diff --git a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/Makefile b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/Makefile index 17422513d9..c62672e95b 100644 --- a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/Makefile +++ b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/Makefile @@ -1,48 +1,49 @@ # $FreeBSD$ SUBDIR = SUBDIR+= 5-roadmap SUBDIR+= checkpoint SUBDIR+= committers-guide SUBDIR+= console-server SUBDIR+= contributing SUBDIR+= contributors SUBDIR+= cvs-freebsd SUBDIR+= cvsup-advanced SUBDIR+= dialup-firewall SUBDIR+= diskless-x SUBDIR+= euro SUBDIR+= explaining-bsd SUBDIR+= fbsd-from-scratch SUBDIR+= filtering-bridges SUBDIR+= fonts SUBDIR+= formatting-media SUBDIR+= freebsd-questions SUBDIR+= hats SUBDIR+= hubs SUBDIR+= ipsec-must SUBDIR+= java-tomcat SUBDIR+= laptop +SUBDIR+= linux-comparison SUBDIR+= mailing-list-faq SUBDIR+= mh SUBDIR+= multi-os SUBDIR+= new-users SUBDIR+= pam SUBDIR+= portbuild SUBDIR+= pr-guidelines SUBDIR+= problem-reports SUBDIR+= pxe SUBDIR+= relaydelay SUBDIR+= releng SUBDIR+= releng-packages SUBDIR+= serial-uart SUBDIR+= solid-state SUBDIR+= storage-devices SUBDIR+= vinum SUBDIR+= vm-design SUBDIR+= zip-drive # ROOT_SYMLINKS+= new-users DOC_PREFIX?= ${.CURDIR}/../.. .include "${DOC_PREFIX}/share/mk/doc.project.mk" diff --git a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/Makefile b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/Makefile new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..c794872d1a --- /dev/null +++ b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/Makefile @@ -0,0 +1,18 @@ +# $FreeBSD$ +# +# Article: FreeBSD and Linux Comparison Whitepaper + +MAINTAINER= marketing@FreeBSD.org + +DOC?= article + +FORMATS?= html +INSTALL_COMPRESSED?= gz +INSTALL_ONLY_COMPRESSED?= + +SRCS= article.sgml + +URL_RELPREFIX?= ../../../.. +DOC_PREFIX?= ${.CURDIR}/../../.. + +.include "${DOC_PREFIX}/share/mk/doc.project.mk" diff --git a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/article.sgml b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/article.sgml new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..ae7bf9db28 --- /dev/null +++ b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/linux-comparison/article.sgml @@ -0,0 +1,549 @@ + + + +%articles.ent; + +]> + +
+ + FreeBSD / Linux Comparison Whitepaper + + + Dru + Lavigne + +
dru@isecom.org
+ + + + + 2005 + Dru Lavigne + + + $FreeBSD$ + + + &tm-attrib.freebsd; + &tm-attrib.linux; + &tm-attrib.unix; + &tm-attrib.general; + + + &legalnotice; + + + The objective of this whitepaper is to explain some of the + features and benefits provided by FreeBSD, and where + applicable, compare those features to Linux. This paper + provides a starting point for those interested in exploring + Open Source alternatives to Linux. + + + + + Introduction + + FreeBSD is a &unix; like operating system based on the + Berkeley Software Distribution. While FreeBSD and Linux are + commonly perceived as being very similar, there are differences: + + + + + + Linux itself is a kernel. Distributions (e.g. Red Hat, + Debian, Suse and others) provide the installer and the + utilities available to the user. http://www.linux.org/dist + lists well over 300 distinct distributions. While giving + the user maximum flexibility, the existence of so many + distributions also increases the difficulty of transferring + one's skills from one distribution to another. Distributions + don't just differ in ease-of install and available programs; + they also differ in directory layout, available shells and + window managers, and software installation and patching + routines. + + FreeBSD is a complete operating system (kernel and + userland) with a well-respected heritage grounded in the + roots of Unix development.[1] Since both the kernel and the + provided utilities are under the control of the same release + engineering team, there is less likelihood of library + incompatibilities. Security vulnerabilities can also be + addressed quickly by the security team. When new utilities + or kernel features are added, the user simply needs to read + one file, the Release Notes, which is publicly available on + the main page of the FreeBSD website + [http://www.freebsd.org]. + + + + FreeBSD has a large and well organized programming base + which ensures changes are implemented quickly and in a + controlled manner. There are several thousand programmers + who contribute code on a regular basis but only about 300 of + these have what is known as a commit bit and can actually + commit changes to the kernel, utilities and official + documentation. A release engineering team provides quality + control and a security officer team is responsible for + responding to security incidents. In addition, there is an + elected core group of 8 senior committers who set the + overall direction of the Project. + + In contrast, changes to the Linux kernel ultimately have + to wait until they pass through the maintainer of kernel + source, Linus Torvalds. How changes to distributions occur + can vary widely, depending upon the size of each particular + distribution's programming base and organizational method. + + + + + While both FreeBSD and Linux use an Open Source + licensing model, the actual licenses used differ. The Linux + kernel is under the GPL license + [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php] while + FreeBSD uses the BSD license + [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php]. These, + and other Open Source licenses, are described in more detail + at the website of the Open Source + Initiative. [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/] + + The driving philosophy behind the GPL is to ensure that + code remains Open Source; it does this by placing + restrictions on the distribution of GPLd code. In contrast, + the BSD license places no such restrictions, which gives you + the flexibility of keeping the code Open Source or closing + the code for a proprietary commercial product.