Re: zfs questions

[nia <nia%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

On Fri, Feb 20, 2026 at 07:34:31PM -0500, Brad Spencer wrote:
> It would be awful nice if a newer code base could be introduced as I am
> sure that there are bugs present in the one NetBSD has and to sync with
> some of the newer features.  I used to think OpenZFS was the answer but
> after reading more on it, I am not so sure any more and it is not clear
> to me what a good upstream might be right now.
> 

We have investigated using OpenZFS on FreeBSD at $DAYJOB.

These systems get certified then sit in the field for up to 5 years.
They have to run well without updates and are frequently exposed
to bad conditions like having the plug pulled.

My impression so far has been that OpenZFS in FreeBSD is a bit,
uh, "bleeding edge", and I've had to do quite a bit of emergency
patching. There is even the option of following the upstream directly
by using ZFS "from ports". Sometimes this is necessary to get
the latest fixes.

illumos has taken a different (slower-moving) approach, and I think
it would be a better fit for the NetBSD release model and focus on
embedded devices. If there are fixes with value, we should backport
them. Otherwise it's just "new = shiny".

See our struggles with tracking DRM/KMS. In this case, there
isn't new hardware coming out that we have to worry about.