From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Sun Jun  8 22:18:57 2008
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A1C961065674
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Sun,  8 Jun 2008 22:18:57 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl)
Received: from wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl (wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl
	[IPv6:2001:4070:101:2::1])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7A0308FC14
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Sun,  8 Jun 2008 22:18:48 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl)
Received: from wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl (localhost [IPv6:::1])
	by wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id m58MIWqT059067;
	Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:18:32 +0200 (CEST)
	(envelope-from wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl)
Received: from localhost (wojtek@localhost)
	by wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl (8.14.2/8.14.2/Submit) with ESMTP id
	m58MIWR5059064; Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:18:32 +0200 (CEST)
	(envelope-from wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl)
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:18:32 +0200 (CEST)
From: Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
To: Dick Hoogendijk <dick@nagual.nl>
In-Reply-To: <20080608230131.00003da7@westmark>
Message-ID: <20080609001010.G59013@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
References: <1a5a68400806080604ped08ce8p120fc21107e7de81@mail.gmail.com>
	<20080608215648.Q9779@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
	<20080608230131.00003da7@westmark>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: FreeBSD + ZFS on a production server?
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:18:57 -0000

> ZFS is herre to stay. You better get used to it. at least you could try
> to work with it before you make up an opinion. Have you -any- idea at
> all what this FS is capable off?

if you like - quick summary


1) ZFS "turns random writes into sequential writes" as they say. yes 
that's true. they just forgot to say that it then turns sequential reads 
into random reads. simple for anyone that still can use his/her brain.

2) ZFS RAID-z turns your X drives to single drive performance both on read 
and write. every normal RAID-5 implementation will give you random read 
speed of X-1 times single drive speed, while slow random write speeds (but 
still at least half of single drive). but this is advertised as a feature

3) a CPU,cache and memory bandwidth hogging "feature" of checksumming all 
blocks. thing that are already done in disk hardware. fortunately you can 
turn this off

4) write anywhere style of writing, just with large buffers it could get 
large blocks to be written at once if only large continous space are 
found.

quite good (but not that much better than UFS) as long as your drive is 
mostly empty.

5) incredibly high memory consumption. very high CPU consumption compared 
to UFS.