Versioning File System for FreeBSD?

[cpghost]

On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 12:33:23AM +0200, Polytropon wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:57:34 +0200, cpghost <cpghost at cordula.ws> wrote:
> > Yep, you're right. I thought about a way to extend the API in a
> > backwards compatible way, but that's not as easy or straight
> > forward as it seems. In fact, it opens a whole can of worms.
> > 
> > If the versioned file system isn't also POSIX compatible (where
> > everything happens in HEAD unless specified otherwise), it's
> > practically useless.
> 
> The question is: Do you want to take versioning support into
> the file system intendedly? FreeBSD keeps most things on a
> per-file basis (ordinary files, devices, processes etc.).
> Versioning can always be added as a separate solution
> (using versioning systems as separate programs) that does
> not make any assumptions on the file system used. As you
> concluded, the file system's complexity would of course
> grow with those requirements. In addition to your arguments,
> just imagine how a fsck for such a file system would have
> to be implemented...

Yep. The more I think about it, the less obvious it becomes.
IMHO, file versioning a la VMS would be possible (somehow),
but everything beyond that (esp. directory versioning)
requires a LOT of careful thinking.

-cpghost.

-- 
Cordula's Web. http://www.cordula.ws/