ZFS for Linux

We have to get the ZFS filesystem working properly in linux. I wont go into details on the underlying concepts of how ZFS operates as it has already been well documented at multiple locations. But further information is available at: http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/zfs_learning_center.jsp


OSX supports reading support of ZFS already, and its only a matter of time until write support is added. The biggest benefit ZFS would bring is an easy-to-use, fast, extendible raid filesystem for linux.


Implementing it would finally bring RAID to mainstream linux. Many linux distributions still refuse to include RAID support during installation, and many that do, don't support it properly. In fact, one distribution I tried errored out while it was initialising the RAID. Compare this experience to OSX which has had easy to use raid for ages. However, ZFS will succeed where OSX's fail. ZFS supports almost infinite storage, and is easy to use.


Also, Apple's implementation is seemingly buggy. The other day for a demonstration I pulled out a drive whilst it was being rebuilt, and Apple Raid would no longer accept it back into the raid, thinking that it was a freshly formatted drive. Also, Apple's raid does not appear to be flexible enough to add additional harddisks after initial setup.


A proper ZFS implementation would require that after popping in a new harddisk that is unitialised, that the user would be prompted if they want to attach it to the ZFS partition, if one exists.