5.1 Operating Environment
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports many
platforms and operating systems. Please refer to 「12.3 PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 Specs」 for
specifications on compatible operating systems.
5.1.1 Support for Windows
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports the Microsoft Windows
platform. Support is provided not only for Windows NT 4.0 and
new NT kernel-based platforms from Windows 2000 onwards, but
also for legacy systems Windows 98 and Windows Millennium
Edition, and the PacketiX VPN Bridge may in some cases be
operable on these legacy systems.
When developing the PacketiX VPN Bridge, SoftEther
Corporation develops the programs as well as basic debugging and
optimization on a Windows platform and then ports these tasks to
other operating systems. That is why the performance of the
Windows OS kernel scheduler and network protocol stack is
equivalent to or slightly better than those of Linux, and not
only matches the performance of UNIX operating systems, but
exceeds it. Using the Windows version of the PacketiX VPN Bridge
also enables VPN Server operation with the least limitations.
In addition, while specific software may not work properly
for Linux and other UNIX operating systems depending on the
kernel version and differences between the distribution and
various library systems, Windows operating systems guarantee a
certain degree of uniformity in terms of the operation of system
APIs and user-mode libraries such that the PacketiX VPN Bridge
can operate safely on both old and new versions of Windows.
Accordingly, SoftEther Corporation recommends using the
PacketiX VPN Bridge on a Windows platform where no other
technical or cost issues are involved.
The Windows version PacketiX VPN Bridge is compatible
with the following system architectures. Note that there is a
high likelihood that compliant architectures will increase in
the future.
PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 can be operated on either
32-bit or 64-bit (x64 version) versions of Windows. For more
information about support for 64-bit environments, please refer
to 「Chapter 12 PacketiX VPN Software Specification」.
5.1.2. Support for Linux
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports the Linux platform.
The server can be operated on the Linux Kernel 2.4 or later
kernel versions.
The Linux platform is the next operating environment
recommended by SoftEther Corporation after Windows. The
performance of the Linux kernel scheduler and multithread
library has improved considerably on past versions, and the
network protocol stack also now rivals that of Windows in terms
of reliability. Therefore, where technical or political issues
make the use of Windows as the VPN server difficult, we
recommend using the PacketiX VPN Bridge on a Linux system.
One of the particular advantages of using a Linux system is that
the cost of software license fees upon installation is often
cheaper than for Windows. The Linux version PacketiX VPN Bridge
also exhibits performance and functions comparable with the
Windows version.
Furthermore, the Linux operating system offers the benefit of
supporting many types of CPUs compared to the Windows OS. For
this reason, the PacketiX VPN Bridge supports many CPUs
such as those listed below. Apart from common computers, Linux
may also be installed on embedded devices (NASs, routers, HDD
recorders etc) whose hardware adopts a CPU aimed at such devices
other than the x86. The PacketiX VPN Bridge can also
operate on these types of hardware.
The Linux version PacketiX VPN Bridge is compatible
with the following system architectures. Note that there is a
high likelihood that compliant architectures will increase in
the future.
- x86
- x64 (AMD64 / EM64T)
- PowerPC (32-bit mode)
- SH4 (32-bit mode)
- MIPS (32-bit mode)
PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 can be operated on either
32-bit or 64-bit (x64 version) versions of Linux . For
more information about support for 64-bit environments, please
refer to 「Chapter 12 PacketiX VPN Software Specification」.
5.1.3 Support for FreeBSD
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports the FreeBSD platform.
The server is operable on the FreeBSD 5.x or later kernel
versions.
While the PacketiX VPN Bridge can perform sufficiently
on the FreeBSD platform, there is the disadvantage of not being
able to use the local bridge connection function. On the whole,
using the PacketiX VPN Bridge on FreeBSD does not pose any
problems when the user does not intend to utilize the local
bridge function.
The FreeBSD version PacketiX VPN Bridge is compatible
with the following system architectures. Note that there is a
high likelihood that compliant architectures will increase in
the future.
PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 can be operated on either
32-bit or 64-bit (x64 version) versions of FreeBSD . For
more information about support for 64-bit environments, please
refer to 「Chapter 12 PacketiX VPN Software Specification」.
5.1.4 Support for Solaris
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports the Sun Microsystems
Solaris platform. The server can be operated on the Solaris 8 or
later kernel versions.
The VPN Server can deliver sufficient performance on the
Solaris platform. Additionally, the local bridge connection
function can be used on Build 5220 or later versions of the
Solaris version PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0/ VPN Bridge 2.0.
This has enabled the Solaris OS to realize VPN Server/ VPN
Bridge functionality comparable to that of Windows or Linux
operating systems.
Also, because the Solaris OS operates on hardware using SPARC
CPUs, companies possessing this special hardware can effectively
utilize their resources as VPN servers by running the PacketiX
VPN Bridge on said hardware.
Due to a lack of test hardware, SoftEther Corporation has not
carried out testing of the PacketiX VPN Bridge for all CPU
types and versions of the Solaris OS. We therefore recommend
using the latest possible version of the Solaris operating
system to best ensure operation.
The Solaris version PacketiX VPN Bridge is compatible
with the following system architectures. Note that there is a
high likelihood that compliant architectures will increase in
the future.
- x86
- x64 (AMD64 / EM64T)
- SPARC (32-bit mode)
- SPARC (64-bit mode)
PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 can be operated on either
32-bit or 64-bit (x64 or SPARCv9) versions of Solaris. For more
information about support for 64-bit environments, please refer
to 「Chapter 12 PacketiX VPN Software Specification」.
5.1.5 Support for Mac OS X
The PacketiX VPN Bridge supports the Mac OS X platform.
The server can be operated on Darwin 7.9.0 or later kernel
versions.
While the PacketiX VPN Bridge can perform sufficiently
on the Mac OS X platform, there is the disadvantage of not being
able to use the local bridge connection function. On the whole,
using the PacketiX VPN Bridge on Mac OS X does not pose
any problems when the user does not intend to utilize the local
bridge function. Multithread library performance on the Mac OS X
may be inferior to that of other operating systems, so we
recommend using other OSs when the PacketiX VPN Bridge is
to be used in a high load environment.
The Mac OS X version PacketiX VPN Bridge is compatible
with the following system architectures. Note that there is a
high likelihood that compliant architectures will increase in
the future.
5.1.6 Support for Embedded Devices
The PacketiX VPN Bridge features highly portable,
memory-saving software programming code and can therefore be
embedded in hardware devices in hardware routers, Layer 3 and
Layer 2 switches, wireless LAN devices, digital consumer
electronics and miniature computers in automobiles and the like,
provided that said hardware devices satisfy the operational
requirements. See 「1.3.8 64-bit version of PacketiX VPN Server 2.0」 for details.
Embedding the PacketiX VPN Bridge into various devices
in the future would theoretically ensure interconnectivity and
communication between these devices via the common PacketiX VPN
protocol, thus enabling not only computer users but also
consumers in general to use the PacketiX VPN intuitively.
5.1.7 Limitations
A number of operating system limitations exist for the
PacketiX VPN Bridge . While these limitations may be described
in other areas of this manual, it is also possible that other
technically difficult OS and hardware architecture-dependent
issues may exist. Moreover, SoftEther Corporation does not
guarantee the operational stability of the PacketiX VPN Bridge
on all operating systems. Please refer to 「12.3 PacketiX VPN Bridge 2.0 Specs」 for details on
our recommended operating systems and system configurations.
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