new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

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new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

Post by jollyjinx » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:06 am

Looks like some people have started another effort to bring ZFS to the Mac (https://github.com/zfs-osx/ and http://MacZFS.org/) and development seems to be active right now. They are starting off with the sources from the LinuxZFS version, which (due to the SPL layer) might be easier to keep up with current ZFS implementations.

I myself like the build quality of ZEVO's implementation, but we haven't seen updates for 6 months now - which worries me a bit.

But what worries me the most is the ongoing problems I have with using ZFS on the Mac. Apple is not supporting 3rd party Filesystems actively. This becomes very visible when you try to use TimeMachine on a non HFS+ formatted volume or when you have your home directory on ZFS - which I do. Ever wondered if the next minor System update (10.8.3) breaks ZEVO ?
I do have my HomeDirectory on ZFS for over a year now and it's not fun. I only do it as I want a few of ZFSs features, but boy are Applications picky about their filesystem. TimeMachine, Versions, iCloud, FinalCut Pro - all programs that do not work on ZFS without hiccups.

If things go wrong, Apple could drop support for 3rd party filesystems alltogher in their next OS release.


I wonder what ZEVOs and ZFSs future on the Mac is. As for the Mac, there is probably nobody here who knows.


Patrick aka Jolly
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Post by grahamperrin » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:22 pm

Please consider adding (or moving your post) to an existing topic:


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Re: new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

Post by raattgift » Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:21 am

Well, it's also a bit disheartening how long the recent storm of spam has persisted ...
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Re: new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

Post by shuman » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:28 pm

This is not the first time this topic has come up and as you can tell there is no official response at all. I've actually never figured out how ZFS on Mac even fits into their business model. I'm starting to think it's a pet project that will be ignored due to higher priorities.
- Mac Mini (Late 2012), 10.8.5, 16GB memory, pool - 2 Mirrored 3TB USB 3.0 External Drives
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Re: new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

Post by royfactorial » Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:24 am

jollyjinx wrote:I do have my HomeDirectory on ZFS for over a year now and it's not fun. I only do it as I want a few of ZFSs features, but boy are Applications picky about their filesystem. TimeMachine, Versions, iCloud, FinalCut Pro - all programs that do not work on ZFS without hiccups.


These concerns, along with the lack of regular updates and the lack of true end-to-end data integrity on systems without ECC memory (viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1970) are what have kept me from adopting ZFS on my main system to date. For the time being, I am using the checksum feature of Carbon Copy Cloner, and may soon implement IntegrityChecker from diglloydTools to get access to checksums in-between backups. While imperfect, this setup simplifies working with various OS X technologies and apps. I've been anticipating ZFS for many years now, ever since the Leopard beta days, so I'm hoping that ZEVO can get ZFS to a state that doesn't require as many usability sacrifices.
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Re: new Mac ZFS version - ZEVOs future

Post by ilovezfs » Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:07 am

The new CEO was announced November 29, 2012. As late as February 22, Greenbytes retweeted a mention of ZEVO. On January 9 Greenbytes tweeted "More #ZEVO news to come in 2013." I would find it somewhat surprising for these tweets to have gone out if the new CEO intended to dump the ZEVO project. That said, it would be very nice to have a ZFS solution for Mac that is directly piped into the Illumos implementation up stream, unless ZEVO's version has some significant optimizations or features for OS X. At the moment, this IS entirely in fact the case, since ZEVO works with Spotlight whereas MacZFS does not. Alternatively, a port of BTRFS (not holding my breath) or ReFS (will happen eventually) to the Mac would be viable alternatives. Or Apple could give us a modern filesystem in OS X 10.999999
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