OviOS 6.2 boots entirely into RAM and keeps its whole configuration on your ZFS pools. Every boot, from any medium, gives you the same storage controller back. Installing to disk is optional.
Boot from USB, ISO or PXE with ovios.autorestore=1. Once it is up,
the entire OS runs from memory with zero disk overhead, and every drive bay is free for data.
Every configuration change is saved to a hidden dataset on every pool, as one of 10 rolling snapshot generations.
After a restart or crash, the node restores its iSCSI, NFS, SMB and options before services start, with no manual step.
Without the boot option,
sync-config restore, restore all and service reset bring a node back in
minutes. Read the Live OS guide.
Every drive bay goes to data, and there is no OS disk to wear out, patch in place or back up. A dead USB stick costs you minutes, not a rebuild.
A copy of the configuration on every pool, verified by checksum, with rollback across generations. As long as one pool imports, the node knows exactly what it was.
Each node is recognised by its DMI UUID, with a stable ZFS hostid derived from it, so several nodes can share pools without picking up each other's configuration.
Upgrade running nodes one at a time, whether installed or running live from RAM, without taking storage offline. The configuration carries across releases. On a live node you can also simply boot a newer image.
Use ovios-web or sync-config to maintain configuration. Your system setup is always
preserved, and with a simple command you can restore it at any time.
With smb.secrets.restore on, SMB passwords and the AD join travel with the configuration.
Leave it off and those secrets never leave the node.
Installed systems can be stateless too (options auto.restore.enable on). The installer
detects your hardware automatically and supports both UEFI and BIOS firmware.
Choose between ext4 or ZFS as your root filesystem. Both are fully supported.
Download the ISO and boot it. No install required, and your configuration persists on your pools.