There are two distros that I have been asked about multiple times: Debian and Ubuntu. Both are based on the Debian package format, instead of RPM like the distros we currently support. I wanted to install Ubuntu, since its emphasis on getting wide distribution means it has a much smaller learning curve than Debian. Unfortunately (in this case), Ubuntu is also much more agressive about upgrading their core components. Debian still has an actively used version ('sarge') based on the kernel/glibc revs currently supported by BrandZ, while Ubuntu does not. So, Debian it was.

Sun's BrandZ technology allows for various “brands” to be installed into Solaris Zones; these brands are essentially other operating systems running under/with a Solaris kernel as a virtual instance. When BrandZ was first announced, it was made very clear that the only Linux distribution supported was Red Hat, or Red Hat-derived distributions like CentOS, etc. Now the first documented example of how to get a Debian-based distribution installed and running is available, and it's only appropriate that it's for Debian 3.1 Sarge!