FreeBSD

I'm looking at reconfiguration my development server, I've been running CentOS but I'm looking into FreeBSD and I was wondering if any one has had an experiance with running a FreeBSD server. Mainly I will be running Apache, PHP, MySQL. I am looking at running it as a DNS server too. That way when I start a new project I dont have to edit my host file on my computer. I can just add a zone. I found their handbook and it looks pretty amazing.

I know its Unix just like Linux, but I was wondering what the major differense between linux and BSD is.

nice cartman.... lol

For me, I am having difficulties at port manager.. compared to linux, you can update then choose what application do you prefer. But, in freebsd, you will have to upgrade their port, which is time consuming..
Correct me if I am wrong. I am at beginner level of freebsd.. hehe.. I even do not know if there is another way for solve this problem.

the kernel :-X
or read more oh this one's hosted on FBSD's website

i have no experience with an FBSD server as every time i tried installing FBSD it failed for one reason or another. i remember with one installation, it kept wanting packages from different disks. it wasn't loading all the packages it needed from one disk and then asking for the next disk, so i said F* this. i did use PC-BSD for a hot sec. it was alright.
anyways...where's daemonguy when you need him?

I was on vacation.

From a server perspective, FBSD is better IMHO. The TCP stack is better, the stability is far greater due to limited committers.
The kernel is tighter and faster. Simply numbers.

For me, ports are a dream. They don't rely on you having local content. All you have to do is cron the cvsup of the ports collection and you'll have the latest cvs tree every day. It's a small amount and installing a port (or running portupgrade to update a port) is a simple command. That grabs all dependencies, breaks into a thread for that app, then comes back to the left off point for the original package.
If you prefer for some odd reason packages instead of source for your server -- you can do the same with those.

The trick to installing is, you DON'T install packages from disk. You install being pkgadd cvsup. After that you cvsup your ports collection and install everything via ports. You always end up witht he most recent stable source.

When all is said and done, you can pre-configure your port installs with makefile adjustments and cron everything from cvsupping your ports collection to portupgrades themselves.

When I ran FBSD servers, I had everything scripted. By the time I came in the morning, everything was updated and I even had new source for the os updates ready for my inspection. 20 min to check all configs and logs from the night before, create my new kernel if required and bam! I am updated.

Now for desktop... that's more of a gray area. Though I like PC-BSD and use that on my laptop.

and there you have it.
the voice has spoken :-X

;] welcome back btw.

How nicely do FreeBSD installations talk to Linux Distros? I'm wondering because I run ubuntu and fedora core on my desktop. I would be using freeBSD on my server.

@Anarchy: Thanks.

@SpooF: What do you mean "talk"?

lol, when I asked my friend about that he said the same thing.

Basically file sharing, mounting and such.

You can NFS mount any unix share. In fact that is one of the questions that comes up when you install:
"Do you want to enable NFS mounting?"

Alternatively, you can use SMB to mount shares and attach via Windoze or *nix.