5 ms·

Its actually one of the easiest O.S to install and work with when it comes to back-end servers for running network infrastructure type services (vpn, firewall,

by ivenkys 15y ago

Its actually one of the easiest O.S to install and work with when it comes to back-end servers for running network infrastructure type services (vpn, firewall, chat server, torrent server, dns, dhcp etc. etc.) - nothing comes close.

nikuda 15y ago
What are some reasons for OpenBSD not being a more popular OS on web servers? I always wondered about this, as on paper OpenBSD (and FreeBSD) seem like they have the edge but most server admins end up running linux. Another case of linux being slightly easier to use and doing the job well enough?
- daydream 15y ago
  I'm a big fan of FreeBSD/OpenBSD as server OS's. I've put OpenBSD/pf to great use as firewall machines, as they're VERY easy to configure, and the docs are most everything you need. FreeBSD has been great for general-purpose workloads. For some time OpenBSD has been regarded as "slow", in big part because it couldn't use large amounts of RAM, and it scaled across multiple cores poorly. I'm not sure if this is still the case.
  - JoachimSchipper 15y ago
    5.0 will lift lots of memory-related limits (significant chunks of code are already in -current).
- dagw 15y ago
  OpenBSD has never had performance as a driving criteria, and has for long time, both justly and unjustly, been considered "slow", especially on machines with more than two CPUs, when compared to Linux and FreeBSD. Though it's been 6 years or so since I did any sort of serious large scale sysadmin work with it so I don't know if things have changed.
- JoachimSchipper 15y ago
  OpenBSD is not friendly to the kind of newbie who prefers HOWTOs, GUI admin tools, etc. It does have excellent man pages and tasteful text-based tools, though - e.g. http://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/example1.html#allrules http://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/example1.html#allrules is enough to configure a SOHO firewall.
ciupicri 15y ago
Yet, I'm still waiting for an automated network installer comparable with anaconda from Fedora/RHEL.
sigil 15y ago
> Its actually one of the easiest O.S to install. Hmm, really? I love OpenBSD, but last I checked the installer tells you to create slices then drops you straight into fdisk. Has this been polished up? I'm just concerned "one of the easiest to install" would give a n00b the wrong impression.
- leon_ 15y ago
  well, you could expect someone who handles server to know his ways around partitioning a volume?
  - epochwolf 15y ago
    Sure, but that's not "easy to install". That's "faster for an expert to install". The partitioner on Ubuntu's LiveCD is easy to use. (Choose full disk and go)
    - BasDirks 15y ago
      OpenBSD installer can auto-partition the disk for you.
      - sigil 15y ago
        You are correct, there's a whole disk auto-partition option now. I guess it's been a while. :) http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#InstDisks http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#InstDisks
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

by ivenkys 15y ago

nikuda 15y ago

What are some reasons for OpenBSD not being a more popular OS on web servers? I always wondered about this, as on paper OpenBSD (and FreeBSD) seem like they have the edge but most server admins end up running linux. Another case of linux being slightly easier to use and doing the job well enough?

daydream 15y ago
I'm a big fan of FreeBSD/OpenBSD as server OS's. I've put OpenBSD/pf to great use as firewall machines, as they're VERY easy to configure, and the docs are most everything you need. FreeBSD has been great for general-purpose workloads. For some time OpenBSD has been regarded as "slow", in big part because it couldn't use large amounts of RAM, and it scaled across multiple cores poorly. I'm not sure if this is still the case.
- JoachimSchipper 15y ago
  5.0 will lift lots of memory-related limits (significant chunks of code are already in -current).
dagw 15y ago
OpenBSD has never had performance as a driving criteria, and has for long time, both justly and unjustly, been considered "slow", especially on machines with more than two CPUs, when compared to Linux and FreeBSD. Though it's been 6 years or so since I did any sort of serious large scale sysadmin work with it so I don't know if things have changed.
JoachimSchipper 15y ago
OpenBSD is not friendly to the kind of newbie who prefers HOWTOs, GUI admin tools, etc. It does have excellent man pages and tasteful text-based tools, though - e.g. http://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/example1.html#allrules http://www.openbsd.org/faq/pf/example1.html#allrules is enough to configure a SOHO firewall.

ciupicri 15y ago

Yet, I'm still waiting for an automated network installer comparable with anaconda from Fedora/RHEL.

sigil 15y ago

> Its actually one of the easiest O.S to install. Hmm, really? I love OpenBSD, but last I checked the installer tells you to create slices then drops you straight into fdisk. Has this been polished up? I'm just concerned "one of the easiest to install" would give a n00b the wrong impression.

leon_ 15y ago
well, you could expect someone who handles server to know his ways around partitioning a volume?
- epochwolf 15y ago
  Sure, but that's not "easy to install". That's "faster for an expert to install". The partitioner on Ubuntu's LiveCD is easy to use. (Choose full disk and go)
  - BasDirks 15y ago
    OpenBSD installer can auto-partition the disk for you.
    - sigil 15y ago
      You are correct, there's a whole disk auto-partition option now. I guess it's been a while. :) http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#InstDisks http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#InstDisks
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]