Fedora CoreOS, launched in 2018 by the Fedora project, combines elements from Fedora Atomic Host and CoreOS Container Linux, with the latter now being deprecated. This container-centric Linux distribution offers users the option between Fedora CoreOS and RHEL CoreOS, catering to those looking to run containerized workloads in a secure and efficient manner.
To install Fedora CoreOS, it is advisable to use a Linux workstation or a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) instance for ease of operation. The following steps will guide you through installing Fedora CoreOS on VMware vSphere, using a WSL instance for this example: 1. Download the Fedora CoreOS VMware OVA appliance. 2. Install the Butane configuration utility and the Ignition Validate Tool. 3. Install GOVC for VMware management. 4. Set up GOVC environment variables. 5. Create a simple Butane configuration and convert it into an Ignition JSON file. 6. Deploy CoreOS on VMware vSphere using GOVC and the generated Ignition configuration file.