Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 17:12:04 -0500 From: Glenn Johnson <gjohnson@nola.srrc.usda.gov> To: "Jeremy Domingue" <jer@hughes.net> Cc: current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Disgruntled Linux User... questions about FreeBSD Message-ID: <199807132212.RAA02798@symbion.srrc.usda.gov> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 13 Jul 1998 11:02:45 PDT." <009501bdae88$70e84f20$6e2f87d0@ws-47-110.selectaswitch.com>
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I used Linux for a while so I may be of some help. I must say that I did not experience problems with Linux of the magnitude that you outlined but I can say without any hesitation that FreeBSD is better. > > 1) First and foremost, I am wondering what issues I will face being a user > very accustomed to linux. I know there will be differences between linux and > FreeBSD, but can anyone outline some of the major ones? The first thing you will probably notice is that rather than have a ton of software packages to choose whether to install or not, the FreeBSD installation process loads a fairly minimal (relative to RedHat Linux) set of tools. You then build your system up with the ports/packages that you select. Also, there is no "default" X configuration. The next thing you will notice is that FreeBSD uses csh by default and Linux uses Bash. Bash is available in the ports but of course needs to be installed later. When it comes to administration, Linux, particularly RedHat uses SYSV initialazion scripts for each service it starts up. The BSD style is to basically configure the system with variable initializations in one script, ie. /etc/rc.conf. Also, there are no runlevels as in Linux, although there are different security levels and a single user mode. > > 2) Is there a way I can install FreeBSD without losing all of the stuff on > the server right now such as user files, web pages, programs, etc? And > possibly keep linux on there somewhere in case I ever decide to go back? > Yes, refer to the installation instructions for partioning your disk. > > 3) Is anyone using SMP on FreeBSD with an Adaptec 7880 on-board SCSI > controller? Linux people keep telling me that this is not a good > configuration for Linux... how about for FreeBSD? > Yes, I have 4 such systems running large computational chemistry calculations. They literally run 24/7 with 100% CPU load. I also have two other systems with dual PentiumPros. > > 4) I know that the current build of FreeBSD is listed as development and > should not be used in a mission critical environment, however, what are > people's experiences with it so far? If it seems to be fairly stable, I > would be willing to give it a shot... I really need the SMP support. > Well, I consider the jobs that my systems do to be mission critiacal. I have a total of 6 FreeBSD SMP systems and have never had a crash. The only problem I have had in the past year and a half with -CURRENT was a few months ago when NFS was broken for a few weeks. That has since been fixed. I find it necessary to closely monitor the state of -CURRENT via the mailing lists and commit e-mails. > > 5) Are there any other problems or issues I may face with my hardware > configuration (listed below)? > > > Hardware Configuration: > > Gateway (formerly ALR) NS-7000 Server > Dual PII 266mhz > 512mb EDO ECC SDRAM (all from the same lot, same manufacturer) > Adaptec 7880 on-board SCSI controller > 3Com 10/100 Ethernet Card > 2-4.1gb IBM SCSI hard drives The only possible problem you may have is with the Ethernet card. I am assuming that is one of the so-called vortex cards. If it is a 3C509, you are OK; if it is a 3C509B, then it will not work. I understand that there is a driver being worked on but I do not know when it will be available. Ethernet cards are not terribly expensive and most people recommend the Intel EtherExpress Pro 100+. > > I would also be very interested in hearing from other previous (or current) > Linux users' experiences with FreeBSD, and what comments they may have about > the differences and advantages (especially stability-wise) to using FreeBSD > instead of Linux. > I find the ports/package system of FreeBSD to be much less of a pain than the package (rpm) system of RedHat. I find it easier to administer FreeBSD as well, but these types of things are really a matter of taste. By the way, FreeBSD can run Linux binaries. Finally, I do not know much about Linux mailing lists but the FreeBSD mailing lists are excellent. I try to figure out things as much I can on my own, but when I have asked a question I get a courteous and accurate response within a day. I hope this helps. Good luck! -- Glenn Johnson Technician USDA, ARS, SRRC New Orleans, LA To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
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