Some great news for users of Ubuntu Linux

Oct 6, 2015 21:00 GMT  ·  By

A very interesting discussion started earlier today, October 6, on the Ubuntu Snappy Core mailing list about a method of adding kernel modules to a Snappy-based operating system.

Geoffrey J. Teale started the discussion asking Ubuntu Snappy developers if he could add Linux kernel modules to a system based on Snappy Core via a framework. The current method of adding kernel modules to an Ubuntu Snappy system would be by packaging them in a standard snap, which can be manually injected into the kernel packages using the "sudo insmod" command.

"What I have in mind is a little homebrew ZFS appliance. The hardware is off the shelf, and there's nothing special to drive, it's just that ZFS and SPL are implemented (in the main) as kernel modules.  If I have to make a custom image to use snappy that way it sort of reduces the value of Ubuntu Core as a platform (it'd just be easier to use Ubuntu Server)," says Geoffrey J. Teale.

Mark Shuttleworth says that ZFS can be included in Ubuntu

A quick answer came from Zygmunt Krynicki, who recommended Mr. Teale to roll his own kernel for the Ubuntu Snappy system if he wanted to make sure that the respective kernel module would be loadable. According to Mr. Krynicki, a custom framework or app might also be required in order to implement the ZFS userspace parts in the operating system.

But the most prominent one was posted by Mark Shuttleworth himself, who says, "If it's ZFS you're after, it will be included in Ubuntu as standard in due course." As expected, this came as wonderful news for Mr. Teale, but also for any of those out there who wanted to have support for the powerful, state-of-the-art ZFS file system in the Ubuntu Linux operating system. At the moment, ZFS is available in Ubuntu as a FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace) module.