BoxyBSD | FAQ

BoxyBSD.com 1.0-RELEASE (GENERIC) boxybsd.com/faq

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guest@mgmt-boxybsd:~$ cat faq.md

FAQ

How can I verify my account?
To prevent misuse and abuse of this service, a GitHub account is required.
You must create a dedicated repository named 'boxybsd'. In the
repository's main branch, include a file named 'validation.txt' with the
following content:
boxybsd-C8A557FEC8-53ED42D841

To validate if everything has been correctly defined you can simply run the
following command on your system (make sure to replace your GitHub nick):
$> curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{user}/boxybsd/refs/heads/main/validation.txt | grep boxybsd-C8A557FEC8-53ED42D841
If this returns the validation string you can validate your account.

Can I get a new BSD based VM?
Yes - but it takes some time. This project is free and the resources are
limited. Each hypervisor will only run a limited amount of free VMs.
Slots will be freed when someone cancels the VM or a new host node gets
attached to the cluster. I still have to pay for the resources that you
are using for free which means I cannot simply add new nodes.

Can I choose an OS?
You can choose between the following OS:
* FreeBSD
* OpenBSD
* NetBSD
* DragonFlyBSD
* HardenedBSD
* MidnightBSD
* Open Indiana (beta)

Where are the systems hosted?
BoxyBSD currently provides different locations in Europe and North America.
The hypervisors are hosted in datacenters in France, Germany, Canada and
the Netherlands. Currently, it is not possible to choose a specific location.

Can I get IPv4 addresses?
No!

Are there PKG Mirrors?
No, except for the Open Indiana / Illumos repository, we do not provide an
additional mirror for the BSD repositories. In fact, all ones provide IPv6
connectivity and have nearby mirrors where we even directly peer with. The
only exception is Illumos. You can use our mirror at:
* pkg-openindiana.mirror.gyptazy.com
* pkg-openindiana.mirror.boxybsd.com

How can I access GitHub?
Imagine, we have the year 2025 and GitHub is still not available on IPv6!
In fact, that's a fact and many open-source projects are available on
GitHub. Therefore, to access GitHub you can use the following proxy:
* github.mirror.gyptazy.com
* github.mirror.boxybsd.com

Do you have NAT64 / DNS64?
Yes, we also provide NAT64 and DNS64 services. This means that you can
easily access IPv4 resources (except of RFC1918) from your IPv6-only
based VPS boxes. You can simply use the following ones:
* 2a13:e3c1:1337::b00b (ns01-nat64.gyptazy.com)
* 2a01:d0:b0aa::b00b (ns02-nat64.gyptazy.com)

To use the NAT64 / DNS64 service, simply set those IPs as your primary
DNS server in your resolver config. Futurue Box images will have this
already pre-configured. Note: Keep note, that this service is only
available for the BoxyBSD VPS instances and its networks.

Can I get a custom IPv6 subnet?
Yes, depending on your location we offer a /48 or /64 IPv6 subnet
for your VPS. Usually, you can immediately use a /64 on all locations
where the subnet is simply the squirrel of your VPS ID. For example,
if you have the following IP and VM ID:
* 2a13:e3c0:23:1337::506
* managed-vm506.boxybsd.com
your subnet would be:
* 2a13:e3c0:23:506::/64

Do you support DN42 peering?
Yes, we also support the DN42 network and also peer there. Using DN42
offers you not only a direct peering with gyptazy open-source solutions
and BoxyBSD, but also to use IPv4 and your own IPs (IPv4 and IPv6).
We peer at DN42 as:
* AS4242423588: BoxyBSD
* AS4242421344: gyptazy open-source solutions

If you like to peer with us, please simply contact us at
peering@boxybsd.com or peering@gyptazy.com for further information.

Do you support BGP peering?
Yes, we also support BGP peering. If you like to peer with us, please
simply contact us at peering@boxybsd.com or peering@gyptazy.com for
further information. Peering options depend on upstream AS and location.

Can I get a custom reverse DNS?
Yes, you can also get a reverse DNS for your IPv6 address. Please contact
us for further information.

Traffic & Bandwidth?
Traffic is needed and you should do what you need to do but please do not
generate unnecessary traffic. Please do not provide any download portals
and do not run P2P sharing systems like Torrent. This is currently stated
as "fair use" traffic but may change at any time. The host nodes are
connected with multiple Gbit interfaces but each VM is limited to 100 Mbit.
If there is any reason to get more bandwidth, please contact us.

My account is not verified?
During the initial registration process, you are required to define your
GitHub username. This is used to verify your identity and to prevent abuse.
During this process, the system validates you account and fetches your SSH
public key(s) from GitHub which will be used for the VPS logins. If you have
not defined a GitHub username or if you have not set your SSH public key(s)
your account remains unverified and you will not be able to create a VPS.
In such cases, please update your account information and try again. You may
also contact us for further assistance.

How can I login to my VPS?
You can simply login to our management interface which provdes all further
information about your VPS. You can also login to your VPS via SSH by using
the 'root' user. The systems will use the SSH public key authentication and
automatically use your GitHub SSH public key(s) for the login.

How do we get support?
For further support you can write an email to support@boxybsd.com.
You may also find more help in the Matrix channel on the BSD.Cafe server:
#boxybsd:bsd.cafe

Can we donate?
No, currently we do not accept any donations.

Can we sponsor?
Yes, sponsoring is absolutely appreciated! If you are working in or for an
AS (Autonomous System) or in a data center and can provide hardware resources
with a minimum of 32GB memory and 500GB disk space, including upstream and
at least a single /48 IPv6 subnet, this can be integrated into the BoxyBSD
project. Please get in touch with the project via our contact page.

Are there things forbidden?
The initial idea of this project is to provide a valuable platform for
people interested in BSD and open-source. This means, that it should
also be used and treated in this way - for research and learning. Do
not waste resources (especially network traffic)! You should also take
care for your instance and keep it up to date and secure.

Strongly forbidden is everything which results into illegal activities
(e.g., hacking, ddos etc.) but also annoying things like port scanning
of foreign systems and so on. Every kind of pornographic material is
forbidden and also running TOR nodes, Torrent etc..

Can the hosting and service be terminated?
Yes, the services may be terminated at any time without any
further notice!

Are there backups?
No! YOU are responsible for your instance and backups.

What CMS are you using?
This project runs on manpageblog which is free and open-source.
You can find the source on GitHub but it is
also available in the FreeBSD ports.

Who is behind this project?
This project is founded and driven by gyptazy. I'm a BSD user for
more than 15 years and belive in the strenght of the community.
You can also find me on Twitter and the Fediverse.