Andrew Summers wrote: > So, I've read the wikipedia, and have done a lot of research on google about > it, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you > can take a simple 5/10/20 GB drive or whatever size, and turn it into > exabytes of storage space? > > If that is not true, please explain the importance of this other than the > self heal and those other features. >
I'm probably to blame for the image of endless storage. With ZFS Sparse Volumes (aka: Thin Provisioning) you can make a 1G drive _look_ like a 500TB drive, but of course it isn't. See my entry on the topic here: http://www.cuddletech.com/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=729 With ZFS Compression you can, however, potentially store 10GB of data on a 5GB drive. It really depends on what type of data your storing and how compressible it is, but I've seen almost 2:1 compression in some cases by simply turning compression on. benr. _______________________________________________ zfs-discuss mailing list zfs-discuss@opensolaris.org http://mail.opensolaris.org/mailman/listinfo/zfs-discuss
