---
title: "FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE README"
sidenav: download
---

++++


        <h3 class="CORPAUTHOR">The FreeBSD Project</h3>

        <p class="COPYRIGHT">Copyright &copy; 2000, 2001, 2002,
        2003 by The FreeBSD Documentation Project</p>

        <p class="PUBDATE">$FreeBSD:
        src/release/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/readme/article.sgml,v 1.26
        2003/05/06 20:01:07 bmah Exp $<br />
        </p>
        <hr />
      </div>

      <blockquote class="ABSTRACT">
        <div class="ABSTRACT">
          <a id="AEN12" name="AEN12"></a>

          <p>This document gives a brief introduction to FreeBSD
          5.1-RELEASE. It includes some information on how to
          obtain FreeBSD, a listing of various ways to contact the
          FreeBSD Project, and pointers to some other sources of
          information.</p>
        </div>
      </blockquote>

      <div class="SECT1">
        <hr />

        <h1 class="SECT1"><a id="INTRO" name="INTRO">1
        Introduction</a></h1>

        <p>This distribution is a release of FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE,
        the latest point along the 5-CURRENT branch.</p>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN17" name="AEN17">1.1 About
          FreeBSD</a></h2>

          <p>FreeBSD is an operating system based on 4.4 BSD Lite
          for Intel, AMD, Cyrix or NexGen ``x86'' based PC hardware
          (i386), NEC PC-9801/9821 series PCs and compatibles
          (pc98), DEC/Compaq/HP Alpha computers (alpha), and
          UltraSPARC machines (sparc64). Versions for the IA64
          (ia64), PowerPC (powerpc), and AMD ``Hammer'' (amd64)
          architectures are currently under development as well.
          FreeBSD works with a wide variety of peripherals and
          configurations and can be used for everything from
          software development to games to Internet Service
          Provision.</p>

          <p>This release of FreeBSD contains everything you need
          to run such a system, including full source code for the
          kernel and all utilities in the base distribution. With
          the source distribution installed, you can literally
          recompile the entire system from scratch with one
          command, making it ideal for students, researchers, or
          users who simply want to see how it all works.</p>

          <p>A large collection of third-party ported software (the
          ``Ports Collection'') is also provided to make it easy to
          obtain and install all your favorite traditional <span
          class="TRADEMARK">UNIX</span>&reg; utilities for FreeBSD.
          Each ``port'' consists of a set of scripts to retrieve,
          configure, build, and install a piece of software, with a
          single command. Over 8,500 ports, from editors to
          programming languages to graphical applications, make
          FreeBSD a powerful and comprehensive operating
          environment that extends far beyond what's provided by
          many commercial versions of <span
          class="TRADEMARK">UNIX</span>&reg;. Most ports are also
          available as pre-compiled ``packages'', which can be
          quickly installed from the installation program.</p>
        </div>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN29" name="AEN29">1.2 Target
          Audience</a></h2>

          <p>This release of FreeBSD is suitable for all users. It
          has undergone a period of testing and quality assurance
          checking to ensure the highest reliability and
          dependability.</p>
        </div>
      </div>

      <div class="SECT1">
        <hr />

        <h1 class="SECT1"><a id="OBTAIN" name="OBTAIN">2 Obtaining
        FreeBSD</a></h1>

        <p>FreeBSD may be obtained in a variety of ways. This
        section focuses on those ways that are primarily useful for
        obtaining a complete FreeBSD distribution, rather than
        updating an existing installation.</p>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN35" name="AEN35">2.1 CDROM
          and DVD</a></h2>

          <p>FreeBSD -RELEASE distributions may be ordered on CDROM
          or DVD from several publishers. This is frequently the
          most convenient way to obtain FreeBSD for new
          installations, as it provides a convenient way to quickly
          reinstall the system if necessary. Some distributions
          include some of the optional, precompiled ``packages''
          from the FreeBSD Ports Collection.</p>

          <p>A list of the CDROM and DVD publishers known to the
          project are listed in the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors.html"
           target="_top">``Obtaining FreeBSD''</a> appendix to the
          Handbook.</p>
        </div>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN42" name="AEN42">2.2
          FTP</a></h2>

          <p>You can use FTP to retrieve FreeBSD and any or all of
          its optional packages from <a
          href="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/"
          target="_top">ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/</a>, which is the
          official FreeBSD release site, or any of its
          ``mirrors''.</p>

