> On 23. Dec 2023, at 16:10, Enji Cooper <yaneurab...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> On Dec 22, 2023, at 23:18, Xin Li <delp...@delphij.net> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Inspired by D42961, I propose that we move forward with disabling the
>> compression by default in newsyslog, as implemented in
>> https://reviews.freebsd.org/D43169
>>
>> Historically, newsyslog has compressed rotated log files to save disk space.
>> This approach was valuable in the early days where storage space was
>> limited. However, the landscape has changed significantly. Modern file
>> systems, such as ZFS, now offer native compression capabilities.
>> Additionally, the widespread availability of larger hard drives has
>> diminished the necessity for additional compression. Notably, the need to
>> decompress log files for pattern searches poses a significant inconvenience,
>> further questioning the utility of this legacy feature.
>>
>> In commit 906748d208d3, flags J, X, Y, Z can now indicate that a log file is
>> eligible for compression rather than directly enforcing it. It allows for a
>> more flexible approach, wherein the actual compression method can be set to
>> "none" or specified as one among bzip2, gzip, xz, or zstd.
>>
>> Therefore I would propose that we change the default compression setting to
>> "none" in FreeBSD 15.0. This change reflects our adaptation to the evolving
>> technological environment and user needs. It also aligns with the broader
>> initiative to modernize our systems while maintaining flexibility and
>> efficiency.
>>
>> I look forward to your thoughts and feedback on this proposal.
>
> This impacts embedded systems or jails which use UFS as the default /var/log
> backed device. There are quite a few larger consumers of FreeBSD out there
> that still use UFS instead of ZFS.
>
> Adding this instead into bsdinstall and the documentation as a suggested knob
> seems like a good way to go.
>
> Just something to keep in mind when making this change.
I would not change the default behavior (POLA violation), but adding an easy to
change knob to disable compression sounds like a reasonable approach.
-m
