FreeBSD is a derivative of BSD, the UNIX version that was developed at the University of California, Berkley. It is a complete operating system that offers advanced networking, performance, and security—aspects that are still missing in other operating systems, including some of the "best" commercial operating systems.

FreeBSD is capable of providing robust network services even under the heaviest of loads. It also uses memory efficiently so that good response times are maintained even through thousands of simultaneous user processes.

Because of its reliability and exceptional capabilities, FreeBSD has garnered the attention of high profile companies. It has been used to power some of the most well known sites on the web, including cdrom.com, Hotmail, and Yahoo! The Sony corporation also relies on FreeBSD to run its Web servers.

Vault Networks, too, believes in the power of FreeBSD. We currently deploy FreeBSD on all dedicated servers and install Plesk and cPanel control panels on the FreeBSD operating system.

FreeBSD History

FreeBSD is a complete operating system that runs on processors compatible with:

• The Intel x86 Family.
• DEC Alpha.
• UltraSPARC Processors by Sun Microsystems.
• Itanium (IA-64).
• AMD64.
• PowerPC.
• ARM.
• MIPS.

It is unlike other operating systems because the kernel, device drivers, and userland utilities are all in the same CVS. Linux, on the other hand, uses a kernel created by one team of developers and the userland utilities and applications are created by another. These are all then packaged together to be published as Linux distributions.

FreeBSD's development began in 1993, but due to some legal issues concerning sources, it was re-engineered for the release of FreeBSD 2.0 in January of 1995. FreeBSD 2.0 offered a completely revamped Mach Virtual Memory system that allowed the system to perform exceptionally well under high loads. A ports system was also created to make downloading, building, and installing third party software as easy as possible.

When FreeBSD 3.0 was releases, it was switched to ELF binary format. It also initialized support for SMP systems and provided support for the new 64-bit platform called the Alpha.

The most recent FreeBSD release considered "stable" is FreeBSD 6.1, which was released in May of 2006. A 7.0 version is currently being developed.

FreeBSD Advantages

In addition to reliability, FreeBSD dedicated servers offer a number of unique advantages over other custom dedicated servers. Those advantages include:

• Ability to run most applications only distributed as Linux: FreeBSD provides binary compatibility with many Unix-like operating systems, which allows users to run Linux applications like StarOffice, the Linux version of NetScape, Adobe Acrobat, RealPlayer, VMware, Oracle, WordPerfect, Skype, Doom3, Quake 4, the Unreal Tournament series, and SeaMonkey. Typically, no adverse performance issues are noticed when running Linux binaries rather than those applications native to FreeBSD.
• Developed to be a complete operating system: Because the entire system is developed by one team, from the kernel, to the device drivers, and all the way to the shell, FreeBSD can be relied upon to function in an exceptionally efficient manner. This is different from most operating systems that are comprised of various solutions bundled together and published as one product.
• Advanced solutions without the politics: Open Source software sounds like a really wonderful thing. Who doesn't want free software? But, many people aren't interested in running software that identifies itself with a rebellious attitude toward major corporations like Microsoft. FreeBSD offers its users an alternative Open Source solution. With FreeBSD, you get an operating system that's highly advanced, rock-solid, and doesn't carry any political baggage.
• Reduced time for installing patches: FreeBSD doesn't require you to apply a multitude of security patches that take away from the time you have to focus on the real work at hand. Windows and Linux servers are among the most commonly targeted, so their customers spend countless hours installing security patches each time a new virus is created. In contrast, dedicated FreeBSD servers are rarely targeted.
• Reduced costs: Developing a commercial UNIX installation can cost a great deal of money that could be better spent elsewhere. FreeBSD is a cheaper alternative that doesn't require you to sacrifice performance.