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OpenBSD foundations

Understand what the upstream operating system supplies before evaluating the management layer.

Project notes

These notes distinguish existing OpenBSD capabilities from the OpenRSD features being planned. They are not release-specific installation instructions.

OpenBSD foundations

OpenRSD is an emerging project built around OpenBSD. The base operating system already provides mature networking tools. The planned OpenRSD management layer is separate work and has no public release yet.

Observe before changing

These are existing OpenBSD commands, not an OpenRSD CLI. Use them in a lab environment to inspect the base system:

uname -a
ifconfig
netstat -rn

Review the relevant manual pages before making changes. System configuration commands may require appropriate privileges.

Native services

  • PF supplies stateful packet filtering and network address translation.
  • OpenBSD supplies routing tools and daemons for supported network topologies.
  • Native IPsec and other available VPN tools require careful, deployment-specific configuration.
  • DNS and DHCP services must be chosen and configured for the intended role.

Read the OpenBSD FAQ and manual pages for authoritative operating-system documentation.

Project boundaries

OpenRSD aims to add approachable management and safe configuration workflows. Do not interpret upstream capabilities as a claim that OpenRSD has implemented a dashboard, installer, VPN manager, or certified appliance image.