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From: rob-n@clark.net (Rob Newberry)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Is there a Free/NetBSD equivalent to the Slackware distribution?
Date: 24 Mar 1994 15:02:45 GMT
Organization: Clark Internet Services, Inc., Ellicott City, MD USA
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I have a linux machine that I installed from the Slackware
1.1.2 distribution.  I have upgraded its kernel and some utilities
to 1.0.  Unfortunately, its networking code doesn't quite work
in our situation, where we use it as a gateway to the internet.
I have been told by Alan Cox (one of the authors of the net
code) that I should look at NetBSD/FreeBSD since the linux code
isn't working for us.

One of the things I really liked about linux/Slackware was that it
was EASY for me to get it up and running quickly.  Since we are already
accustomed to having the machine for internet access, I need to be
able to make the transition from linux to Free/NetBSD quickly.  
Furthermore, I need either the same utitilies, or equivalents, 
to be there immediately.

For my system, I need:

1) the basic Un*x system setup

2) mail - it has to have a POP3 daemon and smtp/uucp access to
the next hop up the link.  It was easy to install this on linux.
I need it to be this easy for Free/NetBSD.

3) name server software (I have the named.db files already, since
it runs under linux)

4) SLIP software - this must be there immediately.  I have
got DIP working quite well for us on linux.  Does DIP work
with FreeBSD?  Is there an equivalent program if not?

5) lpd - I have successfully shared a printer to my LAN, and I
need it to work under FreeBSD, too.

6) nfs - I don't mind if this takes a little work to setup, but
I want it to be readily available.

With Slackware, almost all these things installed and worked
right out of the box.  Is there an equivalent distribution or
installation package for the FreeBSD/NetBSD setup, so that I
can make the transition as painless as possible?

Any help is greatly appreciated.  If I only need to be pointed
to the appropriate FAQ, then please point me there.  Unfortunately,
I looked at the INSTALLATION_NOTES and several of the 386BSD FAQ files,
and didn't find anything really equivalent to the "HOWTO" docs that
made setting up the linux software utilities like DIP so easy.

Thanks for any help.

Rob Newberry
rob-n@clark.net