NethServer

NethServer is an open source software project that has been designed from the ground up to be deployed on server machines around the world, making them productive, extensible and powerful. It is based on the latest technologies from CentOS Linux, which in turn is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Available only for 64-bit platforms

The distribution can be downloaded from our website or from the project's homepage as a single, installable CD ISO image engineered to support only 64-bit (x86_64) hardware platforms. It must be deployed on a CD disc or USB flash drive of 512MB or higher capacity in order to boot it from the BIOS of the PC.

From the comprehensive boot loader of the ISO image, the user will be able to start the interactive installation, access the unattended installation mode, as well as to select from one of the standard CentOS installation methods.

Additionally, it is also possible to rescue a broken operating system, perform a memory diagnostic test, view detailed information about your computer's hardware components, and boot an existing OS from the local drive.

Supports RAID and encrypted file systems

The text-mode installer is translated into English and Italian languages, requiring users to specify a keyboard layout, set up the timezone, set the root password, encrypt the file system, configure the network, and partition the drive (fully automatic process).

The RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) and LVM (Logical Volume Manager) technologies are also supported by NethServer, which is designed for medium enterprises and small offices. It uses a very stable Linux kernel from the 2.6 branch.

Bottom line

Summing up, NethServer is an intuitive server oriented operating system that includes mail server and filter, web server, web filter, groupware, firewall, IPS/IDS and VPN components, and designed to simplify common administration tasks.

What is new in this release:

• Squid has been patched for a smoother web navigation experience when using SSL transparent proxy
• Ntopng 3 replaces bandwithd, the Server Manager has a new "top talkers" page which tracks hosts network usage
• Suricata can be configured with multiple categories rules
• EveBox can report traffic anomalies detected by Suricata

What is new in version 7:

• finally NethServer is based on CentOS 7
• more than 100 packages have been rebuilt
• many modules updated:
• Hylafax+ 5.5 from EPEL (fax services are now handled by systemd)
• Roundcubemail 1.1.4
• SOGo 3
• Snort 2.9.8 with support for OpenAppID
• Owncloud 8.2
• Ejabberd 16 from upstream
• ntopng 2.2
• WebvirtMgr 4.8.9 (KVM virtual machines manager)

What is new in version 6.8 / 7 Alpha 3:

• finally NethServer is based on CentOS 7
• more than 100 packages have been rebuilt
• many modules updated:
• Hylafax+ 5.5 from EPEL (fax services are now handled by systemd)
• Roundcubemail 1.1.4
• SOGo 3
• Snort 2.9.8 with support for OpenAppID
• Owncloud 8.2
• Ejabberd 16 from upstream
• ntopng 2.2
• WebvirtMgr 4.8.9 (KVM virtual machines manager)

What is new in version 6.7:

• Shorewall is the new default firewall: it's now possible to create a red interface without installing an extra package, the system will be able to NAT and routing out of the box. The firewall web interface has been moved to nethserver-firewall-base-ui package.
• Web interface for password policy is now part of nethserver-directory
• Italian language has been removed from ISO, it's now an optional package
• SSLv2, SSLv3 and old insecure ciphers are disabled by default
• Upstream updates from CentOS 6.7

What is new in version 6.6:

• Always login as root! The passwords of root and admin users are no longer synchronized. The AdminIsNotRoot DB key has been removed.
• The admin user name is available only if nethserver-directory RPM is installed. For backward compatibility it has still full privileges through Server Manager.
• When nethserver-directory is installed admin is automatically created, as in the past, but its Unix password is not copied from root any more.
• At first login after system installation, the Server Manager displays a First Configuration wizard, where the administrator (root user) can set its password, change the host name, select the timezone and tune other security related settings.
• The Package manager page has been renamed Software center, and moved to the Administration section. To enhance the page usability, two separate tabs show respectively Available and Installed modules. It is now possible to update the installed packages and read the updates changelog.
• Starting from this release, YUM clients are redirected to the official CentOS mirrors to download packages.
• A new page, Server certificate shows the self-signed SSL certificate and allows generating a new one, customizing also the alternative names of the server. As a consequence, changing the host name from the Server name page does not generate a new SSL certificate any more. The same applies for the Organization contacts.
• Added Phone Home to collect limited usage statistics. Phone home is disabled by default.
• The Remote access page has been removed. Access to the Server Manager is now controlled from Network services page, service httpd-admin.
• Secure Shell (SSH) access is configured from the new SSH page.
• The following sections has been removed from interactive installer: root password, filesystem encryption, keyboard selection, time zone selection. See Interactive Mode and Unattended mode. These options can now be configured using the First Configuration wizard.
• A warning is shown on Dashboard and Network pages if a configuration backup has been restored on new hardware or if a network card has been replaced by a new one. A special procedure helps in restoring the network configuration.
• Some new packages are installed by default to help troubleshooting: bind-utils, traceroute, tmpwatch.
• The presto plugin for yum is now installed by default to speed up the update process.
• If nethserver-mail-filter and nethserver-firewall-base are both installed (gateway mode), port 25 is blocked from green and blue zones. See Block port 25.
• The php/DateTimezone prop value is now controlled from Date and time page, that already sets the system time zone. If the system-wide value is not valid for the PHP INI date.timezone parameter, the default UTC is set instead.
• The base installation now includes the disk space analyzer. See Disk analyzer.

What is new in version 6.5 / 6.6 Beta 1:

• First configuration wizard
• Software center
• Server SSL certificate alternative names
• Phone home
• Block of port 25 from green and blue networks