rPath provides rBuilder and rPath Linux, the first platform for creating and maintaining software appliances.

Quite simply, this web site and its associated back end technology allows you to create Linux builds (or appliances) based on your chosen kernel, window manager, applications and projects. It then provides your final build as an installable CD or DVD, raw hard disk image, VMWare player image, raw filesystem image or tar archive.

The underlying packaging system is developed by the rPath founders is called Conary – information available here.

I’ve had a quick look and it seems very impressive (with a web 2.0 feel) and very powerful. So far I’ve not built any appliances, but Clive has come up with a Knoppix-style SIP phone appliance – VOIPPIX.