The latest BSD Magazine brings us articles about C development in the FreeBSD world, exploits using ICMP protocol, access analytics and IT systems security, FreeNAS 9.3’s support for VMware VAAI, and more.
Download the PDF/epub here: http://bsdmag.org/download/c-developer-in-the-freebsd-world-new-bsd-2015/
/u/evidentlycat gives a great explanation of the difference between /sbin, /bin, /usr/sbin, and /usr/bin on /r/BSD.
I use the terms “dynamically linked” and “statically linked”. A statically linked executable is independent: it does not load a separate C library, instead, the executable itself contains copies of code it uses from the C library, and interfaces with the kernel entirely by itself through syscalls. A dynamically linked executable loads an external library from a file and calls functions in it.
binis for binaries which are useful for users without elevated privileges. /bin contains statically-linked binaries which are “fundamental to both single and multi-user environments” according tohier(7). They may be used in the tiny installer ramdisk. Most things in/usr/binare dynamically linked and all of them are inaccessible in the installer.
sbinis for superuser binaries and daemons, i.e. things not useful to users without elevated privileges. Everything in/sbinis statically linked and accessible in the installer. Most things in/usr/sbinare dynamically linked and all of them are inaccessible in the installer….
Original post from /u/evidentlycat: http://www.reddit.com/r/BSD/comments/2szofc/eli5_why_is_separating_binaries_into_bin_sbin/cnudxzs
Official documentation on filesystem layout: https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?hier%287%29
BSD Magazine is out with this December issue featuring DTrace, Samba, Python flow, HardenedBSD, and finally GIMP. Check out the link below to download.
EPUB & PDF: http://bsdmag.org/download/samba-nfs-and-firewall-new-bsd-issue/
Michael Larabel of Phoronix.com has published an article rounding up the most popular BSD stories in 2014. Grab a cup of coffee and reflect on one of BSD’s biggest years:
Over the past week or so I’ve shared many top ten / year-end lists of our most popular open-source content on Phoronix. Most of the focus has been on our majority Linux focus while in this article is a look at the top ten BSD articles on Phoronix from 2014.
In 2014 saw the forking of OpenSSL to LibreSSL, the release of FreeBSD 10.0 and 10.1, KMS/DRM graphics driver improvements for BSD, the continued progress of PC-BSD in being an easy FreeBSD desktop platform, and many other advancements. Here’s the ten most viewed BSD articles on Phoronix for 2014:
The 10 Best Features Of FreeBSD 10.0
With a bit of luck FreeBSD 10.0 will be released in the next few days so here’s a look at the arguably ten best features of this next major BSD operating system release.My 10 Minute Experience With PC-BSD 10.0
With FreeBSD 10.0 having been released and the final release of the PC-BSD 10.0 coming this week, I decided to try out the PC-BSD 10.0-RC5 ahead of the final release. While I intended to run some benchmarks of FreeBSD/PC-BSD 10.0 against its predecessor and compared to Linux distributions, this initial PC-BSD 10.0 encounter was cut short after about ten minutes.PC-BSD Is Developing Its Own Desktop Environment
The PC-BSD project is developing its own desktop environment from scratch! The ultimate plan is for Lumina to become a full-featured, open-source desktop environment that may ultimately replace KDE as its default desktop environment.OpenBSD Foundation At Risk Of Shutting Down
The OpenBSD Foundation is running into a situation of lack of funding to the point that they can’t even cover their electricity costs and may be forced to suspend or reduce their operations without additional help.FreeBSD 10.0 Has Finally Been Released
It’s been delayed by many months but the official release of FreeBSD 10.0 has shipped today!FreeBSD Receives A Million Dollar Donation
The FreeBSD has received their largest ever single donation: $1,000,000 USD.KMS Drivers Break The Console In FreeBSD 10
While FreeBSD 10.0 is exciting for finally having an AMD Radeon DRM/KMS driver as one of the major features of the new OS, the quality isn’t yet on par with the open-source graphics support found on Linux from where the code was originally ported.OpenBSD Drops Support For Loadable Kernel Modules
Interestingly the OpenBSD developers have decided to remove support for loadable kernel modules from the BSD distribution’s next release.Radeon Now Work Well On PC-BSD, But USB Mouse Support Is Iffy
Since last month’s release of FreeBSD 10.0 and PC-BSD 10.0 that followed, many Phoronix readers have been asking about benchmarks of this major BSD operating system update that’s home to many new features. Here’s an update on my FreeBSD/PC-BSD 10.0 testing thus far.OpenSSL Forked By OpenBSD Into LibreSSL
Following the fallout from the OpenSSL Heartbleed bug, OpenBSD developers have decided to fork the OpenSSL code-base to create LibreSSL.