[2] Having + stable and reliable code under the attractive BSD license + means that many operating systems, such as Apple OS X + [http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/darwin/faq.html], + are based on FreeBSD code. It also means that if you choose + to use BSD licensed code in your own projects, you can do so + without threat of future legal liability. + + + + + + FreeBSD Features + + + Supported Platforms + + FreeBSD has gained a reputation as a secure, stable, + operating system for the Intel (i386) platform, However, + FreeBSD also supports the following architectures: + + + alpha + amd64 + ia64 + i386 + pc98 + sparc64 + + + In addition, there is ongoing development to port FreeBSD + to the following architectures: + + + ARM + MIPS + PowerPC + + + Up-to-date hardware lists are maintained for each + architecture so you can tell at a glance if your hardware is + supported. For servers, there is excellent hardware RAID and + network interface support. + + FreeBSD also makes a great workstation and laptop + operating system! It supports the X Window System, the same + one used in Linux distributions to provide a desktop user + interface. It also supports over 13,000 easy to install + third-party applications,[3] including KDE, Gnome, and + OpenOffice. + + Several projects are available to ease the installation of + FreeBSD as a desktop. The most notable are: + + + FreeSBIE which + provides a LiveCD of FreeBSD. + + PC-BSD which provides an + easy-to-use GUI installer for FreeBSD aimed at the desktop + user. + + + + + Extensible Frameworks + + FreeBSD provides many extensible frameworks to easily + allow you to customize the FreeBSD environment to your + particular needs. Some of the major frameworks are: + + + + Netgraph + + Netgraph is a modular networking subsystem that + can be used to supplement the existing kernel networking + infrastructure. Hooks are provided to allow developers to + derive their own modules. As a result, rapid prototyping and + production deployment of enhanced network services can be + performed far more easily and with fewer bugs. Many existing + operational modules ship with FreeBSD and include support for: + + + PPPoE + ATM + ISDN + Bluetooth + HDLC + EtherChannel + Frame Relay + L2TP, just to name a few. + + + + + + GEOM + + GEOM is a modular disk I/O request + transformation framework. Since it is a pluggable storage + layer, it permits new storage services to be quickly developed + and cleanly integrated into the FreeBSD storage + subsystem. Some examples where this can be useful are: + + + Creating RAID solutions. + Providing full-blown cryptographic protection of stored data. + + + Newer versions of FreeBSD provide many administrative + utilities to use the existing GEOM modules. For example, one + can create a disk mirror using &man.gmirror.8;, a stripe + using &man.gstripe.8;, and a shared secret device using + &man.gshsec.8;. + + + + + GBDE + + GBDE, or GEOM Based Disk Encryption, provides + strong cryptographic protection and can protect file systems, + swap devices, and other uses of storage media. In addition, + GBDE transparently encrypts entire file systems, not just + individual files. No cleartext ever touches the hard drive's + platter. + + + + MAC + + MAC + [http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mac.html], + or Mandatory Access Control, provides fine-tuned access to + files and is meant to augment traditional operating system + authorization provided by file permissions. Since MAC is + implemented as a modular framework, a FreeBSD system can be + configured for any required policy varying from HIPAA + compliance to the needs of a military-grade system. + + FreeBSD ships with modules to implement the following + policies; however the framework allows you to develop any + required policy: + + + Biba integrity model + Port ACLs + MLS or Multi-Level Security confidentiality policy + LOMAC or Low-watermark Mandatory Access Control data integrity policy + Process partition policy + + + + + + PAM + + Like Linux, FreeBSD provides support for PAM + [http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/pam/], + Pluggable Authentication Modules. This allows an administrator + to augment the traditional Unix username/password + authentication model. FreeBSD provides modules to integrate + into many authentication mechanisms, including: + + + Kerberos 5 + OPIE + RADIUS + TACACS+ + + + It also allows the administrator to define policies to + control authentication issues such as the quality of + user-chosen passwords. + + + + + + + + Security + + Security is very important to the FreeBSD Release + Engineering Team + [http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/releng/]. This + manifests itself in several concrete areas: + + + All security incidents and fixes pass through the + Security Team and are issued as publicly available + Advisories. The Security Team has a reputation for quickly + resolving known security issues. Full information regarding + FreeBSD's security handling procedures and where to find + security information is available at + . + + One of the problems associated with Open