ClearOS is a Linux distribution

Linux distribution

A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...

, based on CentOS

CentOS

CentOS is a free operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux . It exists to provide a free enterprise class computing platform and strives to maintain 100% binary compatibility with its upstream distribution...

 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a Linux-based operating system developed by Red Hat and targeted toward the commercial market. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server versions for x86, x86-64, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM System z, and desktop versions for x86 and x86-64...

, designed for use in small and medium enterprises as a network gateway and network server with a web-based administration interface

WebConfig

WebConfig is an open sourced server administration and configuration tool licensed under the GPL. It is featured in ClearOS, ClarkConnect and CentralPointe Server. The goal of the tool is to make administration tasks of the Linux server easy to use and focuses on tasks relevant to operating the...

. It is designed to be an alternative to Windows Small Business Server. ClearOS succeeds ClarkConnect. The software will be built by ClearFoundation, and support services can be purchased from ClearCenter. ClearOS 5.1 removes previous limitations to mail, DMZ, and MultiWAN functions.

Starting with the ClearOS 6.1 release, the distribution will be a full-featured operating system for servers and workstations built from source packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Features

Features include:

• Stateful firewall (iptables
  Iptables
  iptables is a user space application program that allows a system administrator to configure the tables provided by the Linux kernel firewall and the chains and rules it stores...
  
  ), networking and security
• Intrusion detection and prevention system (SNORT
  Snort (software)
  Snort is a free and open source network intrusion prevention system and network intrusion detection system , created by Martin Roesch in 1998...
  
  )
• Virtual private networking (PPTP, IPSec
  IPsec
  Internet Protocol Security is a protocol suite for securing Internet Protocol communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session...
  
  , OpenVPN
  OpenVPN
  OpenVPN is a free and open source software application that implements virtual private network techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities. It uses a custom security protocol that utilizes SSL/TLS for...
  
  )
• Web proxy, with content filtering and antivirus (Squid, DansGuardian
  DansGuardian
  DansGuardian, written by SmoothWall Ltd and others, is content-control software: software designed to control which websites users can access. It also includes virus filtering and usage monitoring features...
  
  )
• E-mail services (Webmail, Postfix
  Postfix
  Postfix may refer to:* Suffix * Postfix notation, a way of writing algebraic and other expressions. Also known as reverse Polish notation* Postfix , a mail transfer agent program...
  
  , SMTP, POP3/s, IMAP/s)
• Groupware (Kolab
  Kolab
  Kolab is an open source groupware suite. It consists of the Kolab server and a wide variety of Kolab clients, including KDE PIM-Suite Kontact, Horde Webfrontend, Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Lightning with SyncKolab extension and Microsoft Outlook with proprietary Kolab-Connector PlugIns.-Basic...
  
  )
• Database and web server (easy to deploy LAMP
  LAMP (software bundle)
  LAMP is an acronym for a solution stack of free, open source software, referring to the first letters of Linux , Apache HTTP Server, MySQL and PHP , principal components to build a viable general purpose web server.The GNU project is advocating people to use the term "GLAMP" since what is known as...
  
   stack)
• File and print services (Samba
  Samba (software)
  Samba is a free software re-implementation, originally developed by Andrew Tridgell, of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol. As of version 3, Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows Server domain, either as a Primary Domain...
  
   and CUPS
  Common Unix Printing System
  CUPS is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server...
  
  )
• Flexshares (unified multi-protocol storage which currently employs CIFS, HTTP/S, FTP/S, and SMTP)
• MultiWAN (Internet fault tolerant design)
• Built-in reports for system statistics and services (MRTG and others)

Awards and recognition

• August 2009: ClearCenter wins 'Best New Product' at CompTIA
  CompTIA
  The Computing Technology Industry Association , a non-profit trade association, was created in 1982 as the Association of Better Computer Dealers, Inc. by representatives of five microcomputer dealerships...
  
   Breakaway.
• August 2010: ClearCenter repeats win for 'Best New Product' at CompTIA Breakaway.

See also

• IPCop
  IPCop
  IPCop is a Linux distribution which aims to provide a simple-to-manage firewall appliance based on PC hardware. IPCop is a stateful firewall built on the Linux netfilter framework....
  
  
• IPFire
  IPFire
  IPFire is a free Linux distribution which acts as a router and firewall in the first instance. It can be maintained via a Web interface. The distribution furthermore offers selected server-daemons and can easily be expanded to a SOHO-server....
  
  
• SME Server
  SME Server
  SME Server is a Linux distribution based on CentOS offering an operating system for computers used as web, file, email and database servers...
  
  
• SmoothWall
  SmoothWall
  Smoothwall is a Linux distribution designed to be used as an open source firewall. Designed for ease of use, Smoothwall is configured via a web-based GUI, and requires little or no knowledge of Linux to install or use....
  
  
• Zentyal

External links

• Announcement of ClearCenter and ClearFoundation by Point Clark Networks