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Date:      Tue, 29 Sep 1998 15:07:59 +0930
From:      Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>
To:        Joe Raine <questav@questronix.com.au>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Firewall?
Message-ID:  <19980929150759.N15172@freebie.lemis.com>
In-Reply-To: <199809290400.OAA20985@oznet14.ozemail.com.au>; from Joe Raine on Tue, Sep 29, 1998 at 02:13:22PM %2B1000
References:  <199809290400.OAA20985@oznet14.ozemail.com.au>

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On Tuesday, 29 September 1998 at 14:13:22 +1000, Joe Raine wrote:
> Hi,
> My company intends to become its own internet provider and I realise that
> we have a lot of learning to do! I have had a look at MS NT4 Server with MS
> Backoffice, but it costs a bomb and basically crippled an otherwise OK
> Pentium 120MHz machine (Boy, did it slow down!!).
>
> I have been getting the FreeBSD newsletters for a while and have to admit
> that they go straight over my head on the whole, but some info sticks, so
> there's hope for me yet :)
>
> It looks like FreeBSD is fast and efficient. My questions...
>
> 1. Is the learning curve horrendous for someone who is only versed in DOS
> and Windows?

Difficult to say.  It depends on you, and it depends on what you
consider horrendous.  Others have done it, and I personally think that
I can understand the stuff better than Microsoft.  Take heart, anyway:
it's not insurmountable.

> 2. Will there be any compatibility problems integrating a FreeBSD machine
> into a Win'95 peer-to-peer network?

Doubtless.  Depending on what you want to do, they could be easy or
not-so-easy to solve.  Again, it's been done many times.

> 3. Does FreeBSD have a firewall built-in or is that available as a
> similarly-priced add-on?

Yes.  There are a couple on the distribution CDs.  They're technically
add-ons.

> 4. We want to offer on-line transaction facilities eventually. Is FreeBSD
> up to the task, especially in regard to security issues?

Yes.

> 5. I would prefer to purchase the CD-ROM version of FreeBSD, is a printed
> manual also available?

There's "The Complete FreeBSD", second edition
(http://www.cdrom.com/titles/os/bsdbook2.htm).  It's expensive to ship
from the USA (1600 pages); I can send you a copy if you want.

Greg
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