OpenBSD 4.1 Released

adstro writes to quote from the BSD mailing list: "We are pleased to announce the official release of OpenBSD 4.1. This is our 21st release on CD-ROM (and 22nd via FTP). We remain proud of OpenBSD's record of ten years with only two remote holes in the default install. As in our previous releases, 4.1 provides significant improvements, including new features, in nearly all areas of the system."

Re:Downloads

[astrashe]

You can download a very small minimal iso and do a net install. I did it this evening -- the core system is pretty small, and comes down quickly. It's not as inconvenient as you might think.

Re:Downloads

[Anonymous Coward]

Why don't people understand that the world of ISOs isn't practical
for EVERYTHING? They're not "refusing" anything, the OpenBSD people
provide an easy manner to obtain and install OpenBSD via ftp.

For beginners, and for people who don't understand try looking here:

http://www.openbsd101.com/ [openbsd101.com]

The above site is Linux user friendly.

Re:Downloads

[evilviper]

Why not a link to the .iso download page in the article?

For the same reason Linux kernels, and any other files aren't directly linked in /. articles.

Just for you: ftp://ftp5.usa.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/4.1/i386/cd 41.iso [openbsd.org]

I can't believe OpenBSD is still refusing to provide Official ISOs.

Creating an ISO is positively trivial. The file system layout is exactly the same as the FTP tree. Just be sure to make it bootable with mkisofs -b, or whatever "bootable" check-box your Win32 CD burner program has...

Not to mention that there are dozens of different ways to install, and a bootable CD is rarely the most convenient. FTP install is quite handy.

It's only for non-x86 systems that creating bootable CDs is somewhat difficult. And even there, I'd much rather create my own multiple system CD than download an x86 ISO, an Alpha ISO, a Sparc ISO, and burn each to several different (mostly-empty) CDs.

Re:Yea, but...

[LizardKing]

To which the stock answer is, yes OpenBSD does run Linux - Linunx binaries at any rate (linux_compat(8) [openbsd.org]). I don't know about OpenBSD, but on NetBSD this works very well. Before a native JDK 1.4.2 was available for NetBSD I ran the Linux binaries of it under emulation.

3 Years and Counting

[p0]

I setup an OpenBSD box about 3 years ago. It has multiple gigE's and processes a reasonably tough load of network traffic 24 hours a day, even today. It has never ever crashed! it is not just crash proof, it simply doesn't give any other problems of any kind whatsover, heck I dont even know what to write in this darned comment!

Thanks for this. OpenBSD is rock solid!

Re:Downloads

[kestasjk]

Creating an ISO is positively trivial. The file system layout is exactly the same as the FTP tree. Just be sure to make it bootable with mkisofs -b, or whatever "bootable" check-box your Win32 CD burner program has...

If that's too challenging you can also burn the minimal ISO, and burn the install files to another CD. Boot up off the minimal ISO, then use the second CD as the source for the installation tarballs.

Re:Downloads

[turing_m]

Or you could download everything in the ftp directory on another computer, host it locally, and install from there. Quicker and you don't waste a CDR.

Re:Downloads

[mindstormpt]

Not that BSD tools helps output is any useful anyway.

On the other hand their manpages actually say something.

No ISO policy

[PhotoGuy]

While I hear great things about OpenBSD, and realize it is for a niche market where stability and security are the number one concern, it seems to me that more people would check it out and use it, if not for this policy:

"The OpenBSD project does not make the ISO images used to master the official CDs available for download. The reason is simply that we would like you to buy the CD sets to help fund ongoing OpenBSD development. The official OpenBSD CD-ROM layout is copyright Theo de Raadt. Theo does not permit people to redistribute images of the official OpenBSD CDs. As an incentive for people to buy the CD set, some extras are included in the package as well (artwork, stickers etc).

Note that only the CD layout is copyrighted, OpenBSD itself is free. Nothing precludes someone else from downloading OpenBSD and making their own CD. If for some reason you want to download a CD image, try searching the mailing list archives for possible sources. Of course, any OpenBSD ISO images available on the Internet either violate Theo de Raadt's copyright or are not official images. The source of an unofficial image may or may not be trustworthy; it is up to you to determine this for yourself."

Now, FTP installs are pretty slick in these days of prevalent high speed; still, it seems a bit silly and arbitrary to intentionally restrict ISO distribution, to try and sell a few discs. The people who are willing to pay, would buy regardless of a free ISO being available (corporations and IT departments like having the official discs, and such).

I guess more than anything, this policy stikes me as a bit of "attitude", which turns me off the distribution, more than the mild inconvenience of not having ISO's readily available.

Re:No ISO policy

[DaMattster]

I understand your frustration with the policy and the attitude that it might imply but let me show you the other side of the story. The OpenBSD team works very hard to produce these releases and get little support in the form of donations from large companies that use pieces of the operating system. Theo De Raadt asked Sun for a donation for one of his hackathons and was not even given the time of day. He was not even answered which is tantamount to a 'no.' Given that OpenBSD provided extensive assistance to Sun in the integration of OpenSSH and voluntarily reported bugs in Sun's version (as well as others), I think it really would have been no skin off of Sun's back to provide a donation. The principle form of income for the project to function comes from sales of OpenBSD CD-ROMS. You could still make your own ISO, but please keep in mind the hard work of this project. Honestly, 50.00 is a drop in the bucket and you help keep the future of a good project stable.

Re:OpenBSD 4.1 Release Song

[chriscappuccio]

They didn't show it very well in the cartoon, but the linux pengiun "stealing" the documentation is analogous to signing an NDA, as nobody else gets to see the documentation (the whole point of the NDA)

And then for signing the NDA, he gets "stabbed" by the real thieves and he "dies" (what happens to devices when there's no documentation)