ClearOS Enterprise 6.2.0 Beta 2 has arrived!  Hey, what happened to the version number - wasn't it version 6.1.0?  Well, the latest ClearOS release is built on source code from a prominent North American Linux vendor.  This upstream vendor released their 6.2 update earlier this month and we quickly followed suit.  For the curious, you can find more information on ClearOS version numbering here.

Along with the release of more than a dozen new apps, this release continues the process of creating a stable base system: installer, RPM packages, users, groups, system tools, LDAP, network, firewall, framework, and Marketplace.

You can find download information for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions in the Release Notes.  Enjoy!

The ClearOS Enterprise 6.1.0 beta 1 release is here!  This release will kickstart the process of creating a stable base system: installer, RPM packages, users, groups, system tools, LDAP, network, firewall, framework, and Marketplace.  At the same time, we will start rolling out more apps like Web Proxy and Web Access Control found in this beta 1 release.

You can find download information for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions in the Release Notes.  Enjoy!

Web Development Services

Shopify Development Services

PHP Development Services

API Integration Services

YII Framework

Ecommerce Development

Laravel Development Services

Node.JS Framework

The ClearOS Enterprise 6.1.0 alpha 1 release has arrived!  This alpha provides a small window into what's in store for the upcoming release.

For end users, Marketplace, the fast web interface engine and usability improvements are the highlights of this release.  The Marketplace is up and running and a small set of apps can be installed.

For developers, the new ClearOS App Framework is now stable and ready for use. Whether you want to develop a free tool or a paid app, the environment for building new features for ClearOS is much improved.

For translators, the process of translating ClearOS Enterprise can get underway. Please contact developer@clearfoundation.com if you would like to participate!

Please keep in mind that this is an alpha. Some parts of Alpha 1 are quite polished, while other parts (ahem) need work.

Release Notes and Download Links

With the ClearOS Enterprise Alpha (and shortly thereafter, Beta) image nearing release, there are bound to be questions on one of the major features making its debut in the upcoming release - ClearCenter's Marketplace.

Simply put, ClearCenter's Marketplace is an online store featuring apps and services (both free and paid) for ClearOS Enterprise.  For those using or familiar with Android smartphones, there is a good analogy that will help clarify the direction we are taking.  Let's start with the following two premises:

1.  ClearOS is to Server, Network & Gateway what Android OS is to Smartphones.

2.  ClearCenter's new Marketplace is to ClearOS Enterprise (the platform) what Google's Android Marketplace is to Android OS.

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If you are confused, it is my fault. I take the blame and I'm sorry. The recent releases of ClearOS Core is causing some confusion and I know why. If you have read every post on all the forums then it is easy to see what is going on but a cursory glance will lead to confusion so I will attempt to spell it out simply. ClearFoundation is releasing a completely different distro (ClearOS Core) and to make matters worse, we are calling nearly the same name as another existing product (ClearOS Enterprise). This was done for strategic, long term consistency between multiple product lines and makes way for yet another goal, ClearOS Home.

If you are used to using ClearOS Enterprise and you remember the days of Clarkconnect then by now you know that sometimes we mix things up and it can cause to some confusion. For example, ClearOS Enterprise used to be paid and now it is free like Clarkconnect Community Edition, which was free but now no longer exists, much like Clarkconnect SOHO or GS (which you probably never heard of). Back then the question was, "Wait, why are you getting rid of the Community Edition, man!" The answer was "Well Enterprise is now free!". To which the reply was, "But I like the Community Edition." ... good times.

For existing users familiar to the interface, ClearOS Enterprise is the only thing you need to concern yourself with. ClearOS Enterprise is a continuation of what most people consider 'ClearOS'. So if you are looking for a server, network and gateway platform that is managed through a web-based interface, ClearOS Enterprise is the tool for you. The alpha release of ClearOS Enterprise should be available as a VM shortly.

