Welcome to the OviOS Linux distribution website
Run OviOS in your own Datacenter.
Run OviOS in the cloud as a container
About OviOS
OviOS Linux is a specialized Linux distribution aimed at creating the fastest and easiest Linux unified cloud storage server.
It requires little to no knowledge of Linux, NFS, SMB or iSCSI protocols to create a fully functional storage server in less than 30 minutes, simply by following the 4 steps in the Admin Guide
OviOS Linux is best suited for small and medium sized companies that need a free, high-performance, secure and stable storage system. It provides an easy to use CLI called the ovios shell that simplifies storage management.
OviOS Linux is a pure storage appliance-like OS.
OviOS Principles
Independent. OviOS Linux is not based on or derived from any other Linux Distro, and is fully compatible with the Linux Standard Base.
Simple. OviOS simplicity means no extra software, configurations and sophistications. OviOS uses the minimal amount of applications needed to allow it to function as a storage OS. The modifications to the software included are minimal and only distro-specific.
Lightweight. The Linux Kernel is stripped of all drivers and modules not required for a server distro. Lightweight also means no GUI. A GUI just makes simple tasks simpler, and complex task impossible. A GUI would also require considerable amount of resources, which can be better used to serve data.
Click here to visualize possible use cases.
The OviOS Linux iso image can also be used as a rescue image for ZFS on Linux systems.
After the system starts, disable the skip import option and start zfs-admin:
ovios-shell> options skip.import off
ovios-shell> options force.import on
This option is needed if the pool was previously imported by a system with a different hostid
ovios-shell> zfs-admin start
See the OviOS Live guide to learn how to use OviOS without installing.
All packages have been built and tested in house. A list of installed packages can be found here.
OviOS uses pacman as a package manager. However there is no relation between Arch Linux or any other Linux distro and OviOS Linux.
The system is provided with all needed packages for a stable storage server. Due to the way it's built, storage admins can add more packages, by building from source.
There are 2 ways this can be achieved:
1. Build using the general build method (./configure && make && make install)
2. Build using makepkg and a PKGBUILD. See and example here.
or send a request for a specific package via email / contact form.
With OviOS Linux the user has complete control over how the system should work, what extra packages are needed and what services should run.
OviOS Linux tutorial Part 1 - Initial Setup
In this video we demonstrate a full initial setup of a storage server, including SMB with Domain Controller integration, NFS and iSCSI.
OviOS Linux tutorial Part 2 - Replication
In this tutorial we show how OviOS with replication can make sure your users can immediately access their data on a secondary site in case your primary site experiences a downtime.