From: na...@panix.com (Hyung-song Nam)
Subject: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/17
Message-ID: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106431377
organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,
comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
hello,
I'm about to setup some P5-100 machines to provide
internet services. I need to choose an OS, and I have
come to three choices: Linux, FreeBSD, and Windows NT.
I will have a T1 or 56k and provide terminal
and PPP/SLIP access. I will also have a small network
connected via ethernet which I will use to teach net
classes. Server will probably serve about 10-20
machines simultaneously. One machine will be a
dedicated news server, and another will be ftp and web,
and another will be for terminal & PPP.
Which of the OS's above will best suit the job? I have
heard that FreeBSD is more stable, but linux users can
argue with that ( I myself use linux :) ). FreeBSD also
is known to have a better NFS performance, so that may
be a reason to choose FreeBSD. I personally don't think
Windows NT is well suited for ISP, but it may be easier
to configure and manage than unix machines.
I would like to get some feedback before I begin the
process. I would also like to know if it's practical
to provide PPP using a PC server instead of using a
terminal server(?). I would prefer email replies
since I can't check the newsgroups so often anymore.
thanx
--
-Hyung-song Nam
hn...@cornell.edu
na...@panix.com
From: pe...@nmti.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/17
Message-ID: <id.VAPL1.0SA@nmti.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106431403
sender: pe...@nmti.com (peter da silva)
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com>
organization: Network/development platform support, NMTI
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
In article <3ue5qa$a...@panix.com>, Hyung-song Nam <na...@panix.com> wrote:
> I'm about to setup some P5-100 machines to provide
> internet services. I need to choose an OS, and I have
> come to three choices: Linux, FreeBSD, and Windows NT.
If you want to let people have "shell" type accounts, NT won't work,
period. You'd have to install some sort of BBS software.
It's certainly possible to provide PPP using a PC. My ISP does it
using BSDI.
--
Peter da Silva (NIC: PJD2) `-_-'
Network Management Technology Incorporated 'U`
1601 Industrial Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 77478 USA
+1 713 274 5180 "Har du kramat din varg idag?"
From: yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw ()
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/18
Message-ID: <3uf3kc$d50@gate.sinica.edu.tw>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106431405
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <id.VAPL1.0SA@nmti.com>
followup-to: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
organization: Computing Center, Academia Sinica
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Peter da Silva (pe...@nmti.com) wrote:
: In article <3ue5qa$a...@panix.com>, Hyung-song Nam <na...@panix.com> wrote:
: > I'm about to setup some P5-100 machines to provide
: > internet services. I need to choose an OS, and I have
: > come to three choices: Linux, FreeBSD, and Windows NT.
Our company (an ISP) set up a (somewhat experimental) Linux 1.2.5 box as a
6-line PPP server - it crashes about every two days, the uptime is seldom
longer than 1 week. Like a time bomb. We are planning to move to FreeBSD.
And if FreeBSD is still not stable enough, we will eventually move to BSD/OS.
--
Yen-Wei Liu
Internet e-mail addres...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw
yw...@gate.sinica.edu.tw
FAX: +886-2-783-6444
From: d...@cistron.nl (Danny ter Haar)
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/20
Message-ID: <3uk1be$b8u@picard.cistron.nl>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106587596
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <id.VAPL1.0SA@nmti.com>
<3uf3kc$d50@gate.sinica.edu.tw>
organization: Cistron Internet Services - the Netherlands
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw () wrote:
>Our company (an ISP) set up a (somewhat experimental) Linux 1.2.5 box as a
>6-line PPP server - it crashes about every two days, the uptime is seldom
>longer than 1 week. Like a time bomb. We are planning to move to FreeBSD.
>And if FreeBSD is still not stable enough, we will eventually move to BSD/OS.
>
We are also an ISP using Linux very happily.
Although a major setup was required to act as a terminal server
(P/C/S/Uusername for PPP/(C)/Slip/UUCP connections)
it is running extremely well.
