FreeBSD is a 4.4BSD-Lite based operating system for Intel (x86 and Itanium®), AMD64, Alpha™, Sun UltraSPARC®
computers. Ports to other architectures are also underway. You can also read about the history of FreeBSD, or the current release. If you are interested in contributing
something to the Project (code, hardware, funding), see the Contributing to FreeBSD article.
FreeBSD has many noteworthy features. Some of these are:
Preemptive multitasking with
dynamic priority adjustment to ensure smooth and fair sharing of the computer between
applications and users, even under the heaviest of loads.
Multi-user facilities which
allow many people to use a FreeBSD system simultaneously for a variety of things. This
means, for example, that system peripherals such as printers and tape drives are properly
shared between all users on the system or the network and that individual resource limits
can be placed on users or groups of users, protecting critical system resources from
over-use.
Strong TCP/IP networking with
support for industry standards such as SCTP, DHCP, NFS, NIS, PPP, SLIP, IPsec, and IPv6.
This means that your FreeBSD machine can interoperate easily with other systems as well
as act as an enterprise server, providing vital functions such as NFS (remote file
access) and email services or putting your organization on the Internet with WWW, FTP,
routing and firewall (security) services.
Memory protection ensures that
applications (or users) cannot interfere with each other. One application crashing will
not affect others in any way.
FreeBSD is a 32-bit operating
system (64-bit on the Alpha, Itanium, AMD64, and UltraSPARC)
and was designed as such from the ground up.
The industry standard X Window
System (X11R7) provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the cost of a
common VGA card and monitor and comes with full sources.
Binary compatibility with many
programs built for Linux, SCO, SVR4, BSDI and NetBSD.
Thousands of ready-to-run
applications are available from the FreeBSD ports and packages collection. Why search the net when you can find it
all right here?
Thousands of additional and easy-to-port applications are available on the Internet.
FreeBSD is source code compatible with most popular commercial UNIX® systems and thus most applications require few, if
any, changes to compile.
Demand paged virtual memory and
“merged VM/buffer cache” design efficiently satisfies applications with large
appetites for memory while still maintaining interactive response to other users.
SMP support for machines with
multiple CPUs.
A full complement of C, C++, and Fortran development tools. Many additional languages for
advanced research and development are also available in the ports and packages
collection.
Source code for the entire
system means you have the greatest degree of control over your environment. Why be locked
into a proprietary solution at the mercy of your vendor when you can have a truly open
system?
Extensive online
documentation.
And many more!
FreeBSD is based on the 4.4BSD-Lite release from Computer Systems Research Group
(CSRG) at the University of California at Berkeley, and carries on the distinguished
tradition of BSD systems development. In addition to the fine work provided by CSRG, the
FreeBSD Project has put in many thousands of hours in fine tuning the system for
maximum performance and reliability in real-life load situations. As many of the
commercial giants struggle to field PC operating systems with such features, performance
and reliability, FreeBSD can offer them now!
The applications to which FreeBSD can be put are truly limited only by your own
imagination. From software development to factory automation, inventory control to
azimuth correction of remote satellite antennae; if it can be done with a commercial
UNIX product then it is more than likely that you can do
it with FreeBSD too! FreeBSD also benefits significantly from literally thousands of high
quality applications developed by research centers and universities around the world,
often available at little to no cost. Commercial applications are also available and
appearing in greater numbers every day.
Because the source code for FreeBSD itself is generally available, the system can also
be customized to an almost unheard of degree for special applications or projects, and in
ways not generally possible with operating systems from most major commercial vendors.
Here is just a sampling of some of the applications in which people are currently using
FreeBSD:
Internet Services: The robust
TCP/IP networking built into FreeBSD makes it an ideal platform for a variety of Internet
services such as:
FTP servers
World Wide Web servers (standard or secure [SSL])
IPv4 and IPv6 routing
Firewalls and NAT (“IP masquerading”) gateways
Electronic Mail servers
USENET News or Bulletin Board Systems
And more...
With FreeBSD, you can easily start out small with an inexpensive 386 class PC and
upgrade all the way up to a quad-processor Xeon with RAID storage as your enterprise
grows.
Education: Are you a student of
computer science or a related engineering field? There is no better way of learning about
operating systems, computer architecture and networking than the hands on, under the hood
experience that FreeBSD can provide. A number of freely available CAD, mathematical and
graphic design packages also make it highly useful to those whose primary interest in a
computer is to get other work
done!
Research: With source code for
the entire system available, FreeBSD is an excellent platform for research in operating
systems as well as other branches of computer science. FreeBSD's freely available nature
also makes it possible for remote groups to collaborate on ideas or shared development
without having to worry about special licensing agreements or limitations on what may be
discussed in open forums.
Networking: Need a new router? A
name server (DNS)? A firewall to keep people out of your internal network? FreeBSD can
easily turn that unused 386 or 486 PC sitting in the corner into an advanced router with
sophisticated packet-filtering capabilities.
X Window workstation: FreeBSD is
a fine choice for an inexpensive X terminal solution, using the freely available X11
server. Unlike an X terminal, FreeBSD allows many applications to be run locally if
desired, thus relieving the burden on a central server. FreeBSD can even boot
“diskless”, making individual workstations even cheaper and easier to
administer.
Software Development: The basic
FreeBSD system comes with a full complement of development tools including the renowned
GNU C/C++ compiler and debugger.
FreeBSD is available in both source and binary form on CD-ROM, DVD, and via anonymous
FTP. Please see Appendix A for more information about
obtaining FreeBSD.