Source + software is the sheer volume of available applications. There + are literally 10s of 1000s of Open Source application projects + each with varying levels of responsiveness to security + incidents. FreeBSD has met this challenge head-on with VuXML. All software + shipped with the FreeBSD operating system as well any software + available in the Ports Collection + is compared to a database of known, unresolved + vulnerabilities. An administrator can use the portaudit + utility to quickly determine if any software on a FreeBSD + system is vulnerable, and if so, receive a description of the + problem and an URL containing a more detailed vulnerability + description. + + + FreeBSD also provides many mechanisms which allow an + administrator to tune the operating system to meet his security + needs: + + + + The &man.jail.8; utility allows an administrator + to imprison a process; this is ideal for applications which + don't provide their own chroot environment. + + The &man.chflags.1; utility augments the + security provided by traditional Unix permissions. It can, for + example, prevent specified files from being modified or + deleted by even the superuser. + + FreeBSD provides 3 built-in stateful, NAT-aware + firewalls, allowing the flexibility of choosing the ruleset + most appropriate to one's security needs. + + The FreeBSD kernel is easily modified, allowing an + administrator to strip out unneeded functionality. FreeBSD + also supports kernel loadable modules and provides utilities + to view, load and unload kernel modules. + + The sysctl mechanism allows an administrator to view + and change kernel state on-the-fly without requiring a + reboot. + + + + + Support + + Like Linux, FreeBSD offers many venues for support, both + freely available and commercial. + + + Free Offerings + + + + FreeBSD is one of the best documented + operating systems, and the documentation is available both + as part of the operating system and on the Internet. Manual + pages are clear, concise and provide working examples. The + FreeBSD Handbook + [http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/] + provides background information and configuration examples + for nearly every task one would wish to complete using + FreeBSD. + + FreeBSD provides many support mailing lists + [http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/eresources.html#ERESOURCES-MAIL]. + where answers are archived and fully searchable. If you have + a question that wasn't addressed by the Handbook, it most + likely has already been answered on a mailing list. The + Handbook and mailing lists are also available in several + languages, all of which are easily accessible from + http://www.freebsd.org. + + There are many FreeBSD IRC channels, forums + and user groups. See for a + selection. + + + If you're looking for a FreeBSD administrator, developer + or support personnel, send a job description which includes + geographic location to freebsd-jobs@FreeBSD.org. + + + + Commercial Offerings + + There are many vendors who provide commercial FreeBSD + support. Resources for finding a vendor near you + include: + + + The Commercial Vendors page at the FreeBSD + site: + + FreeBSDMall has been selling support contracts + for nearly 10 years. + + + The BSDTracker Database at: + + + + There is also an initiative to provide certification of BSD + system administrators. . + + If your project requires Common Criteria certification, + FreeBSD includes the TrustedBSD MAC + framework to ease the certification process. + + + + + Advantages to Choosing FreeBSD + + There are many advantages to including FreeBSD solutions in + your IT infrastructure: + + + FreeBSD is well documented and follows many + standards. This allows your existing intermediate and advanced + system administrators to quickly transfer their existing Linux + and Unix skillsets to FreeBSD administration. + + In-house developers have full access to all + FreeBSD code[4] for all releases going back to the original + FreeBSD release. Included with the code are all of the log + messages which provide context to changes and + bugfixes. Additionally, a developer can easily replicate any + release by simply checking out the code with the desired + label. In contrast, Linux traditionally didn't follow this + model, but has recently adopted a more mature development + model. [5] + + In-house developers also have full access to + FreeBSD's GNATS + bug-tracking database. They are able to query and track + existing bugs as well as submit their own patches for approval + and possible committal into the FreeBSD base code. + [http://www.freebsd.org/support.html#gnats] + + The BSD license allows you to freely modify the + code to suit your business purposes. Unlike the GPL, there are + no restrictions on how you choose to distribute the resulting + software. + + + + + Conclusion + + FreeBSD is a mature Unix-like operating system which + includes many of the features one would expect in a modern Unix + system. For those wishing to incorporate an Open Source solution + in their existing infrastructure, FreeBSD is an excellent choice + indeed. + + + + Addenda + + + + See also + for a brief history. + + For a fairly unbiased view of the merits of each + license, see . + + Using FreeBSD's ports + collection: . Software installation is as easy as + pkg_add -r + application_name. + + In addition, all code is browsable through a + web-interface: . + + An interesting overview of the evolving Linux + development model can be found at . + + + +
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