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Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

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Re: Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

#21
post #11

No ARC/L2ARC? Edit: of course not. This is actually just it’s just a ZFS user-facing ”front-end”, not a ZFS implementation .

It's capable of doing IO against a real ZFS array without any other code. ARC is an implementation detail and not necessary for correctness. If you removed ARC from ZoL it would still work, just slower. ARC is far from the most interesting milestone for a reimplementation effort because an ARC implementation doesn't need to be anything like the Sun version internally, as long as it offers similar performance.

This project is cool not because you're going to run the Python in your kernel today, but because someone can use it as a documented reference implementation of all of the data structures and transactions that is not covered by the CDDL, so another implementation based on this can live in the Linux kernel without problem.

Re: Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

#22
post #11

No ARC/L2ARC? Edit: of course not. This is actually just it’s just a ZFS user-facing ”front-end”, not a ZFS implementation .

It's capable of doing IO against a real ZFS array without any other code. ARC is an implementation detail and not necessary for correctness. If you removed ARC from ZoL it would still work, just slower. ARC is far from the most interesting milestone for a reimplementation effort because an ARC implementation doesn't need to be anything like the Sun version internally, as long as it offers similar performance. This pr…

It would certainly be wonderful if this led to a Linux kernel module that was free of Oracle.

Re: Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

#23

What?! How?! Why?! This is the greatest thing ever. I wish I could just write code for the fun of it. Every time I wonder whether people will use it and give up before I even get started.

I had this problem too. I’ve been able to get over it by from coming up with a scenario, even if it’s completely fabricated, where what I am doing can be useful. I also make sure that I incorporate something new that I want to learn in the project. Whether it’s a language, library, whatever. Then I give myself a date I can quit. Normally it’s about two months. This makes me really consider whether I want to take something on because if I do I force myself to dedicate two months of time to it. If I enjoy it still at the end of two months then I continue otherwise I move on to another idea. At least in that time I because a little better at whatever I was trying to do. That’s the real goal anyway.

Re: Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

#26
post #11

No ARC/L2ARC? Edit: of course not. This is actually just it’s just a ZFS user-facing ”front-end”, not a ZFS implementation .

It's capable of doing IO against a real ZFS array without any other code. ARC is an implementation detail and not necessary for correctness. If you removed ARC from ZoL it would still work, just slower. ARC is far from the most interesting milestone for a reimplementation effort because an ARC implementation doesn't need to be anything like the Sun version internally, as long as it offers similar performance. This pr…

If the GPLv2 GRUB ZFS code[1] wasn't enough to get someone started then I doubt this will make any different in porting ZFS to GPL given there would be more work involved in turning this into a usable kernel driver.

Not taking anything away from the work that the author has done though. It's a nice project. I just think a little pragmatism is needed before we get carried away with the ZFS GPL comments.

[1] https://blogs.oracle.com/solaris/zfs-under-gplv2-already-exi...

Re: Show HN: ZFS Implementation in Python

#28
post #11

No ARC/L2ARC? Edit: of course not. This is actually just it’s just a ZFS user-facing ”front-end”, not a ZFS implementation .

It's capable of doing IO against a real ZFS array without any other code. ARC is an implementation detail and not necessary for correctness. If you removed ARC from ZoL it would still work, just slower. ARC is far from the most interesting milestone for a reimplementation effort because an ARC implementation doesn't need to be anything like the Sun version internally, as long as it offers similar performance. This pr…

You don’t need CDDL to use ZFS. Which is all the library does. It does not implement ZFS.
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