Bill Bogstad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I can't wait until OS all vendors incorporate [snapshot] functionality > into their filesystems by default. Unfortunately, I think that Network > Applicances might have patents related to this.
Actually, I don't think so. NetApp's patent is on WAFL (their filesystem); snapshots are just a "side-effect." They actually weren't part of the original design, not at first, but then they figured out they could use them. Kirk McKusick has an equivalent in his "soft updates" filesystem work, and he does it a very different way, so I don't think there'd be a patent infringement even if NetApp has a patent on snapshots. The problem, as I understand it, is that it means big changes to your filesystem. Hmmm . . . I wonder if it would be easier to implement in the journalled and/or log-structured filesystems? AdamM --- Send mail for the `bblisa' mailing list to `[EMAIL PROTECTED]'. Mail administrative requests to `[EMAIL PROTECTED]'.
