EBS snapshot backups from a FreeBSD zfs file system: zpool freeze?

[Jeremy Chadwick]

On Tue, Jul 09, 2013 at 08:06:25AM +1200, Berend de Boer wrote:
> >>>>> "Markus" == Markus Gebert <markus.gebert at hostpoint.ch> writes:
>     Markus> What you really need in that case is the ability to
>     Markus> snapshot all EBS disks as group.
> 
> Which Linux offers.

And now I shall quote your original mail that started this thread:

> I'm experimenting with building a FreeBSD NFS server on Amazon AWS
> EC2. I've created a zpool with 5 disks in a raidz2 configuration.
> 
> How can I make a consistent backup of this using EBS?

Therefore, the answer/solution for you at this stage seems to be: use
Linux.  Linux does what you need -- it offers you guest-level utilities
that interface with the proprietary storage system back-end (EBS) that
is offered by your choice of hosting vendor (Amazon).  So what's the
problem with using Linux?  Why sound so apathetic-yet-confrontational
(re: "Linux offers this, FreeBSD doesn't")?

There is absolutely no shame in any way/shape/form in using an OS that
meets your needs/requirements.  I can't speak for others, but if that's
Windows, great -- if that's Linux, great -- if that's some proprietary
thing that only 30 people use, great.  I really couldn't care less what
someone uses, as long as it allows them to accomplish what they need.

Otherwise, if this is some sort of "deal-breaker" for you and you
absolutely need this functionality on FreeBSD, my advice is to talk to
Amazon.  EBS is a closed, black-box-proprietary thing.  The userland
utilities they may offer on Linux, depending on how they work, could be
made to work on FreeBSD (and NOT through Linux emulation, thank you very
much).  If this is something you want, you should talk to them about it.
They aren't going to know/care unless you tell them it's something that
interests you as a customer.  If they respond "that's nice, we have only
a small interest in FreeBSD", then you should be able to take that
response and make decisions based upon it, depending on what your needs
are.  ***You*** are responsible for those choices, not anyone here.  :-)

So please do not try to make this a "Linux vs. FreeBSD" thing when the
actual limitation here is being indirectly imposed on you by your choice
of hosting vendor.

-- 
| Jeremy Chadwick                                   jdc at koitsu.org |
| UNIX Systems Administrator                http://jdc.koitsu.org/ |
| Making life hard for others since 1977.             PGP 4BD6C0CB |