{{tag>software privacy bsd operating_systems guides unix openbsd}}
====== OpenBSD =======
Check out my other {{tagpage>openbsd|OpenBSD pages}}

**OpenBSD** is one of the best, if not the best, [[operating system|operating systems]] you can use.
===== Things to note =====
  *[[Wine]] does not work on OpenBSD natively. You will have to [[how_to_run_wine_on_openbsd|emulate it.]]
  *Desktop performance is reduced from what you can expect on [[Linux]]. 
===== Installation =====
==== Encryption =====
New versions of the OpenBSD installer include this as part of the installer.
==== Firmware (Optional & Nonfree) ====
If you do not have a wired connection you will likely need to [[https://firmware.openbsd.org/firmware/|grab firmware]] for your network hardware before you begin and put it in the EFI directory of your install USB after flashing. It can be installed after installation with ''fw_update <path to .tgz>'' 
==== Post-installation tweaks ====
Hyperthreading is disabled by default as a security consideration. You can enable it by adding ''hw.smt=1'' to ''/etc/sysctl.conf'' to make full usage of your [[CPU]].
===== Service management =====
Service management is done with the ''rcctl(8)'' tool. 
===== Package management =====
To search a package: 
''pkg_info -Q <name>''

To install a package:
''pkg_add <name>''
===== Adjusting memory limits for desktop use =====
By default the OpenBSD memory limits are quite low, which makes it inconvenient. There are two ways of limiting memory usage, one is the file ''/etc/login.conf'' which defines per-group/user memory limits, and kernel-defined memory limits set by ''sysctl''. If your computer has a lot of memory then you will certainly want to adjust these.
  *Firstly add your user account to the ''staff'' group, which has the highest memory limits: ''usermod -G staff myuser'' (The default memory limit for ''staff'' can also be adjusted in ''/etc/login.conf'')
  *Secondly, edit ''/etc/sysctl.conf''
  *<code>net.inet.ip.forwarding=1
# default: 1310
kern.maxproc=8192
# default: 7030
kern.maxfiles=32768
# default: 1950
kern.maxthread=16384
# shared memory settings
kern.shminfo.shmall=536870912    # default: 8192
kern.shminfo.shmmax=2147483647   # default: 33554432
kern.shminfo.shmmni=4096         # default: 1024</code>
  *Logout and login.