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Metawire.org Admin On OpenBSD Hosting

Posted by timothy on from the don't-lose-your-password dept.

hext0r writes "Open Hosting provider metawire.org administrator Daniel Selans recently wrote an informative article for the OpenBSD Journal about the difficulties and successes in running a free hosting provider using OpenBSD. It's an informative read for anyone considering starting any type of hosting company using free technologies."

8 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. *BSD IS UNDYING by Leffe · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Maybe *BSD died back then... but it's most surely coming back! Just take a look at the latest NetCraft survey and you'll see that they have come back a little.

    I think this article confirms it. Just check where it's posted: http://undeadly.org/, doesn't that light some lights!?

    One thing that I can most definatelly note is that with the use of OpenBSD, the experience was made by far simpler, and headache free. The common belief out there is that OpenBSD is best used for security gateways, firewalls, routers and etc. Well, I personally do not believe so. The capability of this OS is only admin deep. The more you know, the more you can achieve. I have personally ran OpenBSD in large enterprise environments as web servers, file servers, database servers, and frankly, it's resource management and speed is uncomparable to most other operating systems out there, multiply that with the security standards, and you've got an amazing OS.

    I feel like installing OpenBSD!

  2. Nitpick by sreeram · · Score: 3, Interesting
    about the difficulties and successes in running a free hosting provider using OpenBSD

    I didn't see anything negative in that article. Nor any major "difficulties". He made it sound like it was a breeze - just put together a bunch of scripts and it's all done.

    PS: I love OpenBSD. Like Daniel, I also use it as both a server and a desktop workstation. I just wish people would RTFA.

    1. Re:Nitpick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Especially disappointing was that there weren't any explanations of why OpenBSD would be better than FreeBSD or NetBSD. I'm looking hard at moving from Linux to BSD, and I've got more questions that need answering than I had when I moved from Windows to Linux.

      How does OpenBSD handle package management? Is it conducive to compiling everything by hand? Are there any serious packages that OpenBSD lacks? Will I have a lot of trouble if I want to use example_package-3.1.5 but the package system only has example_package-3.2.2 in it?

      The BSDs have several advantages over Linux, especially the way the systems are engineered, but it's also very nice to be able to pick and choose the versions of software I want to run, rather than needing to rely on a package manager for them.

    2. Re:Nitpick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      "This OS over that OS" arguements invite flamewars, and are all too often just disinformation anyway. Any 'ix can be used for whatever purpose you like, and usually the best one for *your* job is the one *you* are most familiar with.

      I use OpenBSD for just about every task imaginable (and the other BSDs and various Linux flavors as well BTW). These days the only big software package I can think of that isn't working on OpenBSD is OpenOffice (related to some problem with the OpenOffice build system I think, but don't quote me), which might be relevent for some desktop users. Mozilla and native Java are now working pretty well. Problems that once existed with MySQL also seem to have disappeared some time ago (admittedly, I've never stressed it though, and I prefer PostGre anyway).

      Work has been done to make the 8 GB install barrier has disappear finally (I think this is done: I can't quite remember), and even SMP is being worked on actively -- so perhaps some time in the not too distant future ...

  3. Amen. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I would just like to echo that Metawire is by far the best shell hosting I have ever used. I think I was one of the first signups, and since the beginning they allow alot of trust to their users and aren't restrictive.

    Metawire is simply exactly what it says on the tin. Free, and amazing shell hosting, have them for an email account, or your website, for hosting scripts and whatever else you can think of.

    Great service.

    The cost is picked up by the administrators themselves, and it's ran extremely professionally with complete regard for their users.

    Simply by the services they allow you can see that OpenBSD is a great OS for just about anything and everything.

    1. Re:Amen. by miryth · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well, I have to say, I'm a bit less than pleased with the email service... it tends to work fine, just... late. Very late. Not all the time, though, just enough so I'm looking forward to G-mail or whatever :p

  4. Ack! by __aavhli5779 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Metawire.org, my precious server, slashdotted!

    I guess we can consider the fact that it's still up a testament to OpenBSD :)

    In all seriousness, though, OpenBSD has been a blessing for running Metawire. I joined the admin team a few months ago, after having been a lowly user and an active member of the community since last year, and have found (as Danny put so well in his article) that the biggest challenges in terms of maintaining a secure and stable server with thousands of users are well met by a system with a philosophy like OpenBSD's.

    The challenges that OpenBSD and a proper user management system (which I have been an active developer on since I was made an admin) can not handle are those that plague any provider of a free service, namely the ages-old Tragedy of the Commons.

    Garret Hardin's prophetic essay deals mainly with the human tendency for one to maximize the usage of any communal space for his own personal gain, and at the same time to shirk the responsibilities of its upkeep since it is not "his". As this applies to being a free shell provider on the Internet, you have to deal constantly with users who apply, abuse the service, are given the boot, and then show up again. As far as they are concerned it is a common space, freely available, for which they are not responsible. Since they do not take ownership in any sense, what responsibility to they have to keep things OK for others?

    The "tragedy of the commons" manifests itself in the biggest administrative headaches the team has had to face so far. People signing up to use bandwidth-hogging psyBNCs/IRC proxies to get past bans on networks or keep nicknames alive, people using our service to mailbomb, people using it to host illegal materials... Had they been using a paid shell (which are widely available) for which they had some degree of "ownership" and at least an implied responsibility to follow the rules, their behavior might be less destructive, but because they are using a free resource, they feel unburdened by any responsibility towards other users and the administrative staff.

    I could let these failings of human nature get me down, but thankfully there is another tool which can fill in where OpenBSD fails. Perhaps even the vagaries of man can be overcome...

    by Perl :P

  5. By the numbers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Compare this fact:

    "Only one remote hole in the default install, in more than 7 years!"

    Please list all of your superior OS' that can match that this track record.

    I await your list/answers!!