Re: [Request] Distribute zfs module as package

[ahesford <ahesford@users.noreply.github.com>]

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New comment by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/31629#issuecomment-880629469

Comment:
I'm a heavy proponent of ZFS and have a stake in keeping first-class support in Void, but this isn't the answer. Any potential license issues aside, this is a bad idea because:
1. Void isn't set up to have module packages track the kernels directly. We use DKMS because we can't provide installable modules for whatever kernel version you might be running, because our kernel package may have already left you behind.
2. The workaround would be to build ZFS within the kernel package so that each package has the modules you need. However:
* This admits the possibility that ZFS kmods and user land tools get out of sync, which could eventually be catastrophic.
* This adds maintenance burden to the kernel packages, which are complicated enough already.
* This would require we rebuild all kernels for every ZFS bump or else live with out-of-sync kernel and user space components from the outset; both are unattractive.
* Pulling ZFS into the kernel package leads to "what-about" arguments where people start fighting about why their preferred kernel module isn't also precompiled.

I would love binary ZFS modules, especially when I make the mistake of updating the ZFS package without first vkpurging; watching ZFS build 6 times for kernels I want to throw away anyway is painful. Unfortunately, we aren't set up for this.