-OpenBSD looks a lot like NetBSD (which it is derived from, following
-the 4.4BSD roots), but is now being developed seperately. Good changes
-from other free operating systems will be merged in (of course, depending
-on various factors like developer time for example.) OpenBSD tracks
-NetBSD changes very closely; say anywhere between 2 days to 10 days
-behind the state of NetBSD-current all the time. Hence you can truly
-say that OpenBSD is NetBSD PLUS MORE STUFF.
-
-
-
-Various additions have been made. This is only a small partial list of
-the major machine independent changes (ie. it is the most interesting
-changes or what people ask about most often). Check the specific port
-you are interested in for further details of that port -- many of them
-have been extended too.
-
-
Many many NetBSD PR's fixed (which NetBSD has not yet fixed)
-
New curses library, including libform, libpanel and libmenu.
-
a termlib library which understands termcap.db, needed for new curses.
-
The FreeBSD ports subsystem was integrated and is usable by you!
-
ipfilter for filtering dangerous packets
-
better ELF support
-
nlist() that understands ELF, ECOFF, and a.out, allowing non-a.out ports
- to use kvm utilies
-
Verbatim integration of the GNU tools (using a wrapper Makefile)
-
All the pieces needed for cross compilation are in the source tree.
-
Some LKM support in the tree.
-
ATAPI support (should work on all ISA busses)
-
new scsi, md5, pkg_* commands
-
Numerous security related fixes
-
Kerberos and other crypto in the source tree that is exportable
-
Solid YP master, server, and client capabilities.
-
/dev/*random -- a device driver providing some kinds of random data
-
In-kernel update(8) with an adaptive algorithm
-
Some ddb improvements and extensions
-
Numerous scsi fixes
-
ncheck utility for ffs
-
/sbin/init now deals with non-existant ttys, no longer spins gettys madly.
-
new system calls: rfork(), minherit(), poll().
-
select() that can handle any amount of file descriptors.
-
kernfs extensions
-
ATM support (support for one company's sparc & i386 cards available)
-
Boot kernels with "-c" to edit/enable/disable device configuration tables
-
pax as tar, gnutar is toast
-
using AT&T awk, gawk is toast
-
Even more security fixes.
-
Accepts FreeBSD MD5 passwords in password maps, soon will be able to
- generate them too
-
Linux ext2fs and BSD4.4 LFS support being worked on.
-
Working ATAPI audio support for multiple architectures.
-
terminfo database support.
-
Fortran in the tree.
-
The most secure rdist support anywhere.
-
randomized port allocation in bind(), bindresvport(), and rresvport() --
- security via unpredictability.
-
Protection from the udp spamming and ftp bounce attacks.
-
Significantly improved ftp daemon.
-
Numerous more security policy and implimentation improvements (OpenBSD
- defaults to installing in a very secure mode)
-
zlib (non-GPL'd gzip-compatible library)
-
Newest version of pppd.
-
_POSIX_SAVED_IDS behaviour with permitted BSD extensions.
-
Fixed long-standing vm swap-leak.
-
FreeBSD malloc() that uses mmap() and is able to free unused memory.
-
Numerous FreeBSD userland fixes and improvements incorporated.
-
new rdisc Router Discovery daemon
-
generic protection against the bind() takeover problem.
-
at -f security fix.
-
install now supports -C, -p, and -S flags.
-
a real adduser program, which can even be used uninteractively.
-
POSIX & C2 requirement; lose setuid/setgid bits if owner/group changed
- by chown(). This can be turned off with sysctl.
-
partial protection against tcp SYN attacks.
-
added /etc/fbtab support to login & init.
-
RCS version 5.7
-
much newer join command (4.4lite2 with other fixes)
-
scsi subsystem security fix
-
Kerberos is much more silent if not configured
-
arc4-based random support in kernel
-
ncr53cXXX scsi scripts assembler
-
Numerous ftpd improvements and fixes, including multihomed support.
-
`lsof'-style features in fstat.
-
/bin/ksh (latest version of pdksh) with more fixes.
-
rudimentary support for ISA Plug-and-Play cards
-
Fixed timeout support in RPC library, and also fixed it to support more
- than FD_SETSIZE file descriptors.
-
improved locate command
-
a good start at NETIPX support
-
nvi version 1.76
-
gcc 2.7.2.1 (to get closer to native alpha support and fix a few other gcc
- bugs).
-
latest version of perl, and a lndir command.
-
Even more security fixes.
-
cdio command for using CD audio.
-
Kernel warns if /dev/console does not exist; nice warning for booting with
- an unpopulated /dev directory.
-
libgnumalloc is gone; our malloc() is better.
-
FreeBSD pipe() system call; quite a bit faster.