Original post: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTg3NzQ
This blog post by
OpenBSD and FreeBSD are both great OS that I admire and use. OpenBSD is considered more secure since it is its main goal, but FreeBSD can be tweaked to be pretty well hardened as well. Depending on the forums or to who we ask, we will have different opinions. But what are the facts? Which OS is more secure and why?
I am not asking the question about which one is globally better, as “better” has a different meaning depending on the context and the needs (ISP routers, data
base servers, home gateway, desktop system, storage server or appliance, etc…). On some enterprises doing a major OS upgrade every 6 months or every year is doable, on others, it’s not possible at all. Also, it depends if one needs performance for streaming (Netflix), or if security is a top priority for a redondant firewall. Everyone needs is different, and both OS are highly useful.
If we strictly focus on security, how FreeBSD compares to OpenBSD security wise? In what follows, we will dig into memory protection, system and network security features, and default “out of the box” security. The purpose is to give unbiased facts, to compare point by point both OS. I am not trying to find the “best” OS and discredit the other, I love and use both :-) Let us try to find out the integrated security features of both OS, the visit continues below!
Check out the full comparison here – http://networkfilter.blogspot.com/2014/12/security-openbsd-vs-freebsd.html
In this November issue of BSD Magazine, Tiago presents an article on how to use PPoE Concentrator Dual-Stack. Rob Somerville has articles on how to use GIMP, and the difference between geeks and nerds. In addition, Craig S. Wright shows us how to use 100+ UNIX commands, and Michael Ortega introduces Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner.
Download it from this link:
Let’s take a look at what you will read in this issue of BSD. First, our experts will instruct you on how to install and configure a dedicated web server. Afterwards, we will head to our series of 100+ Unix Commands and Find out About System Configuration. Last but not least, we will learn all about the proactive project for boosting FreeBSD security, HardenedBSD, and much more. Check out this issue for more articles and tutorials.
Head on over to the following link to download this edition of BSDMag: http://bsdmag.org/download/new-hardenedbsd-bsd-2014/
This BSD Magazine issue features the following:
Head on over to the following page to download: http://bsdmag.org/download/100-unix-commands-new-bsd-issue/
Dear Readers,
You are going to read the “Beyond BIOS” issue from BSD magazine. You have the chance to learn how to prepare to install an EFI environment on an Intel-based computer, how to perform the installation and how to manage the computer once it’s up and running. What is more, our experts will teach you with moderate experience in any Unix-like system to install and deploy a quality office server with common applications and services. Finally, you may find interest in the “Debugging and Troubleshooting: Fun, Profit and Go Home Earlier” tutorial provided by Carlos Antonio Neira Bustos. Carlos is going to represent a real life situation where debugging skills will save us time, headaches and possibly to find a solution using a minimal amount of effort.
Head on over to the following link to download this issue: http://bsdmag.org/download/bsd-august-2014/
iXsystems will be hosting this year’s MeetBSD California, at Western Digital located in San Jose. This “unConference” will take place on November 1-2, 2014.
MeetBSD California is the premier BSD conference in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its inception in 2008, MeetBSD California has been held every two years in Silicon Valley, bringing together BSD community members from all over the region and around the world.
Previous settings for MeetBSD California have included the Google and Yahoo! campuses and the Hacker Dojo in Mountain View. This year’s venue, the Western Digital campus in San Jose, will remind attendees that the hardware BSD runs on is just as important as the applications it can run.
Matt Rutledge, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Storage Technologies for WD, said “Open Source technology continues to be key to the future of scalable, maintainable computer systems, and groups like those that develop the BSD operating systems are a key part of that ecosystem. We’re thrilled to welcome the BSD community to WD for MeetBSD 2014, and look forward to the open, collaborative innovation they represent.”
Check out MeetBSD.com for more information on how to register.
Official announcement: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12077427.htm