So what the heck is ClearOS Core? For a long time we have been anticipating the release of open source code from CentOS which would allow ClearOS Enterprise to move forward with a better kernel, improvements to the driver stack and other bits that make geeks chitter with glee, bob their heads in approval, and strum their fingers together signalling imminent world domination. Sadly, our primary source of this code has not been forthcoming in a manner that met our expectations. Our answer to this was to bypass them and go further upstream. We have retooled our development resources to handle this mammoth project and decided to give it away as well. The end result is a vanilla multi-purpose Linux distribution that is not easy to manage but is great for Linux hobbists and elite Linux admins. A CentOS replacement. With nothing better to do than to confuse our patient fans we decided to call it ... ClearOS Core! I realize now that this is akin to U2 calling the followup to their smash hit album, "The Joshua Tree Leaf". I'm sorry for confusing anyone.

ClearFoundation announces the release of ClearOS Core 6.1 Alpha 1. This release is intended for testing and proof of concept for new line of operating systems for servers and workstations. To download the torrent please visit the download section or visit linuxtracker.org.

ClearOS Core is an enterprise Linux distribution for server and desktop environments. It is a free and open source rebuild of a prominent North American Linux distribution. The goal is to provide near binary equivalency and functionality that exists in the upstream distribution, including bugs. Additionally, ClearFoundation strives to release versions, updates and patches in a timely and professional manner (the goal for updates is 48 hours or less). Most of the source code in ClearOS Core is GPL. ClearFoundation reserves all rights on its own service marks, trademarks and graphics not specifically designated as open source.

ClearOS Core is the result of the hard work of many individuals worldwide who have given their time and talent to open source. ClearFoundation is grateful for the dedicated efforts of our upstream sources provider. ClearFoundation is not affiliated, associated or supported by the company which produces the upstream prominent North American Linux distribution or the Fedora™ Project. ClearOS Core is built from publicly available and open source SRPMS and as such it is an alternative and not an exact replacement to the prominent North American Linux distribution.

ClearOS Core is the base for ClearOS Enterprise. It is intended for advanced Linux administrators who want a high level of scalability and control over their Linux environments.

With the release of ClearOS Core the ClearFoundation will need global mirrors (see the TBD section) to help with the distribution effort. We are looking for sites with 100GB available that have a 100Mbps connection, 1Gbps preferred. We hope to be pushing content during the coming month. Sign-up here to help. 

Michael Proper, ClearCenter CEO and Dave Loper, ClearFoundation President, will appear tomorrow on This Week in Tech's (TWIT) FLOSS Weekly Show to discuss some of the upcoming features in ClearOS and ClearCenter offerings. You can watch or listen to the show’s taping live tomorrow Wednesday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. PST at http://live.twit.tv or you can download the show at http://twit.tv/FLOSS a day or two later. TWIT has an IRC chat room that can be reached directly at http://irc.twit.tv channel #twitlive if you'd like to ask questions for Michael or follow along with commenters during the live show.

TWIT's FLOSS Weekly is hosted by Randal Schwartz and a rotating panel of co-hosts every Wednesday as they talk with the most interesting and important people in the Open Source and Free Software community. Visit http://twit.tv/FLOSS for more information.

ClearFoundation is excited for the latest release of new upstream sources. We are grateful to hardware providers that enable us to rebuild these sources quickly. Since we are already building sources for our expected release of 6.0 we have merged the newly released sources and have already begun rebuilding our 6.0 tree against upstream 6.1 sources. At the time of this writing, we are already nearly complete in our build from sources. This has turned out to be great timing for us as we will soon be able to place these packages into beta for the community for testing.

We are excited to announce that in conjunction to the release of ClearOS Enterprise 6.0 that we will also be releasing a new distribution, ClearOS Core 6.1. This new distribution strives to maintain 100% package compatibility with upstream sources.  100% compatibility means

ClearOS Core will also contain all upstream issues and bugs.  The only changes from upstream sources will be to remove branding as required.

Beginning tomorrow, we will begin our internal QA process to validate the symbols. ClearOS Core 6.1 will be based on these 6.1 upstream sources. ClearOS Enterprise 6.0 will enter beta using the sources we have previously built against upstream 6.0 sources. During the beta we will 'update' to these new sources and hope to have them merged by the completion of the beta cycle. We expect to release code into beta shortly for both products.

ClearOS Core and ClearOS Enterprise are free and open source platforms. ClearCenter continues to provide paid resources such as support, hardware, and services for ClearOS. Volunteer today!

ClearFoundation announces the development of an open source application repository to provide pre-built packages for ClearOS and other related Linux distributions. 

