OpenZFS Merges The New FreeBSD Support

FreeBSD developers have been working on transitioning to using OpenZFS as their ZFS file-system upstream code rather than the dormant Illumos base. That initial FreeBSD support has been mainlined this week into the OpenZFS repository, now providing a common code-base between for the open-source ZFS file-system code between Illumos, FreeBSD, Linux, and work-in-progress macOS.

The FreeBSD code was merged this week into the OpenZFS repository and in turn FreeBSD ports is now making use of this branch.

Compared to the existing ZFS support in FreeBSD, migrating to OpenZFS means better SSD TRIM support, native encryption capabilities, persistent L2ARC, and a variety of new/improved features compared.

The merged code can work on FreeBSD 12 and 13-CURRENT. Moving forward OpenZFS is requiring now that all their commits be build-able on both Linux and FreeBSD. OpenZFS continuous integration testing is also happening now on FreeBSD.

Following that initial FreeBSD commit earlier this week were various follow-up FreeBSD-focused commits to the OpenZFS Git repository. More information on trying out this OpenZFS upstream support om FreeBSD via this mailing list post.

OpenZFS 2.0 is expected for release this year with the newly minted FreeBSD support.