On 7/7/2010 6:33 PM, Peter Taps wrote:
Folks,
As you may have heard, NetApp has a lawsuit against Sun in 2007 (and now
carried over to Oracle) for patent infringement with the zfs file system. Now,
NetApp is taking a stronger stance and threatening zfs storage suppliers to
stop selling zfs-based storage.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/06/netapp_coraid/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+shovelarts+%28Shovel+Arts%29
Given this, I am wondering what you think is the future of zfs as an open
source project.
Regards,
Peter
Go take a look at the archives for this list. It's been discussed before.
NetApps' relevant patents were recently declared void (Joerg Schilling's
work [amongst others] predates the patents by almost a decade). NetApp
is appealing the decision, but I can't see how they'll win.
Fundamentally, NetApp's desperate. The squeeze on folks like CoRaid and
Nexenta is a shakedown, pure and simple. They're hoping to get cash from
others before their suit is thrown out completely.
Oracle certainly isn't going to stop development for one of their prize
technologies on the remote possibility that NetApp prevails. Which, as
time goes on, is smaller, and smaller. So long as Oracle continues to
do development, I see no reason for a change in the Open Source nature
of ZFS (i.e. it matters not to the patent suit that ZFS is Open or Closed).
Note: I do not speak for Oracle here in any way, nor have any privileged
knowledge of the suit.
--
Erik Trimble
Java System Support
Mailstop: usca22-123
Phone: x17195
Santa Clara, CA
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