----- Original Message ----- From: Josef Sipek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 12:33 pm Subject: Re: [Unionfs] Unionfs for Solaris
> On Wed, Jan 25, 2006 at 09:55:58AM +0100, Mark Phalan wrote: > > > > Hi, > > > > What would it take to get unionfs working for Solaris. > > From my understanding of the website FiST already supports Solaris > > but unionfs itself is GPL'ed. > > Originally, Unionfs was created using FiST, but since then it has been > heavily modified - so much so that the task of making it work on > Solarismight take more effort than reimplementing it (not > necessarily from > scratch.) Of course, since Unionfs is GPL, you are free to use the > source according to the rules stated in the license. This is > virtually a > non-issue if you are working on an academic or purely open source > project. Unfortunately the GPL will probably be a problem. The GPL is incompatible with the CDDL (the open source license that (open) solaris is under). I'm not a lawyer but I think that means that I can't use GPL kernel modules with Solaris. I guess it also means I can't look at the source if I want to create a CDDL'ed kernel module for Solaris. Thanks for all the help. I'm going to have to think a bit more about this before I make an attempt. -Mark > > The FiST project can be used to generate SunOS compatible stackable > filesystems, but you can go only so far with the templates - you will > have to do some hand coding (which will probably be a lot for > somethingas complex as unionfs.) The latest supported Solaris > version is 8, but > I vaguely remember hearing something about FiST and Solaris 9. > > > Is the only way to get unionfs working on Solaris to do a re- > implementation? > I believe that the best way would be to look at unionfs (for Linux) > andlook for the rough edges; I am not familiar with the SunOS VFS > implementation, but I'd guess that it has the same basic ideas (there > is a very well defined set of properties each inode/SunOS equivalent > has, as defined by POSIX.) and therefore taking some "simple" FiST > generated fan-out (many lower filesystems being accessed by a single > stackable filesystem) filesystem for Solaris, and turning it to > unionfs. > I am sure you have heard this before, but I have to say this...if > you do > try to implement unionfs, make sure you design you data structures in > such a way that will make creating the code to do the actual unioning > simple. Also beware, I suggest you look at unionfs (for Linux) and see > what kind of things are happening, the worst thing that can happen > to a > design is the realization that it is (near) impossible to implement > some functionality which is necessary for the program to be of any > use.There are some rather interesting behavioral requirements. For > example,if you try to truncate a file that's being executed, you > should get > ETXTBSY back as an error, it does make sense that such thing would > happen, however small things like this make things harder. > > I hope this helps, > > Jeff. > _______________________________________________ unionfs mailing list [email protected] http://www.fsl.cs.sunysb.edu/mailman/listinfo/unionfs