ClearOS Distribution Timeline

This application package repository will be used in conjunction with newer distribution models to provide enterprise grade application frameworks for businesses, education, research and homes. This repository will contain packages built from Red Hat Enterprise Linux sources. 

Initially the repository will contain over 2000 open source applications, modules and components. These can be used to build custom solutions based on ClearOS or other related Linux distributions. Packages will range from very foundational Linux code to productivity applications. ClearOS and other open source communities will benefit from the repository by having access to timely updates and quick turn around for sources. 

The ClearFoundation will be seeking developers, maintainers, testers, bandwidth contributors (hosting mirrors) and additional funds for additional build hardware. If you are any of the above and would like to join this important effort please fill out this form.

* Company names, brand names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

With the upcoming release of ClearOS 6.0 there will be a new graphical installer. This installer will be more flexible than previous versions and will support Linux Volume Manager (LVM) and Kickstart. These additions bring greater robustness, flexibility, and scalability to the ClearOS platform. 

Category selection in Graphical interface

LVM allows administrators to grow and shrink partitions. Additionally, partitions can be dynamically manipulated. 

LVM Administration in ClearOS 6.0 installer

Kickstart allows administrators and system integrators to create custom installs to 'preconfigure' ClearOS with parameters, settings, and even third party applications during the install. An example of this would be an unattended VMWare server install or an installation of packages or modifications of ClearOS settings.

Lastly, as we try to improve localization and translation, we will need some new elements created in various languages. If you have previous translation experience, we need you!

Just in time for the holidays!

As most of you already know, much of ClearOS 6.0 will be built off of source code from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and CentOS 6 releases.  The new Red Hat version was more than 3 years in the making and was just released a few weeks ago (November 2010).  There are a lot of new goodies in the new release - especially for the enterprise - and you can read about them here.

The CentOS team went to work the day of the Red Hat release and is busy putting together CentOS 6.  Though the base CentOS 6 is not yet ready, that has not stopped us from providing a sneak preview of the new ClearOS 6.0 web application framework! 

Information and release notes

October is here and so is Service Pack 1 for ClearOS Enterprise 5.2!  We have added a couple of new features in this release:

• The ability to enable services (for example, Content Filter Updates) on the fly.
• The ability to install software modules from the ClearOS community and third party vendors.

The third party software modules integration in the service pack is just a start.  We are working away on the next generation in ClearOS 6.0.

ClearFoundation's Community Oversight Committee is pleased to announced today that Dave Loper has been named President of ClearFoundation. Mr. Loper will manage the development and maintenance of the ClearFoundation community. His technology background and expertise will be valuable in defining the future plans and continued flourishment of ClearFoundation and ClearOS.

We would like to thank John Terpstra for his service and involvement with ClearFoundation. We appreciate his continued insight into Linux and the open source community.

Cast your wish for ClearOS Home edition and help focus the scope, features and road map priority. 

Simple Soft Products signs Value Added Distributor Agreement after success with ClearOS and ClearBOX Solutions

San Antonio, TX - September 1, 2010 - ClearCenter, a leading provider of open source Linux Server, Network and Gateway solutions, welcomed Simple Soft Products today as an Exclusive Value Added Distributor in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) region.

“Simple Soft Products brings the kind of resources, commitment and expertise ClearCenter needs in the Benelux region”, said Michael Proper, CEO of ClearCenter. He added, “The ClearCenter Partner program allows partners like Simple Soft Products to build a valuable business with ClearCenter Linux Server, Network and Gateway solutions. We look forward to working with Jeroen Goorts and his team to bring ClearOS, ClearBOX and ClearCenter services to the Benelux region.”

“Since 1996, Simple Soft Products has provided high quality IT solutions that are simple and affordable for the end user”, said Jeroen Goorts, founder and director at Simple Soft Products. “Appropriate to this mission, we continually look for systems and solutions that fulfill those tasks and find that ClearCenter fits perfectly. We are excited to standardize and deploy ClearCenter services, ClearOS and ClearBOX for partners and customers in the Benelux region.”

Simple Soft Products will inventory ClearBOX servers as well as recruit and train regional partners. Simple Soft Products will also translate the ClearCenter site into Dutch and assist in marketing ClearCenter and ClearFoundation in the Benelux region.