          <p>Lists of locations that mirror FreeBSD can be found in
          the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors-ftp.html"
           target="_top">FTP Sites</a> section of the Handbook, or
          on the <a href="http://mirrorlist.FreeBSD.org/"
          target="_top">http://mirrorlist.FreeBSD.org/</a> Web
          pages. Finding a close (in networking terms) mirror from
          which to download the distribution is highly
          recommended.</p>

          <p>Additional mirror sites are always welcome. Contact
          <tt class="EMAIL">&#60;<a
          href="mailto:freebsd-admin@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-admin@FreeBSD.org</a>&#62;</tt>
          for more details on becoming an official mirror site. You
          can also find useful information for mirror sites at the
          <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/hubs/"
           target="_top">Mirroring FreeBSD</a> article.</p>

          <p>Mirrors generally contain the floppy disk images
          necessary to begin an installation, as well as the
          distribution files needed for the install process itself.
          Many mirrors also contain the ISO images necessary to
          create a CDROM of a FreeBSD release.</p>
        </div>
      </div>

      <div class="SECT1">
        <hr />

        <h1 class="SECT1"><a id="CONTACTING" name="CONTACTING">3
        Contacting the FreeBSD Project</a></h1>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN56" name="AEN56">3.1 Email
          and Mailing Lists</a></h2>

          <p>For any questions or general technical support issues,
          please send mail to the <a
          href="http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions"
           target="_top">FreeBSD general questions mailing
          list</a>.</p>

          <p>If you're tracking the 5-CURRENT development efforts,
          you <span class="emphasis"><i
          class="EMPHASIS">must</i></span> join the <a
          href="http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current"
           target="_top">FreeBSD-CURRENT mailing list</a>, in order
          to keep abreast of recent developments and changes that
          may affect the way you use and maintain the system.</p>

          <p>Being a largely-volunteer effort, the FreeBSD Project
          is always happy to have extra hands willing to
          help--there are already far more desired enhancements
          than there is time to implement them. To contact the
          developers on technical matters, or with offers of help,
          please send mail to the <a
          href="http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers"
           target="_top">FreeBSD technical discussions mailing
          list</a>.</p>

          <p>Please note that these mailing lists can experience
          <span class="emphasis"><i
          class="EMPHASIS">significant</i></span> amounts of
          traffic. If you have slow or expensive mail access, or
          are only interested in keeping up with major FreeBSD
          events, you may find it preferable to subscribe instead
          to the <a
          href="http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-announce"
           target="_top">FreeBSD announcements mailing
          list</a>.</p>

          <p>All of the mailing lists can be freely joined by
          anyone wishing to do so. Visit the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo"
          target="_top">FreeBSD Mailman Info Page</a>. This will
          give you more information on joining the various lists,
          accessing archives, etc. There are a number of mailing
          lists targeted at special interest groups not mentioned
          here; more information can be obtained either from the
          Mailman pages or the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/support.html#mailing-list"
          target="_top">mailing lists section</a> of the FreeBSD
          Web site.</p>

          <div class="IMPORTANT">
            <blockquote class="IMPORTANT">
              <p><b>Important:</b> Do <span class="emphasis"><i
              class="EMPHASIS">not</i></span> send email to the
              lists asking to be subscribed. Use the Mailman
              interface instead.</p>
            </blockquote>
          </div>
        </div>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN74" name="AEN74">3.2
          Submitting Problem Reports</a></h2>

          <p>Suggestions, bug reports and contributions of code are
          always valued--please do not hesitate to report any
          problems you may find. Bug reports with attached fixes
          are of course even more welcome.</p>

          <p>The preferred method to submit bug reports from a
          machine with Internet mail connectivity is to use the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&amp;sektion=1&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a>
          command. ``Problem Reports'' (PRs) submitted in this way
          will be filed and their progress tracked; the FreeBSD
          developers will do their best to respond to all reported
          bugs as soon as possible. <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/query-pr-summary.cgi"
          target="_top">A list of all active PRs</a> is available
          on the FreeBSD Web site; this list is useful to see what
          potential problems other users have encountered.</p>

