeOS Canonical has ripped out several software packages to streamline Ubuntu for virtualization purposes. The subtractions include the open source database MySQL; the Common Unix Printing Layer, or CUPS; email; and LDAP functionality.

The upshot of this? Users will have access to a server OS that’s 215 MB in size (Ubuntu Server is roughly 700 MB). The streamlined OS means users can download virtual appliances faster and run more of them per server.

Ubuntu JeOS will be available via the VMware Technology Network and is currently offered only ISVs and OEMs. The approach is similar to another VMware partner, rPath, which packages Linux-based virtual appliances with ISV-specified applications using its rBuilder, technology.

Another way to get Ubuntu JeOS 7.10 is to point your browser to:

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/jeos/releases/gutsy/release/

Currently JeOS is available as a 32-bit flavor only.