Status

Some performance stats should be available soon.

There is a file truncation issue with backups with USB disks. This should hopefully be fixed in 6.0.5.

The BTRFS in ReadyNAS OS is production ready. NetGear is making use of btrfs code based on what is in Oracle's Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel.

mdgm wrote:
...There is a file truncation issue with backups with USB disks. This should hopefully be fixed in 6.0.5...

Just to expand on this a bit. The truncation problem is not a problem with the underlying file system, and it is not about USB transfer in general. It is specific to OS6 backup jobs that write to the USB drive.

It does need to be fixed, and hopefully it will be including in 6.0.5 (expected next week).

Thanks for the replies, having some stats would be good. Its also good to know that the 4GB limit is only a problem for an edge case.

I do have to raise the issue over BTRFS, The fact that it is included in an Oracle produce does not make it stable - it is not itself an Oracle solution. If you go to the BTRFS site ( btrfs.wiki.kernel.org ) it makes the status very clear

Is btrfs stable? Short answer: No, it's still considered experimental. Long answer: Nobody is going to magically stick a label on the btrfs code and say "yes, this is now stable and bug-free". Different people have different concepts of stability: a home user who wants to keep their ripped CDs on it will have a different requirement for stability than a large financial institution running their trading system on it. If you are concerned about stability in commercial production use, you should test btrfs on a testbed system under production workloads to see if it will do what you want of it. In any case, you should join the mailing list (and hang out in IRC) and read through problem reports and follow them to their conclusion to give yourself a good idea of the types of issues that come up, and the degree to which they can be dealt with. Whatever you do, we recommend keeping good, tested, off-system (and off-site) backups. Pragmatic answer: (2012-12-19) Many of the developers and testers run btrfs as their primary filesystem for day-to-day usage, or with various forms of "real" data. With reliable hardware and up-to-date kernels, we see very few unrecoverable problems showing up. As always, keep backups, test them, and be prepared to use them.

Oracle's own web site has worse to say but this maybe dated as it also links across to the BTRFS site for new information.


As such it would be nice to know the exact version of the code base that ships with each ReadyNAS OS release so that it will be possible to tell the status of the underlying file system.

Thanks.

You should find some info here viewtopic.php?f=51&t=70133&hilit=BTRFS somewhere

rit wrote:
I do have to raise the issue over BTRFS, The fact that it is included in an Oracle produce does not make it stable - it is not itself an Oracle solution. If you go to the BTRFS site ( btrfs.wiki.kernel.org ) it makes the status very clear

While the ReadyNAS does run customised Debian Wheezy/Sid, it is making use of Oracle's open source btrfs code that is used in Oracle's Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel. This is a production ready implementation of BTRFS. While BTRFS is still very much a filesystem that is maturing, it does have its advantages over older filesystems such as EXT4.

rit wrote:
As such it would be nice to know the exact version of the code base that ships with each ReadyNAS OS release so that it will be possible to tell the status of the underlying file system.

ReadyNAS OS 6.0.4 uses btrfs-tools-0.20+20130117 (you can see this by looking at the GPL code: http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2649/~/gpl-open-source-code-for-programmers)

As noted, the maturity of BTRFS may still represent instability of development, rather than production and maintenance of a deployed product.

From http://www.funtoo.org/wiki/BTRFS_Fun (April 2013): BTRFS is still experimental even with latest Linux kernels (3.4-rc at date of writing) so be prepared to lose some data sooner or later or hit a severe issue/regressions/"itchy" bugs. Subliminal message: Do not put critical data on BTRFS partitions.

From https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page (May 2013): Btrfs is under heavy development, but every effort is being made to keep the filesystem stable and fast. Because of the speed of development, you should run the latest kernel you can

A short history of btrfs (2009) http://lwn.net/Articles/342892/

ReadyNAS owners use the NAS device to store critical data - the device must reliably protect data. It's the reason for the device.

From viewtopic.php?f=25&t=70730 While the ReadyNAS does run customised Debian Wheezy/Sid, it is making use of Oracle's open source btrfs code that is used in Oracle's Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel. This is a production ready implementation of BTRFS. While BTRFS is still very much a filesystem that is maturing, it does have its advantages over older filesystems such as EXT4.

Achieving maturity and stability is usually challenging for new product deployment. Some claim BTRFS was effectively stable in 2011, yet stability is not supported by evidence now in 2013. The question is: Does "btrfs code that is used in Oracle's Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel" provide sufficient stability for deployment in critical data systems? The benefit of corporate funding could be focused and disciplined verification and validation that could produce great stable code within a reasonable period. Will it be the same in 2014, or 2015? Subjecting users to become unwilling testers ("verification by use") is never a good idea.

Well seeing how NTGR just announced the RD516 based on ZFS, it is interesting where the future will be going...

Looks like the exact same RN516 hardware, with 16GB RAM upgrade, and a healthy price tag addition.

Well seeing how NTGR just announced the RD516 based on ZFS, it is interesting where the future will be going...

That looks like a good move. Are there other Netgear products that integrate ZFS, or is this also new integration?
Thanks, gregb

The RD5200 uses ZFS too.

gregb-pro wrote:
Well seeing how NTGR just announced the RD516 based on ZFS, it is interesting where the future will be going... That looks like a good move. Are there other Netgear products that integrate ZFS, or is this also new integration? Thanks, gregb

ReadyData was launched a while ago. RD516 is the newest product in that line (and uses the same hardware as the RN516, but different software).