[Discuss] ZFS

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Rich Braun wrote:
> ...at least not on Linux until ZFS is made available
> as a stable kernel module.  (The usual patent and licensing crap is
> responsible for this situation.

ZFS has been integrated into the FreeBSD kernel (as I'm sure you know),
and despite being a less lucrative target for patent suits, is
theoretically subject to the same patent infringement liability, yet I
haven't heard of Sun/Oracle pursuing that.

As I understand it, it is the license under which ZFS is open sourced
that poses the clear and obvious barrier to Linux kernel integration.

A more interesting question is whether Oracle has done any code transfer
from ZFS to Btrfs, now that they own both, and the latter is integrated
into the Linux kernel. (I haven't read much about either project since
Oracle acquired Sun.) Or are they keeping ZFS away from open source as
much as possible, mirroring what they did with Solaris?


> So I am curious--how far along is the ZFS kernel dev?

Or similarly, how much has Btrfs matured?

A 2009-era article:
"BTRFS Intro & Benchmarks"
http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7308/

The short term solution seems to be to build a filer with FreeNAS. (Or
OpenSolaris, or Solaris-kernel-based Nexenta.)

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/