I just asked Llama3 Instruct (7B Q8): "Tell me all you know about ZFS on OpenBSD"
Llama3 replied: "A great topic!
ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems, now owned by Oracle. It's known for its advanced features, high performance, and reliability. On OpenBSD, ZFS is available as part of the base system since version 5.4 (released in 2011). Here are some key aspects of using ZFS on OpenBSD:
Installation
To install ZFS on OpenBSD, you'll need to specify zfs as your file system during installation. This will create a ZFS pool with a single vdev (virtual device) containing the root file system.
ZFS Pool
A ZFS pool is the top-level container for all ZFS storage. It can contain one or more virtual devices (vdevs), which are used to store data and metadata. On OpenBSD, you'll typically create a single pool with a single vdev containing the root file system.
VDEVs
Vdevs are the building blocks of a ZFS pool. They're composed of one or more disk devices, and can be configured in various ways (e.g., RAID-Z, mirror, single-disk). OpenBSD supports the following vdev types:
raidz: A type of RAID-5, providing redundancy with data striping.
mirror: A simple mirroring configuration for each block.
single: A single disk vdev, used for a standalone pool or for testing.
ZFS Features
Some notable ZFS features available on OpenBSD:
Snapshots: Instantaneous copies of your file system at a specific point in time. You can take snapshots, clone them, and even revert to previous states if needed.
Send/Receive: Allows you to send and receive entire ZFS pools or datasets between systems.
Checksums: Data integrity checks are performed on all data written to disk.
Compressed: Compression is supported for both data and metadata, reducing storage requirements.
Quotas: Limits can be set for individual datasets to prevent excessive usage.
OpenBSD-specific ZFS settings
Some OpenBSD-specific configuration options:
zfs_load: Controls whether the ZFS module is loaded at boot time. Set it to YES in /etc/sysctl.conf to enable ZFS support.
zfs_root: Specifies the root file system dataset name. Typically set to tank/root.
zfs_pool: Sets the default pool name (e.g., tank).
ZFS CLI
The OpenBSD ZFS command-line interface (CLI) is similar to other Unix-like systems:
# zpool list # List all pools and their status
# zfs list # List all datasets in a pool
# zfs snapshot # Create a new snapshot of a dataset
# zfs clone # Clone a snapshot or dataset
# zfs send # Send a dataset or snapshot to another system
Tips and Considerations
Be cautious when using ZFS, as some operations (e.g., zpool destroy) can be destructive.
Regularly check your pool's health with zpool status and ensure you have enough disk space.
Use zfs snapshots to create regular backups of your file systems.
This is just a brief overview of using ZFS on OpenBSD. If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask!"
We're safe. And I should ask Theo why he's always lied and never announced ZFS support on OpenBSD. 😆
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