Open Source software projects are typically funded solely by donations from grateful users. Since eRacks incorporates open source software in nearly all of its computers, it makes sense for the company to construct a new avenue for donations. eRacks' customers are now easily able to make a donation toward the OpenBSD Project along with the purchase of an eRacks rackmount server, with the simple click of a dropdown choice.

eRacks Open Source Systems strives to return the control of the IT department back to the business owner, by providing quality open source enterprise-level applications on easily-upgradable industry-standard hardware. eRacks believes businesses should not be required to rely on third-party closed-source software vendors.
eRacks Open Source Systems features its own line of rackmount servers, desktops, and laptops and offers a wide array of services including open source enterprise migration, security, and network architecture services.
eRacks has both the technical knowledge and experience to be able to offer and recommend effective enterprise-level solutions. eRacks prides itself in giving customers a wide choice of open source operating systems and software to be preconfigured on the systems they purchase.


OpenBSD is a Unix-like operating system, well-known for both its high security and reliability. It has been particularly successful at avoiding default security holes, and has an exceptionally rigorous auditing process. OpenBSD is freely redistributable under the open source BSD license. Typical applications that are best suited to run on OpenBSD are those that require strong security such as bastion hosts, intrusion detection, perimeter firewalls, bandwidth managers, mail filter gateways, VPN (Virtual Private Network), DMZ (DeMilitarized Zone), NAT (Network Address Translation), and DNS (Domain Name Server) servers.

The OpenBSD project also authors OpenSSH, which is crucial to management of large data centers. OpenSSH is a free implementation of the IETF-standardized SSH connectivity protocol connectivity toolset that allow functions like file transfers and remote login. This is an essential improvement over the older tools such as telnet, rlogin, and ftp, where the user's password is transmitted unencrypted. OpenSSH's encryption routines eliminate password snooping, eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other attacks. OpenSSH is the most widely used implementation of the SSH protocol, and is included in products from IBM, Apple, HP, Sun, and Cisco.

The OpenBSD project and OpenSSH are both coordinated in Canada by Theo de Raadt, while the development team is globally distributed. Because OpenBSD is officially based in Canada and avoids restrictive U.S. cryptography export laws, the developers have been able to embed cryptographic components in numerous places within the operating system, increasing its security. The OpenBSD Project is funded solely by donations and sales of its CDs and Tshirts. "The OpenBSD project is impressed by the novel approach eRacks has taken, which allows their customers to easily contribute towards the open source software which will operate on their servers. eRacks' customers should take careful note of how this enlightened approach attempts to make sure that the OpenBSD and OpenSSH projects are better funded, and thus able to continue innovating these free products which much of the industry so heavily depends on." notes Theo De Raadt, coordinator of the OpenBSD and OpenSSH Projects.

"eRacks is proud to provide a route for donations to the OpenBSD Project. Rock-solid security is a top priority for most of our customers; OpenBSD provides this." comments Joseph Wolff, CEO of eRacks Open Source Systems. "Our corporate customers have already realized the advantages of utilizing reliable and secure open source software in their critical business processes." eRacks' future plans include expanding its donation program to other segments of the open source community. It is in the best interest of a corporation to contribute back to the community on which it depends, insist eRacks' managers.