which file system to use

[ubuntu at rio.vg]

David Abrahams wrote:
>>
>> "ZFS is currently not available as a root filesystem since there is no
>> ZFS boot support, Sun plan to add this feature in late 2006."
> 
> In the linux world, doesn't that translate to "ZFS is currently not
> available as a /boot partition...?"

Actually, given the license issue, you can't even go that far.  The more
important part of the quote though, was the "late 2006" estimation on
adding it to the boot possibilities of Solaris.  This suggests that it
is still not a mature system on Solaris.

>> "Sun has said it is investigating the porting of ZFS to Linux but this
>> is complicated by the incompatibility between the OpenSolaris license
>> CDDL and the GPL which governs the Linux kernel."
>>
>> So don't expect the linux kernel to support it.  Unless Sun changes the
>> license, it will never enter the kernel.  The current "Google Summer of
>> Code" project is to get ZFS running under FUSE, so it will only run in
>> userspace...
> 
> Is that a problem?

Yes.  This means the filesystem will be slower, no boot possibility
ever, not just no /boot, but you'd have to wait until the full user
system comes up before mounting it.  As a general rule, things that run
inside the kernel are faster than things in userspace.

>> In terms of ZFS, the operative phrase is "Don't hold your breath."
>> Maybe, someday, it'll be ready, but not any time soon... there's a long
>> way from "We've jury-rigged it to run through FUSE", and "I'll trust it
>> with my critical data."
> 
> What makes that a "jury-rig?"  Seems to my naive eye that a
> kernel-supported implementation, being more invasive and harder to
> test, is also likely to be more prone to instability.

FUSE is noted for doing things like sshfs.  Things that are very cool,
but not exactly what I'd depend on for production machines, nevermind
entrusting it to critical data.

> Anyway, I guess I'm liking the idea of Nextenta OS for my server more
> and more.  As long as I can run virtualization software like VMWare on
> it, I'm all set.

We have, shall we say, somewhat different requirements in our server
environments.  Good luck with Nextenta.  I used to run Solaris servers,
and needless to say, I'll be much happier never to run one ever again.

I hope ZFS becomes a good mature Filesystem, but it's not their yet, and
getting all excited about it now is just absurd.  An FS isn't like some
beta piece of software you can just throw about and restart or debug if
it breaks down.  When an FS breaks, it takes all your data with it.  I
heartily recommend looking back on the early days of ReiserFS.  Heck,
even the early days of ext2 had major problems, as I recall.