The Networking for System Administrators Kickstarter is running full steam ahead, so I’m making words on OpenZFS Mastery. It’s a second edition of FreeBSD Mastery: ZFS and FreeBSD Mastery: Advanced ZFS, but a single large volume also covering Linux.
ZFS support in Linux distributions varies. The broader Linux community questions the compatibility between the GPL and the CDDL and in response, distributions have added and removed installer ZFS support. Intellectual property attorneys who have considered CDDL/GPL compatibility often say “it’s an interesting question,” which is lawyerese for “$500 an hour and the hearing’s gonna be lit.” This doesn’t matter to users, but operating system vendors are risk-adverse. The result? OpenZFS considers Linux a top-tier platform. Most Linux distributions do not consider ZFS a top-tier filesystem. Check your Linux documentation for installation and upgrade instructions.
We have chosen to believe that some Linux will adopt ZFS as a preferred filesystem and integrate all its features the way FreeBSD and Illumos have. Until then, Linux users often compromise to make their lives easier.
License wars are the worst.
Before you ask, I won’t open sponsorships on OpenZFS Mastery until I ship the N4SA2e sponsor gifts.