IXSYSTEMS, a well-known supplier of operating systems based on BSD, has announced a strategic reorientation of its activities from FreeBSD to Linux. This decision marks a significant milestone for the industry and could signal a shift in priorities in the development of data storage systems.
With a strong background in BSD, IXSYSTEMS has long been a supporter of FreeBSD. However, recent developments point towards a shift in focus towards Linux, particularly with the product scale in the Truenas family, designed for Kubernetes environments. It appears that the company’s future is now closely linked to this direction.
The change in focus has not gone unnoticed. Gartner recently recognized IXSYSTEMS with an award for consumer choice in the data storage facilities segment, highlighting the increasing recognition of Truenas Scale. This recognition is particularly significant amidst concerns about Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, with many users turning to Truenas as an alternative.
Meanwhile, the support and development of Truenas Core, a product based on FreeBSD, face uncertainty. Despite the release of version 13.3 based on FreeBSD 13.3, future development based on FreeBSD 14 is no longer planned by IXSYSTEMS. This decision has sparked discussions in the community, with users viewing it as a sign of the eventual phasing out of FreeBSD support.
Although the transition to Truenas Scale offers new opportunities and promises simplified migration due to the continued use of the OpenZFS file system, moving from FreeBSD to Linux presents challenges, especially for virtual machines and plugins tied to specific system requirements.
Truenas Core and its predecessor Freenas have played an important role in the data storage solutions ecosystem, praised for their simplicity and resource efficiency. IXSYSTEMS’ focus on Truenas Scale reflects the company’s aim to adapt to evolving market demands and trends in cloud computing and microservices.
The history of IXSYSTEMS has been closely intertwined with BSD development. Originally known as Berkeley Software Design, Inc., the company has undergone various stages, including mergers and acquisitions, showcasing its ability to adapt to new challenges.
While this strategic shift raises concerns