Intro ZFS live boot

Hacking Project: Create the first live ZFS boot setup using Opensolaris.

Background:

Linux users are well aware of the great number of distributions that are available in a live cd form; since Knoppix first demonstrated its practicality, the Linux live distro has become the quickest way to avoid using Windows on any platform. Today, linux live distros are cleverly setup with read-write capable filesystems and on-the-fly hardware recognition. Suffice to say that ramdisk and creative volume mounts/symlinks no longer rule the business.

OpenSolaris is also available in a live cd form: 2008.05
While the 2008.05 live cd is not as sophisticated as the Ubuntu or Slax live distros, it is smooth enough to use.

Linux Live USB distros have allowed users a mobile, persistent OS in a form that has become even more useful than live CD; usb media is cheap enough that pocketing one's desktop AND files is practical.

OpenSolaris has a live USB distro based on 2008.05(developer preview), as well as tools to build one with an ISO (distroconstructor project).

ZFS is one of the most amazing filesystems in existence. It is powerful in its ability to separate FS from hardware, and thereby expand or contract to accomodate varying numbers of storage devices with redundancy and decent performance. Sun does a better job of explaining it than I will here. Opensolaris has been tailored to live and breathe ZFS, and is the only OS with fully functioning ZFS support.

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