What is the Distribution Constructor?

The distribution constructor is a command-line tool for building preconfigured, bootable OpenSolaris images. This tool takes an XML manifest file as input, and builds an ISO image that is based on the parameters specified in the manifest file. Optionally, a USB image can be created, based on the generated ISO image.

An ISO image or a USB image is a collection of software in a single file. These images are bootable and can be used for installation and other purposes. Both ISO images and USB images can be distributed on the Internet. The ISO image needs to be burned into a CD/DVD before use. The USB image needs to be copied into a USB flash drive by using a special Solaris utility.

Note - The Distribution Constructor outputs a USB image that could work in other types of flash memory devices, if that device has driver support provided by the OpenSolaris release. The usbcopy utility is the only utility that can be used to copy the USB image into a USB flash drive. This usbcopyutility is available with the OpenSolaris release.

What Kind of Images Can I Create?

You can use the distribution constructor to create the following types of OpenSolaris images:

OpenSolaris 2009.06 x86 Slim CD – Using the distribution constructor, you can create an x86 ISO image that is comparable to the Live CD image that's distributed as the OpenSolaris 2009.06 release. And, you can modify the content of this ISO image, selecting and adding additional packages to the image. You can revise the default settings for the resulting booted environment to create a custom, redistributable ISO image or USB image.
x86 ISO Image for Automated Installations
SPARC ISO Image for Automated Installations
The OpenSolaris 2009.06 release includes the automated installer tool. The automated installer (AI) is used to automate the installation of the OpenSolaris OS on one or more SPARC and x86 systems over a network. The installations can differ in architecture, packages installed, disk capacity, and other parameters. The automated installer uses a SPARC or x86 AI ISO image to install the OpenSolaris OS to client systems. You can use the distribution constructor to create a SPARC AI ISO image that can be used to install the OpenSolaris OS on SPARC clients, or to create an x86 AI ISO image that can be used to install the OpenSolaris OS on x86 clients.
For information about using the automated installer, see the OpenSolaris Automated Installer Guide.

Note - When using the distribution constructor, you can only create SPARC images on a SPARC system. And, you can only create x86 images on an x86 system.
To see the system requirements for using the distribution constructor, see Chapter 2, Setup for the Distribution Constructor.