-
Some serial drivers support /dev/cuaXX devices for transparent
- dialout+dialout, like in SunOS
-
DDB can now access symbol tables from LKM modules
-
Say goodbye to dump, restore, and mt security holes: They are no longer
- setuid.
-
*Hobbit*'s netcat utility. The crackers use it, so should you.
-
YP can be compiled out of the system.
-
New routed (from SGI).
-
Almost complete in-tree development for MIPS/Alpha systems (ie. binutils).
-
$RSH environment variable used throughout for "ssh" users (ie. dump,
- restore, mt).
-
vim is replacing nvi, since nvi does not have a pure BSD license, and vim
- also works better.
-
16 partitions per disk on i386 and sparc ports (yipee!)
-
Nice sample files in /etc
-
sendmail gecos hole fixed (in a number of ways; other programs in the
- source tree were also vulnerable.)
-
secure multicast tools against possible security problems.
-
latest GNU groff, incorporated in a clean wrapperized form.
-
use vim instead of nvi. vim has been extended to add many missing features.
-
mopd for networking booting Digital machines
-
less version 2.90
-
deal with the SYN bomb problem as well as currently known.
-
sendmail version 8.7.6.
-
Some more ftpd and lpd fixes.
-
MIPS shared library ld.so, soon to be others as well.
-
Another kerberos security fix.
-
Almost a hundred more security fixes (just in the last 3 weeks), including
- a few more /tmp race conditions and more uses of snprintf and strncpy.
-
Compile time option to compile the source tree almost completely dynamic.
-
A 7% reduction in size of static binaries.
-
FreeBSD's adduser(8) command. Also an rmuser(8) command.
-
MD5/SHA-1 support in skey -- basically RFC 1938 One Time Password support.
-
We have completed security reviews of almost all userland programs and
- libraries except for the gnu stuff (where, based on preliminary
- inspection, poor handling of temporary files appears rampant).
-
Even then, we continued to find and fix more security holes. We found
- holes in 5 other system programs.
-
Working Linux ext2fs.
-
Added sudo (which is maintained by one of our developers).
-
Added ctm to the source tree.
-
The NIST Posix test suite became free. As a result we have been correcting
- numerous problems in the source tree, and expect to be completely
- POSIX compliant very soon.
-
upgrade to CVS version 1.9.
-
Added -C option to pax/tar. Also make -z support compressed files too.
-
Make core dumping much more controlled in setuid cases.
-
-
-
-
-This list only mentions platform-independent changes. For a list of changes
-made in a particular platform, please check the page for that platform.
-
-
+OpenBSD looks a lot like NetBSD (from which it is derived, following
+the 4.4BSD roots), but is now being developed seperately. Good changes
+from other free operating systems will be merged in (of course, depending
+on various factors like developer time for example.) OpenBSD tracks
+NetBSD changes very closely; say anywhere between 2 to 10 days
+behind the state of NetBSD-current all the time. Hence you can truly
+say that OpenBSD is NetBSD PLUS MORE STUFF.
+
+
+Compared to NetBSD, various additions have been made. This is a
+partial list of the major machine independent changes (ie. these are the
+changes people ask about most often). Check the page of the specific port
+you are interested in for further port-specific details. Note that many ports
+have had architecture-specific enhancements.
+
+
+
Many many NetBSD PR's fixed (which NetBSD has not yet fixed)
+
New curses library, including libform, libpanel and libmenu.
+
a termlib library which understands termcap.db, needed for new curses.
+
The FreeBSD ports subsystem was integrated and is usable by you!
+
ipfilter for filtering dangerous packets
+
better ELF support
+
nlist() that understands ELF, ECOFF, and a.out, allowing non-a.out ports
+ to use kvm utilies
+
Verbatim integration of the GNU tools (using a wrapper Makefile)
+
All the pieces needed for cross compilation are in the source tree.
+
Some LKM support in the tree.
+
ATAPI support (should work on all ISA busses)
+
new scsi, md5, pkg_* commands
+
Numerous security related fixes
+
Kerberos and other crypto in the source tree that is exportable
+
Solid YP master, server, and client capabilities.
+
/dev/*random -- a device driver providing some kinds of random data
+
In-kernel update(8) with an adaptive algorithm
+
Some ddb improvements and extensions
+
Numerous scsi fixes
+
ncheck utility for ffs
+
/sbin/init now deals with non-existant ttys, no longer spins gettys madly.
+
new system calls: rfork(), minherit(), poll().
+
select() that can handle any amount of file descriptors.
+
kernfs extensions
+
ATM support (support for one company's sparc & i386 cards available)
+
Boot kernels with "-c" to edit/enable/disable device configuration tables
+
pax as tar, gnutar is toast
+
using AT&T awk, gawk is toast
+
Even more security fixes.