          <p>Note that <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&amp;sektion=1&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a> itself
          is a shell script that should be easy to move even onto a
          non-FreeBSD system. Using this interface is highly
          preferred. If, for some reason, you are unable to use <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&amp;sektion=1&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a> to
          submit a bug report, you can try to send it to the <a
          href="http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-bugs"
           target="_top">FreeBSD problem reports mailing
          list</a>.</p>

          <p>For more information, <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/problem-reports/"
           target="_top">``Writing FreeBSD Problem Reports''</a>,
          available on the FreeBSD Web site, has a number of
          helpful hints on writing and submitting effective problem
          reports.</p>
        </div>
      </div>

      <div class="SECT1">
        <hr />

        <h1 class="SECT1"><a id="SEEALSO" name="SEEALSO">4 Further
        Reading</a></h1>

        <p>There are many sources of information about FreeBSD;
        some are included with this distribution, while others are
        available on-line or in print versions.</p>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="RELEASE-DOCS"
          name="RELEASE-DOCS">4.1 Release Documentation</a></h2>

          <p>A number of other files provide more specific
          information about this release distribution. These files
          are provided in various formats. Most distributions will
          include both ASCII text (<tt class="FILENAME">.TXT</tt>)
          and HTML (<tt class="FILENAME">.HTM</tt>) renditions.
          Some distributions may also include other formats such as
          PostScript (<tt class="FILENAME">.PS</tt>) or Portable
          Document Format (<tt class="FILENAME">.PDF</tt>).</p>

          <ul>
            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">README.TXT</tt>: This file,
              which gives some general information about FreeBSD as
              well as some cursory notes about obtaining a
              distribution.</p>
            </li>

            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">EARLY.TXT</tt>: A guide for
              early adopters of FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE. Highly
              recommended reading for users new to FreeBSD
              5-CURRENT and/or the 5.<tt
              class="REPLACEABLE"><i>X</i></tt> series of
              releases.</p>
            </li>

            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">RELNOTES.TXT</tt>: The
              release notes, showing what's new and different in
              FreeBSD 5.1-RELEASE compared to the previous release
              (FreeBSD 5.0-RELEASE).</p>
            </li>

            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">HARDWARE.TXT</tt>: The
              hardware compatibility list, showing devices with
              which FreeBSD has been tested and is known to
              work.</p>
            </li>

            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">INSTALL.TXT</tt>:
              Installation instructions for installing FreeBSD from
              its distribution media.</p>
            </li>

            <li>
              <p><tt class="FILENAME">ERRATA.TXT</tt>: Release
              errata. Late-breaking, post-release information can
              be found in this file, which is principally
              applicable to releases (as opposed to snapshots). It
              is important to consult this file before installing a
              release of FreeBSD, as it contains the latest
              information on problems which have been found and
              fixed since the release was created.</p>
            </li>
          </ul>

          <div class="NOTE">
            <blockquote class="NOTE">
              <p><b>Note:</b> Several of these documents (in
              particular, <tt class="FILENAME">RELNOTES.TXT</tt>,
              <tt class="FILENAME">HARDWARE.TXT</tt>, and <tt
              class="FILENAME">INSTALL.TXT</tt>) contain
              information that is specific to a particular hardware
              architecture. For example, the alpha release notes
              contain information not applicable to the i386, and
              vice versa. The architecture for which each document
              applies will be listed in that document's title.</p>
            </blockquote>
          </div>
          <br />
          <br />

          <p>On platforms that support <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=sysinstall&amp;sektion=8&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">sysinstall</span>(8)</span></a>
          (currently alpha, i386, ia64, pc98, and sparc64), these
          documents are generally available via the Documentation
          menu during installation. Once the system is installed,
          you can revisit this menu by re-running the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=sysinstall&amp;sektion=8&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">sysinstall</span>(8)</span></a>
          utility.</p>

          <div class="NOTE">
            <blockquote class="NOTE">
              <p><b>Note:</b> It is extremely important to read the
              errata for any given release before installing it, to
              learn about any ``late-breaking news'' or
              post-release problems. The errata file accompanying
              each release (most likely right next to this file) is
              already out of date by definition, but other copies
              are kept updated on the Internet and should be
              consulted as the ``current errata'' for this release.
              These other copies of the errata are located at <a
              href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/"
              target="_top">http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/</a>
              (as well as any sites which keep up-to-date mirrors
              of this location).</p>
            </blockquote>
          </div>
        </div>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN141" name="AEN141">4.2 Manual
          Pages</a></h2>

