Which OS should we use?

sp0ng3b0b sp0ng3b0b at sbcglobal.net
Tue Jan 11 17:48:40 PST 2005


Paul Schmehl wrote:
> We're getting ready to create some new servers from scratch 
> (format/install).  We've been using 4.9 and 4.10 for a while now with no 
> problems.  We've got one 5.3 box setup for test purposes.
> 
> On this list I have seen comments about instability issues in 5.3.  
> These servers need to be stable.  Should we install 4.10/11?  Or move up 
> to 5.3?

I'm in the same boat. I've had mixed results with 5.3. I advise you to 
test it out for your needs. If your hardware and apps play well 
together, go for it. As a web, mysql and samba server, I've had no 
problems.

As an IDS running snort, I've had problems with the nge driver. I need 
these NICs for monitoring gigabit links. Simply "uping" the interface 
caused FreeBSD to panic. I posted here and opened a problem report, but 
got no replies. FWIW, I never saw a kernel panic until I used 5.3, but I 
  do acknowledge that the technology added is new and results may very.

In the end, I still use FreeBSD 5.3 for servers when I can. I think the 
new SMP stuff is great. I don't like using the 4.x line since its doomed 
soon. ;)

I also know that Yahoo operates a lot of FreeBSD servers. I would love 
to hear their results if they are testing 5.3.

One last comment, I must admit that in order to get something stable for 
my IDSs, I installed Gentoo.




More information about the freebsd-questions mailing list