Software appliance

Software appliance

A software appliance is a software application combined with just enough operating system (JeOS) for it to run optimally on industry standard hardware (typically a server) or in a virtual machine. Software appliances simplify server applications by minimizing the tasks typically associated with installation, configuration and maintenance.

The customer receives all service and maintenance from the application vendor, eliminating the requirement to manage multiple maintenance streams, licenses, and service contracts. The software appliance is typically sold as a subscription service (pay-as-you-go) and is an alternative approach to Software as a Service.

The software provider must engineer this solution with a JeOS and other capabilities to eliminate any requirement for on-site support since this could call into question the viability of the business model. The management of upgrades is particularly important; recent advances by open source operating systems have been targeted at addressing these concerns, including a forthcoming 'Appliance Operating System' from RedHat and NexentaCore Platform 1.0, an open source solution released in February 2008

Virtual appliance

A software appliance can be packaged in a virtual machine format as a virtual appliance, allowing it to be run within a virtual machine container.

There is currently no standard virtual machine container format, so a virtual appliance is usually built specifically for a single type of virtual machine and will not run on other virtual machines types.

Live CD appliance

A software appliance can be packaged as a Live CD image, allowing it to run on both real hardware in addition to most types of virtual machines.

This allows developers to avoid the complexities involved in supporting multiple incompatible virtual machine image formats and focus on the lowest common denominator instead (I.e., ISO images are supported most Virtual Machine platforms).

Hardware appliance

In some cases, the application vendor may install the software appliance on a piece of hardware prior to delivery to the customer, thereby creating a hardware appliance solution. In both cases, the primary value to the customer remains the simplicity of purchase, deployment, and maintenance.

See also

* Virtualization
* Software as a Service
* Virtual appliance
* Computer appliance
* JeOS

External links

* [http://www.turnkeylinux.org TurnKey Linux] , an opensource project developing Live CD based software appliances
* [https://www.redhat.com/solutions/aos/ AOS] Red Hat's forthcoming Appliance Operating System distribution
* [http://www.nexenta.org/ NexentaCore Platform 1.0] Only OS with ZFS based transactional upgrades and Linux integration
* [http://www.rpath.com/ rPath] , a commercial software appliance platform vendor
* [http://www.nixusoftware.com/ Nixu Software] , a commercial DNS and IP addressing software appliance vendor
* [http://www.akonix.com/appliance Akonix Systems] , a commercial provider of software and hardware appliances for the instant messaging market
* [http://www.packetgeneral.com/ Packet GENERAL Networks] , a commercial provider of PCI compliant soft appliances with built-in security measures
* [http://www.ingres.com/products/icebreaker.php/ Ingres Corporation] , a commercial open source provider of software appliance solutions such as BI and Database services


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