What Is TurnKey

Turnkey Linux is a virtual appliance library that integrates and polishes the very best open source software into ready to use solutions. Each virtual appliance is optimized for ease of use and can be deployed in just a few minutes on bare metal, a virtual machine and in the cloud.

Background

The following background knowledge could help you understand ‘what is TurnKey linux’. If you have been similiar with them, you could skip this section.

JeOS

JeOS is the abbreviation (pronounced “juice”) for Just Enough Operating System as it applies to a software appliances and embedded operating systems.

Typically, a JeOS consists of the following:

  • OS core (kernel, drives, etc.)

  • OS minimum maintenance tools

  • Minimum user space tools

  • Packages repository (DVD or network based)

Software appliance

A software appliance is a software application that might be combined with JeOS for it to run optimally on industry standard hardware (typically a server) or in a virtual machine.

Software appliances have several benefits over traditional software applications that are installed on top of an operating system:

  • Simplified deployment (dependency, compatibility, conflict)

  • Improved isolation (security, crash)

There two main types of software appliances:

  • Live CD appliance

  • Virtual appliance

Virtual appliance

A virtual appliance is a virtual machine image designed to run on a virtualization platform (e.g., VirtualBox, Xen, VMware Workstation, Parallels Workstation).

Virtual appliances are a subset of the broader class of software appliances. Installation of a software appliance on a virtual machine and packaging that into an image creates a virtual appliance.

Benefits

  • Save time and money with 100+ ready-to-use solutions

  • It just works

  • Backup and migration

  • Secure and easy to maintain

  • 100% Open Source

  • Based on Debian 7.2 (“Wheezy”)

  • Easy to use

  • Lightweight (starting from 150MB

  • Assured integrity

Installation

Installing to a VirtualBox is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get up and running with TurnKey Linux. The installation process is the same for all appliances. We’ll be installing LAPP as an example.

1. Install VirtualBox

If you haven’t done so already, download and install VirtualBox.

2. Download image

VM optimized images and Generic ISO image work well with VirtualBox. We will choose default VM build and use that.

3. Create new VM

Unzip the default VM build and lauch the VM creation wizard by clicking the New button in VirtualBox:

  • OS Type: Linux / Ubuntu

  • Memory: at least 256 MB

  • Virtual Hard Disk: use an existing hard disk

4. Configurate VM

After you’ve created the new VM, you’ll need to tweak its configuration:

  • Settings > System > Processor > Enable PAE/NX

  • Settings > Network > Adapter 1 > Attach to: bridged

Now boot your virtual appliance for the first time.

Development

TKLDev is the mother of all TurnKey appliances. It’s used to give birth to all other appliances, including new versions of itself. It includes a self-contained appliance development toolchain and build system that can be used by appliance hackers to fabricate any existing or new TurnKey appliance from source.

With TKLDev, building an appliance from scratch is as easy as grabbing the source and running make.

1. Install TKLDev

Like any other TurnKey appliance, TKLDev is available for download in multiple build formats from the TurnKey Linux website.

TKLDev doesn’t support cross-architecture builds. That means building an amd64 type appliance image requires an amd64 build of TKLDev.

Shellinabox (as well as Webmin) is installed but disabled by default so as not to conflict with appliance builds. You should connect via an SSH client.

2. Setup TKLDev

By convention, the source code for an appliance is placed within tkldev in /turnkey/fab/products (e.g., /turnkey/fab/products/core, /turnkey/fab/products/wordpress, etc.).

Before you build your first appliance, you will need to download 3 prerequisite build dependencies and place them into their appropriate paths within the TKLDev filesystem:

  • /turnkey/fab/bootstraps: contains minimal bootstrap filesystems.

  • /turnkey/fab/cdroots: contains the cdroot template for the built ISO.

  • /turnkey/fab/common: contains source code shared amongst all TurnKey appliances.

Click here for more details for this.

3. Build appliance

Now that everything is in place, clone the source code of TurnKey Core, and perform the build:

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cd /turnkey/fab/products
git-clone https://github.com/turnkeylinux-apps/core.git
cd core
make

The above will create build/product.iso which you should copy to your host system for testing in a VM.

Finally, perform cleanup:

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deck -D build/root.tmp
make clean