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+==================
+SmartOS Datasource
+==================
+
+This datasource finds metadata and user-data from the SmartOS virtualization
+platform (i.e. Joyent).
+
+SmartOS Platform
+----------------
+The SmartOS virtualization platform meta-data to the instance via the second
+serial console. On Linux, this is /dev/ttyS1. The data is a provided via a
+simple protocol, where something queries for the userdata, where the console
+responds with the status and if "SUCCESS" returns until a single ".\n".
+
+New versions of the SmartOS tooling will include support for base64 encoded data.
+
+Userdata
+--------
+
+In SmartOS parlance, user-data is a actually meta-data. This userdata can be
+provided a key-value pairs.
+
+Cloud-init supports reading the traditional meta-data fields supported by the
+SmartOS tools. These are:
+ * root_authorized_keys
+ * hostname
+ * enable_motd_sys_info
+ * iptables_disable
+
+Note: At this time iptables_disable and enable_motd_sys_info are read but
+    are not actioned.
+
+user-script
+-----------
+
+SmartOS traditionally supports sending over a user-script for execution at the
+rc.local level. Cloud-init supports running user-scripts as if they were
+cloud-init user-data. In this sense, anything with a shell interpreter
+directive will run
+
+user-data and user-script
+-------------------------
+
+In the event that a user defines the meta-data key of "user-data" it will
+always supercede any user-script data. This is for consistency.
+
+base64
+------
+
+The following are exempt from base64 encoding, owing to the fact that they
+are provided by SmartOS:
+ * root_authorized_keys
+ * enable_motd_sys_info
+ * iptables_disable
+
+This list can be changed through system config of variable 'no_base64_decode'.
+
+This means that user-script and user-data as well as other values can be
+base64 encoded. Since Cloud-init can only guess as to whether or not something
+is truly base64 encoded, the following meta-data keys are hints as to whether
+or not to base64 decode something:
+  * base64_all: Except for excluded keys, attempt to base64 decode
+        the values. If the value fails to decode properly, it will be
+        returned in its text
+  * base64_keys: A comma deliminated list of which keys are base64 encoded.
+  * b64-<key>:
+    for any key, if there exists an entry in the metadata for 'b64-<key>'
+    Then 'b64-<key>' is expected to be a plaintext boolean indicating whether
+    or not its value is encoded.
+  * no_base64_decode: This is a configuration setting
+        (i.e. /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d) that sets which values should not be
+        base64 decoded.