Actual output:
procinfo:
-----------
Linux version 1.2.11 (miq...@Q.cistron.nl) (gcc version 2.6.3) #1 [cs-1.alphen.cistron.nl]
Memory: Total Used Free Shared Buffers
Mem: 7056 6928 128 4664 2596
Swap: 8244 276 7968
Bootup: Mon Jul 10 08:46:51 1995 Load average: 0.07 0.02 0.00 1/28
user : 0:11:21.33 0.1% page in : 17120 disk 1: 510901
nice : 0:00:00.00 0.0% page out: 522532
system: 1:17:08.69 0.6% swap in : 68749
idle : 9d 14:17:28.90 99.4% swap out: 246
uptime: 9d 15:45:58.90 context : 5787922
irq 0: 83435893 timer irq 8: 0
irq 1: 8 keyboard irq 9: 0
irq 2: 0 cascade+ [4] irq 10: 118887530 cyclades
irq 3: 66253314 serial+ irq 11: 0
irq 4: 568253 serial+ irq 12: 0
irq 5: 0 irq 13: 1 math error
irq 6: 0 irq 14: 1631266 ide0+
irq 7: 0 irq 15: 10988469 ne2000
Hacked fingerd:
-----------------
cs-1.alphen.cistron.nl running Cistron LoginServer 0.1 (Linux 1.2.11)
12:33am up 9 days, 15:46, 6 users, load average: 0.17, 0.04, 0.01
Login Name What Idle TTY Host When Where
miquels Miquel van Smoore 0:18 p0 cs-1.alp Thu 00:08 Q
labyrint Wouter Labruyere PPP 0:08 44 cs-1.alp Thu 00:25 port13.alphen.cistr
tvg Ted van Gaalen PPP 0:28 35 cs-1.alp Thu 00:05 port04.alphen.cistr
johnp John Prins SLIP 1:25 34 cs-1.alp Wed 23:07 port03.alphen.cistr
tborn Ton van der Born PPP 1:29 33 cs-1.alp Wed 23:03 port02.alphen.cistr
dee Sander Dee PPP 0:27 41 cs-1.alp Thu 00:05 port10.alphen.cistr
--
d...@cistron.nl | I don't care who you are, you are not
Danny ter Haar | walking on the water while I'm fishing
>> Microsoft Network is prohibited from redistributing this work
>> in any form, in whole or in part
From: rob...@ec531667.slip.cc.uq.oz.au (Robert Brockway)
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/18
Message-ID: <3ufi7b$ju6@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106431458
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <id.VAPL1.0SA@nmti.com>
<3uf3kc$d50@gate.sinica.edu.tw>
organization: String to put in the Organization Header
reply-to: ec53...@student.uq.edu.au
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw wrote:
: Our company (an ISP) set up a (somewhat experimental) Linux 1.2.5 box as a
: 6-line PPP server - it crashes about every two days, the uptime is seldom
: longer than 1 week. Like a time bomb. We are planning to move to FreeBSD.
: And if FreeBSD is still not stable enough, we will eventually move to BSD/OS.
Linux is very stable, and almost all users see long uptimes.
I would check for hardware failures if i were you.
Both Linux and FreeBSD are being used successfully as ISP machines
and Anon ftp servers throughout the net.
I'm wondering about your statement about the system being 'somewhat
experimental'. what do you mean? if you mean it uses hardware with drivers
in alpha develpment then that is likely the problem :-)
-Robert
--Robert Brockway, email: ec53...@student.uq.edu.au
WWW: http://student.uq.edu.au/~ec531667
snail mail: never mind.
Always a Groomsman, never a Groom :-)
From: yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw ()
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/20
Message-ID: <3ukbb9$7ao@gate.sinica.edu.tw>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106587621
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <id.VAPL1.0SA@nmti.com>
<3uf3kc$d50@gate.sinica.edu.tw> <3ufi7b$ju6@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>
followup-to: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
organization: Computing Center, Academia Sinica
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Robert Brockway (rob...@ec531667.slip.cc.uq.oz.au) wrote:
: yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw wrote:
: : Our company (an ISP) set up a (somewhat experimental) Linux 1.2.5 box as a
: : 6-line PPP server - it crashes about every two days, the uptime is seldom
: : longer than 1 week. Like a time bomb. We are planning to move to FreeBSD.
: : And if FreeBSD is still not stable enough, we will eventually move to BSD/OS.
: Linux is very stable, and almost all users see long uptimes.
: I would check for hardware failures if i were you.
: Both Linux and FreeBSD are being used successfully as ISP machines
: and Anon ftp servers throughout the net.
: I'm wondering about your statement about the system being 'somewhat
: experimental'. what do you mean? if you mean it uses hardware with drivers
: in alpha develpment then that is likely the problem :-)
: -Robert
As for FreeBSD, we all know it works pretty amazingly on ftp.cdrom.com.