About ClearCenter

ClearCenter, based in Salt Lake City, UT - U.S.A. and Toronto, Ontario - Canada, provides professional products and services for ClearOS, an open source Linux server distribution with Network, Gateway and Server features that can be tailored to the needs of small IT environments that is simple, secure & affordable. ClearOS is installed in more than 140 countries in over 20 languages. ClearCenter updates software, content and services for ClearOS using ClearSDN, a cloud based Service Delivery Network deployed in data centers around the globe. For more information about ClearCenter, visit www.clearcenter.com or call 1+801.851.5555.

For more information about Simple Soft Products, visit www.sspnet.nl

A salesman comes to you and says, 'I have a client that is really excited about using ClearOS and getting rid of their over-complex environment.' Well maybe not this excited, but you get the point.

You start to ask the technical questions and you find out that they are running Quickbooks Enterprise 10 (QBE10) in their environment. As the engineer you start to think of all the creative ways you can get this done, virtualization, running the DB engine from a workstation that stays on, keeping their old Windows Server around ... But for this client, none of them fit the bill as nicely as an integrated solution.

That integration barrier is coming down here at ClearCenter. We have completed phase one of Quickbooks Enterprise 10 integration with ClearOS 5.2. This first phase consists of command line instruction through the ClearFoundation and support of QBE10 through ClearCare. Subsequent phases will include the addition of QBE Server 10 as a module in Webconfig and integrated configuration of the QBE service through its own database screen.

Quickbooks Enterprise 10 is a product of Intuit who has been helping small businesses and individuals with their financial accounting and tax preparation needs for over 25 years.

Many thanks go out to a number of people who have helped to close a bug which caused an error message to display when joining a Samba domain. What is significant and noteworthy about this bug and the resolution is that it required a team of people to solve it from multiple companies. The bug is described here at this link.

I'd like to thank the partners of ClearCenter who originally reported the bug, the Samba team members who confirmed and tested the bug, and special thanks to the engineers at Microsoft who found the solution.

David Loper

ClearCenter’s ClearBOX and ClearOS on-premise solutions integrate seamlessly with cloud-based applications and services such as Google Apps.

San Antonio, TX - August 9, 2010 - ClearCenter, a leading provider of open source Linux Server, Network and Gateway solutions, today detailed its Hybrid Service Provider strategy during the “Selling the Green IT Promise” panel discussion at CompTIA Breakaway 2010. ClearCenter’s ClearBOX 300 is a power efficient Linux server that consolidates all on-premise Server, Network and Gateway functionality with integrated cloud based services including Google Apps, Remote Server Backup, Content Filter Update, Dynamic VPN and more.

“From its inception, ClearBOX was designed to integrate cloud based services with on-premise solutions for Network, Server and Gateway functionality,” said Micheal Proper, CEO, ClearCenter. He continued, “Most applications are moving to the cloud, but there will always be on-premise Server, Network and Gateway functionality. ClearBOX 300 elegantly provisions services, updates, monitoring, and backup through ClearSDN - ClearCenter’s cloud based Service Delivery Network.”

Hybrid cloud is widely understood as a combination of public, community or private cloud applications offered under a measured or monthly service model. ClearCenter’s ClearBOX 300 operates on-premise to perform critical functions on the local area network while seamlessly integrating cloud based services and applications. Hybrid cloud solutions can also create mirrored or duplicate services for both LAN and Internet based environments, so that applications and data are always available in the case of loss of connection or disaster recovery.

ClearBOX fulfills the “green” IT promise by consolidating all on-premise Server, Network and Gateway functions into a single hardware appliance to dramatically reduce the eco-footprint and energy requirements for the small or distributed business. What used to require an entire IT server rack for a small business - Gateway, VPN, file server, print server, application servers and more - is now replaced by a single, power efficient server integrated with cloud based applications and services.

ClearCenter Partners gain from the Hybrid Service Provider cloud strategy by providing more than valuable consulting and configuration services for ClearCenter solutions. The hybrid cloud strategy also enables recurring revenue from both ClearCenter services and cloud based applications. ClearCenter Partners are experts in creating the appropriate hybrid cloud environment for each customer based upon their individual needs, applications and security requirements.