OpenBSD Journal

OpenBSD based products

Contributed by jose on from the commercialization dept.

Mike Spenard writes: "We've developed network engine software based around openbsd... The product itself is called the "G2 Access Gatway" and runs software we have developed call the Signull Network Engine (SNE) which is based on OpenBSD/PF. It offers features such as user based authentication and key/pin based authentication, bandwidth control, credit card billing, AAA, etc. Full feature list can be found below."

"We've found OpenBSD & PF to be a very good platform to base automated firewall products around, as it has offered a security optimized OS with a very flexable firewall that is extremely user friendly compaired to many others.

In the near future, month or so, we will be releasing a free version of our software for the wireless community, it will be called SNE-lite. It will allow people to run managed billable hotspots on regular PC hardware and OpenBSD without having to buy their own online merchant account and any specialized hardware. Install OpenBSD,install SNE-lite, and start getting checks every month for wifi time you sell. That simple. You of course also have the option of using SNE or a G2 Access Gateway and running a free community based service if you like as well.

Full details on SNE can be found here:. http://www.signull.com/documents/SNE-whitepaper.pdf
Specsheet on the Access Gateway can be found here ... http://www.signull.com/documents/G2-datasheet.pdf ."

(Comments are closed)


Comments
  1. By Anonymous Coward () on

    Sweet, I love seeing OpenBSD being used for things like this.

    I can't wait to try SNE...

  2. By Kim () kim@irken.org on mailto:kim@irken.org

    Wouldn't you need a business license or a legitiment company name/id with your gov't to sell services like this?

    Comments
    1. By Chris () on

      Of course not.

      Maybe if you wanted to charge credit cards (and then only because the provider of that service would want it), but there's nothing stopping anyone from just selling "stuff" whether it's wireless internet, or their hat.

      What you put on your taxes is another matter.

      Comments
      1. By Anonymous Coward () on

        Depends... Some countries have restrictions on selling telephony services, which sometimes includes wireless internet.

        Comments
        1. By Anonymous Coward () on


          This means the license is required for the entity selling the services, it isn't required for the people building the technology.

  3. By Daniel Melameth () daniel@melameth.com on mailto:daniel@melameth.com

    Great news Mike! I figured it was only a matter of time before someone did this with OpenBSD...

    Good luck with the new product! ...just please be certain, if you haven’t already, to generously give back to "our beloved" OpenBSD project and, if at all possible, "BSD license" whatever code you choose to inject back into the wild...

    Comments
    1. By asdfg () on

      While I appreciate your intentions to keep OpenBSD running, the OpenBSD Project Goals page (www.openbsd.org/goals.html) does mention the following:

      "...We want to make available source code that anyone can use for ANY PURPOSE, with no restrictions. We strive to make our software robust and secure, and encourage companies to use whichever pieces they want to. There are commercial spin-offs of OpenBSD."

      Whether Mike chooses to BSD license all of his code, part of it, or none of it, is really up to him.

      Just thought I'd point this out.

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