+
Accepts FreeBSD MD5 passwords in password maps, soon will be able to
+ generate them too
+
Linux ext2fs and BSD4.4 LFS support being worked on.
+
Working ATAPI audio support for multiple architectures.
+
terminfo database support.
+
Fortran in the tree.
+
The most secure rdist support anywhere.
+
randomized port allocation in bind(), bindresvport(), and rresvport() --
+ security via unpredictability.
+
Protection from the udp spamming and ftp bounce attacks.
+
Significantly improved ftp daemon.
+
Numerous more security policy and implimentation improvements (OpenBSD
+ defaults to installing in a very secure mode)
+
zlib (non-GPL'd gzip-compatible library)
+
Newest version of pppd.
+
_POSIX_SAVED_IDS behaviour with permitted BSD extensions.
+
Fixed long-standing vm swap-leak.
+
FreeBSD malloc() that uses mmap() and is able to free unused memory.
+
Numerous FreeBSD userland fixes and improvements incorporated.
+
new rdisc Router Discovery daemon
+
generic protection against the bind() takeover problem.
+
at -f security fix.
+
20 or so more security fixes
+
install now supports -C, -p, and -S flags.
+
a real adduser program, which can even be used uninteractively.
+
POSIX & C2 requirement; lose setuid/setgid bits if owner/group changed
+ by chown(). This can be turned off with sysctl.
+
partial protection against tcp SYN attacks.
+
added /etc/fbtab support to login & init.
+
RCS version 5.7
+
much newer join command (4.4lite2 with other fixes)
+
scsi subsystem security fix
+
Kerberos is much more silent if not configured
+
arc4-based random support in kernel
+
ncr53cXXX scsi scripts assembler
+
Numerous ftpd improvements and fixes, including multihomed and skey support.
+
`lsof'-style features in fstat.
+
rudimentary support for ISA Plug-and-Play cards
+
Fixed timeout support in RPC library, and also fixed it to support more
+ than FD_SETSIZE file descriptors.
+
improved locate command
+
a good start at NETIPX support
+
vim version 4.5
+
gcc 2.7.2.1 (to get closer to native alpha support ar gcc
+ bugs).
+
latest version of perl, and a lndir command.
+
Even more security fixes.
+
cdio command for using CD audio.
+
Kernel warns f /dev/ces not ebooting ated /de
libgis gone; our malloc() is better.
+
FreeBSD pipe() system call; quite a bit faster.
+
Some serial driver support for /dev/cuaXX devices to support transparent
+ out+dial
+
DDcess symrom LKM es
+
Say goodbye to dump, restore, and mt security holes: They are no longer
+ setuid.
+
*Hobbit*'s netcat utility. The crackers use it, so should you.
+
New routed from SGI.
+
Complete in-tree development for MIPS/Alpha systems (ie. binutils).
+
And of course... more security related bugfixes... (ie. dump,
+ restore, mt).
+
vim is replacing nvi, since nvi does not have a pure BSD license, and vim
+ also works better.
+
16 partitions working on sparc and i386 (yipee!)
+
Nice sample files in /etc
+
sendmail gecos hole fixed (in a number of ways; other programs in the
+ source tree were also vulnerable.)
+
secure multicast tools against possible security problems.
+
latest GNU groff, incorporated in a clean wrapperized form.
+
mopd for networking booting Digital machines
+
less version 2.90
+
deal with the SYN bomb problem (denial of service attack) as well known.
+
Sendmail 8.8.4 with smrsh
+
Another kerberos security fix.
+
Almost a hundred more security fixes, including /tmp races because of strncpy.
+
Compile time option to compile the source tree almost completely dynamic.
+
A 7% reduction in size of static binaries.
+
FreeBSD's adduser(8) command. Also an rmuser(8) command.
+
We have completed security reviews of almost all userland programs and
+ libraries except for the gnu stuff (where, based on preliminary
+ inspection there is poor handling of temp files).
+
Working Linux ext2fs.
+
Added sudo (which is maintained by one of our developers)
+
CTM is now a supported way of obtaining OpenBSD source code.
+
The NIST Posix test suite became free. As a result we have been correcting
+ numerous problems in the source tree, and expect to be completely
+ POSIX compliant very soon.
+
upgrade to CVS version 1.9.
+
Added -C option to pax/tar. Also made -z support compressed files too.
+
Updated md4 and md5 headers to use bittypes so they work on 64-bit machines.
+
IDE Hard Disk driver fix reduces chance of NULL pointers
+
binutils is now 961112 release from CYGNUS
+
includes and system dependancies now work on explicit 16- and 32-bit quantities-- not the machine dependent "short" and "long" integer.
+
+
+This list only mentions platform-independent changes. For a list of changes
+made in a particular platform, please check the page for that platform.
