Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2020 16:25:15 +1100 From: Dewayne Geraghty <dewayne@heuristicsystems.com.au> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Technological advantages over Linux Message-ID: <45c7debd-be20-2f43-df50-8e63c0182cd8@heuristicsystems.com.au>
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Victor, I was responsible for security at a bank which had 700 Linux servers and phasing out ~100 older non-linux servers. I suggested using FreeBSD and the blanked-face response was why? At the end of my term, there was no FreeBSD boxes, because Linux had management's mindset. Look at any CIO magazine, and you'll understand the herding instinct. Why consider FreeBSD? Stability and predictability, largely due to FreeBSD engineering & release management practices. FreeBSD goes through multiple steps from idea inception to public release (ports are handled differently), as follows: - idea - peer technical review(s) - enters into "Current" for integrated testing, depending on complexity or potential impact the migration window going into stable will be intelligently adjusted (3d to a month) - enters into "Stable" for wider testing as there is increased confidence - enters beta testing - usually three rounds, wider community engagement - enters release candidate testing - usually 3 rounds - a release for us! So you can be pretty confident that things are going to continue to work, provided that you understand the release/upgrading notes. - patches are released, as required, typically to vulnerabilities Ultimately it comes down to what applications can I run. Generally all applications are going to run on each, so what differentiates? For me, the highlights of FreeBSD are lightweight jails, geom (geli, gmirror and gshsec), audit management, mandatory access controls (portacl, ifoff, mls/,...), and the knowledge that cowboy behaviour undergoes impedance. Together these contribute to a known state that can remain secure. I've run an outsource for 10 years using only FreeBSD servers and boundary devices; reboots occurred when we replaced the UPS batteries or there was a critical kernel patch. So I did bet the business on FreeBSD. Technical arguments - I'd leave to others, but its the non-technical argument that will win management. PS The bank remained on Linux because that's what the cloud providers' knew; and Operations were funding a service not a tech. -- *** NOTICE This email and any attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information and may be protected by copyright. You must not use or disclose them other than for the purposes for which they were supplied. The privilege or confidentiality attached to this message and attachments is not waived by reason of mistaken delivery to you. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not use, disclose, retain, forward or reproduce this message or any attachments. If you receive this message in error please notify the sender by return email or telephone and destroy and delete all copies. ***
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