629 words [ 9 Screenshots ] [ 26 Versions ] [ 2 Weblinks ] - Last update: 2023-12-22 Page created: 2004-04-03 [SB]
NetBSD
NetBSD is a UNIX derivative and is descended directly from the Berkeley Networking Release 2 (BSD Net/2) and was published for the first time in March 1993. NetBSD was provided for several platforms from the beginning and got that way to the Atari, Amiga, Mac, PC and other platforms. The strengths are besides the UNIX relationship in the platform general application of a stable operating system in research and development areas. Moreover, it is compatible for POSIX and stands under the BSD licence. NetBSD supports cross-compiling to compile the source code of any platform also for other. One of the 4 co-founders of the NetBSD project warned on 200608-30 in an open e-mail to the NetBSD users that NetBSD is threatened to get irrelevant.NetBSD supports in Version 1.6.1 11 different CPU families in 17 different system architectures as like x86, SPARC, 68K, VAX, Alpha and PowerPC. There are further 12 different platforms, which only are offered as source code. Altogether, 52 different system architectures are supported now. Depending on the processor NetBSD is useable with 32-bit or 64-bit processing. No SMP is supported till now, the mode shall be integrated in a later version.
Compared with Linux, NetBSD is primarily different in the system structure and the console programs. About a binary emulation applications also programmed for Linux in ELF format can be used. Especially for NetBSD the graphic server XFree86 4.2.0, GNU C compiler gcc 2.95.3 and further applications where adapted. The latest version of the user interface KDE 3 can just be compiled for NetBSD. As a file system UFS or better LFS is used. LDAP authentificatiom and also NDS are supported for ethernet.
Compared to the previous version 1.5 new supported Platforms where added, the performance of the file system was improved, the Pipe and the PPPoE implementation is now integrated into the Kernel. For use on modern hardware becomes now support for USB 2.0 and IrDA. By several code audits the security of the operating system was further improved. Further details for the modifications and bug fixes are in the release announcement to NetBSD 1.6 readable.
On December, 09. 2004 was introduced the Version 2.0. This version has speed improvements onto the file systems and the memory management as well as new supported hardware platforms and devices. NetBSD runs now on 54 different hardware platforms and offers POSIX-Threads as well as balanced multiprocessing (SMP), ACPI and energy management for some systems like i386, SPARC and PowerPC.
NetBSD 2.1 was published at 2005-11-02. The support for much new devices was added and hundreds of bug fixes included.
NetBSD 3.0 brought greater improvements in the stability, efficiency and improved the network component and safety in the release at 2005-12-23. New device drivers and two new platforms provide a broader support. NetBSD 3.0.1 was published at 2006-07-24. It contains the first critical security related update of the NetBSD 3.0 main branch. Also NetBSD 3.0.2 brought the second critical security update at 2006-11-04 and with release NetBSD 3.1 also new features.
The new version NetBSD 4.0 shows up on 2007-12-19. The virtual Machine Xen v3, support of Bluetooth and different energy management functions are contained in it like Enhanced Speedstep and PowerNow. Many device drivers are added, the support of embedded Platforms with ARM, PowerPC and MIPS processors was enlarged. Altogether, NetBSD is available in binary form for 51 different systems.
In April 2009 NetBSD 5.0 was finished. The long period between the previous release have been used to improve the performance and scalability. The use of multiprocessor systems is also supported by the improved threading subsystem. As an X-server, X.Org X11 is now used instead of XFree86. The ACPI power management can now be used on many laptops. The number of device drivers was increased.
Date - Version
1993 April - NetBSD 0.81993 Aug. - NetBSD 0.91994 Oct. - NetBSD 1.01995 Nov. - NetBSD 1.11996 Oct. - NetBSD 1.21997 May - NetBSD 1.2.11998 Jan. - NetBSD 1.31998 Dec. - NetBSD 1.3.31999 May - NetBSD 1.41999 Aug. - NetBSD 1.4.12000 March - NetBSD 1.4.22000 Dec. - NetBSD 1.52001 July - NetBSD 1.5.12001 Sept. - NetBSD 1.5.22002 July - NetBSD 1.5.32002 Sept. - NetBSD 1.62003 April - NetBSD 1.6.12004 March - NetBSD 1.6.22004 Dec. - NetBSD 2.02005 April - NetBSD 2.0.22005 Nov. - NetBSD 2.12005 Dec. - NetBSD 3.02006 July - NetBSD 3.0.12006 Nov. - NetBSD 3.0.2 and NetBSD 3.12007 Dec - NetBSD 4.0 released2009 April - NetBSD 4.5 released