          <p>As with almost all <span
          class="TRADEMARK">UNIX</span>&reg;-like operating
          systems, FreeBSD comes with a set of on-line manual
          pages, accessed through the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=man&amp;sektion=1&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">man</span>(1)</span></a> command or
          through the <a href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi"
          target="_top">hypertext manual pages gateway</a> on the
          FreeBSD Web site. In general, the manual pages provide
          information on the different commands and APIs available
          to the FreeBSD user.</p>

          <p>In some cases, manual pages are written to give
          information on particular topics. Notable examples of
          such manual pages are <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=tuning&amp;sektion=7&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">tuning</span>(7)</span></a> (a
          guide to performance tuning), <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=security&amp;sektion=7&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">security</span>(7)</span></a> (an
          introduction to FreeBSD security), and <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=style&amp;sektion=9&amp;manpath=FreeBSD+5.1-release">
          <span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span
          class="REFENTRYTITLE">style</span>(9)</span></a> (a style
          guide to kernel coding).</p>
        </div>

        <div class="SECT2">
          <hr />

          <h2 class="SECT2"><a id="AEN159" name="AEN159">4.3 Books
          and Articles</a></h2>

          <p>Two highly-useful collections of FreeBSD-related
          information, maintained by the FreeBSD Project, are the
          FreeBSD Handbook and FreeBSD FAQ (Frequently Asked
          Questions document). On-line versions of the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/"
           target="_top">Handbook</a> and <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/"
           target="_top">FAQ</a> are always available from the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/docs.html"
          target="_top">FreeBSD Documentation page</a> or its
          mirrors. If you install the <tt class="FILENAME">doc</tt>
          distribution set, you can use a Web browser to read the
          Handbook and FAQ locally.</p>

          <p>A number of on-line books and articles, also
          maintained by the FreeBSD Project, cover
          more-specialized, FreeBSD-related topics. This material
          spans a wide range of topics, from effective use of the
          mailing lists, to dual-booting FreeBSD with other
          operating systems, to guidelines for new committers. Like
          the Handbook and FAQ, these documents are available from
          the FreeBSD Documentation Page or in the <tt
          class="FILENAME">doc</tt> distribution set.</p>

          <p>A listing of other books and documents about FreeBSD
          can be found in the <a
          href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/bibliography.html"
           target="_top">bibliography</a> of the FreeBSD Handbook.
          Because of FreeBSD's strong <span
          class="TRADEMARK">UNIX</span>&reg; heritage, many other
          articles and books written for <span
          class="TRADEMARK">UNIX</span>&reg; systems are applicable
          as well, some of which are also listed in the
          bibliography.</p>
        </div>
      </div>

      <div class="SECT1">
        <hr />

        <h1 class="SECT1"><a id="ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
        name="ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS">5 Acknowledgments</a></h1>

        <p>FreeBSD represents the cumulative work of many hundreds,
        if not thousands, of individuals from around the world who
        have worked countless hours to bring about this release.
        For a complete list of FreeBSD developers and contributors,
        please see <a
        href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/contributors/"
         target="_top">``Contributors to FreeBSD''</a> on the
        FreeBSD Web site or any of its mirrors.</p>

        <p>Special thanks also go to the many thousands of FreeBSD
        users and testers all over the world, without whom this
        release simply would not have been possible.</p>
      </div>
    </div>
    <hr />

    <p align="center"><small>This file, and other release-related
    documents, can be downloaded from <a
    href="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/">ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/</a>.</small></p>

    <p align="center"><small>For questions about FreeBSD, read the
    <a href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/docs.html">documentation</a>
    before contacting &#60;<a
    href="mailto:questions@FreeBSD.org">questions@FreeBSD.org</a>&#62;.</small></p>

    <p align="center"><small><small>All users of FreeBSD 5-CURRENT
    should subscribe to the &#60;<a
    href="mailto:current@FreeBSD.org">current@FreeBSD.org</a>&#62;
    mailing list.</small></small></p>

    <p align="center">For questions about this documentation,
    e-mail &#60;<a
    href="mailto:doc@FreeBSD.org">doc@FreeBSD.org</a>&#62;.</p>
    <br />
    <br />
++++


