Written by Jon LaBass and last updated on 12/05/2006 - [ freebsd ]

Using the ports tree to install applications is one of the most common ways to install softare. However, what if you updated a port to the latest version and it turns out to break things? How do you downgrade to a previous version if your ports tree is up-to-date? This is where the portdowngrade utility comes in handy.

Written by Terry Funk and last updated on 07/29/2007 - [ freebsd ]

DNS is at the very core of the Internet infrastructure and stands for Domain Name Server. DNS is a distributed, hierarchical database without which we would be typing IP addresses in our browsers instead of something like www.example.com. BIND can serve 1000s of host names and probably 1000s of zones. This how-to is aimed at that kind of installation. I will describe installing, configuring and maintaining BIND on a fresh FreeBSD installation in a secure chroot jail. I will also show how to set up zone files for one zone, multiple zones and a slave for other zones. I will also describe how to maintain your zones in a way that is easy. I will also include some tips. I will not cover caching or forwarding name servers. This document is meant to get you started -- it is not meant to be comprehensive.

Written by Geffy and last updated on 07/15/2005 - [ freebsd ]

Subversion (SVN) is an alternative to using Concurrent Version System (CVS) for collaborative development, though it has other uses if you develop on more than one machine and wish to keep all your work in a central location. This guide will show you how to setup Subversion with Webaccess via the Apache2 mod_dav svn module. If you already use apache 1.3 you can continue to use that, just change the port that apache2 listens on in its httpd.conf file. Subversion Book is an excellent resource for information outside the scope of this guide.

Written by Jon LaBass and last updated on 07/25/2006 - [ freebsd ]

I'm sure many of you have been wondering how people host secure sites using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This guide will show you how to set up a web server with SSL, PHP, and MySQL support.

Written by Jon LaBass and last updated on 10/12/2005 - [ freebsd | openbsd | netbsd ]

Network configuration in FreeBSD can be a bit difficult because there are a few different text files to edit in order for your changes to be permanent. Hopefully this guide will clear some things up.

Written by Jon LaBass and last updated on 06/27/2005 - [ freebsd ]

After a fresh install, it is important to harden the security on a server before it hits your network for use. Not only making configuration changes aid in the security of your box, but there are some practical rules to abide by. These are some hardening tips to make your FreeBSD box more secure and will apply to both the 5.x and 4.x branches, but I will assume you are running 5.x. If a 4.x change is different, I will note it. Please do not apply these changes carelessly on a production server. Make sure you test, test, test on a separate box to note the effects of the changes.

Written by Jon LaBass and last updated on 10/21/2003 - [ freebsd ]

So, you install stuff from ports and then updates are released. How do you upgrade your software without having to uninstall and reinstall? This guide will show you how to use portupgrade.