Check for hardware failure ? Geee, I don't know. A Boca 16port serial card.
I have no way to find out how it can be wrong. Probably a hardware failure.
But, IMHO, PPPD and kernel panic (we got a lot of PPPD panic; this may
be the probelm of PPPD or kernel) may very well a software issue. What
do you think ?
I have my own FTP server story about Linux 0.99plxx. See my other post.
"Experinental" means we are still evaluating the stability and support
of different Unices as our future platform.
What happened to me was : now matter what other people say how stable
Linux it is, I never got my luck. So, should I believe what I saw and
got , or other users' words ? (No flame, no critism. Only a joke. 8-)
I have no choice.
--
Yen-Wei Liu
Internet e-mail addres...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw
yw...@gate.sinica.edu.tw
FAX: +886-2-783-6444
From: miq...@cistron.nl (Miquel van Smoorenburg)
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/21
Message-ID: <3uo1mt$5uv@picard.cistron.nl>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106708118
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <3uf3kc$d50@gate.sinica.edu.tw>
<3ufi7b$ju6@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au> <3ukbb9$7ao@gate.sinica.edu.tw>
organization: Cistron Internet Services - the Netherlands
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
In article <3ukbb9$7...@gate.sinica.edu.tw>,
<yw...@beta.wsl.sinica.edu.tw> wrote:
>
>As for FreeBSD, we all know it works pretty amazingly on ftp.cdrom.com.
>I have my own FTP server story about Linux 0.99plxx. See my other post.
ftp.cica.indiana.edu, one of the busiest sites on the net (max 256 anon
ftp users) runs linux 1.2.10...
Mike.
--
Miquel van Smoorenburg, miq...@cistron.nl Cistron Internet Services
Mail in...@cistron.nl An independent Dutch Internet Provider
for more information <A Href = "http://www.cistron.nl/">CIS</A>
+31-1720-19445 (Voice) 30979 (Fax) 42580 (Data) - Alphen a/d Rijn
From: j...@violet.berkeley.edu (Jordan K. Hubbard)
Subject: Re: Internet service providing-which OS?
Date: 1995/07/22
Message-ID: <3upm66$ev@agate.berkeley.edu>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106708128
references: <3ue5qa$ain@panix.com> <3ufi7b$ju6@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>
<3ukbb9$7ao@gate.sinica.edu.tw> <3uo1mt$5uv@picard.cistron.nl>
organization: University of California, Berkeley
newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.ms-windows.networking.tcp-ip,
comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
In article <3uo1mt$5...@picard.cistron.nl>,
Miquel van Smoorenburg <miq...@cistron.nl> wrote:
>ftp.cica.indiana.edu, one of the busiest sites on the net (max 256 anon
>ftp users) runs linux 1.2.10...
Oh?
230-** To request automatic help, e-mail: f...@cica.indiana.edu
230-** To contact us via e-mail: ftp-...@cica.indiana.edu
230-** [deleted for brevity's sake]
230-** You are user number: 96 (of a possible 125)
230-** Local time is: Fri Jul 21 20:51:59 1995 [EST]
I'd say a max of 125 is significantly less than 256..
By way of contrast, let's go now to ftp.cdrom.com - the FreeBSD 2.0.5
box:
...
230-Welcome to wcarchive - home ftp site for Walnut Creek CDROM.
230-There are currently 297 users out of 300 possible.
Trust me, the difference between 125 and 300 is *very significant*
and I should know, having spent many hours playing with the limits
on ftp.cdrom.com. I can easily make the machine thrash its guts
out by bumping the limit up to 500 since the physical limitations
of RAM vs swap are always there, regardless of the OS. For every
10 users you add, you can see (and feel) a very measurable difference
in system load!
I'm not saying that this is prima-facie evidence that FreeBSD beats
Linux, far from it. I'm saying that in all such comparisons, regardless
of the conclusion reached, you need to make sure you're comparing
apples with apples. 125 users does not in any way compare to 300,
nor do I think that cica's link to the net is as fast as ftp.cdrom.com's
(directly on the backbone at ethernet speed) which means that the users
are stressing the system more with those 300 connections as they're
able to pull more bits per connection across. If you're shoving 300
users through a T1 pipe, by comparison, then the system spends most
of its time twiddling its thumbs with the ftpds sleeping on the
overloaded link. It would take 7 fully saturated T1 lines to equal
what ftp.cdrom.com is now pumping out.
Jordan