[OpenAFS] Funding the formation of an OpenAFS Foundation (fwd)

Brandon Allbery allbery.b@gmail.com
Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:00:10 -0400


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On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 3:06 PM, <stephen@physics.unc.edu> wrote:

> head at the moment), maybe we should think about this.... what about
> asking IBM about their current feelings? It's not clear below whether IBM's
> professed desire for backwards compatibility is 12-years old, or current.
>

It sounded like active discussion with IBM to me, so likely to be fairly
current.  Also, IBM has this thing about supporting their customers...
those that are using AFS will likely want to continue doing so and require
backward compatibility (and likely only a small subset will be that
interested in new features, at least initially).


> Or to maintain backward compatibility, can we fork a new CM and set of
> server procs on different ports that provides the new oft-wished-for
> features while allowing older CMs to talk to older server procs on the
> original ports. And have both


I imagine this offers the potential for confusion, although it might be
possible.  But see below; many of the same concerns apply.  (Byte range
locking is a good example of protocol changes that can't sanely be
protocol-invisible to older clients.)


> use the same on-disk data? (ala kerberos4 and kerberos5, etc.) There are
> probably a million reasons that won't work,


Same on-disk data is not going to fly; new on-disk data will almost
certainly be needed for most if not all of the features people want to see.
 And putting it "beside" the existing data may not work if (a) that data
needs to account for older clients (b) needs to account for older *servers*
(older dbservers in particular).

-- 
brandon s allbery                                      allbery.b@gmail.com
wandering unix systems administrator (available)     (412) 475-9364 vm/sms

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<div dir=3D"ltr">On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 3:06 PM,  <span dir=3D"ltr">&lt;<a=
 href=3D"mailto:stephen@physics.unc.edu" target=3D"_blank">stephen@physics.=
unc.edu</a>&gt;</span> wrote:<br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><blockquote cla=
ss=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;pa=
dding-left:1ex">
head at the moment), maybe we should think about this.... what about asking=
 IBM about their current feelings? It&#39;s not clear below whether IBM&#39=
;s professed desire for backwards compatibility is 12-years old, or current=
.<br>
</blockquote><div><br></div><div>It sounded like active discussion with IBM=
 to me, so likely to be fairly current. =C2=A0Also, IBM has this thing abou=
t supporting their customers... those that are using AFS will likely want t=
o continue doing so and require backward compatibility (and likely only a s=
mall subset will be that interested in new features, at least initially).</=
div>
<div>=C2=A0</div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8=
ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Or to maintain backward com=
patibility, can we fork a new CM and set of server procs on different ports=
 that provides the new oft-wished-for features while allowing older CMs to =
talk to older server procs on the original ports. And have both </blockquot=
e>
<div><br></div><div>I imagine this offers the potential for confusion, alth=
ough it might be possible. =C2=A0But see below; many of the same concerns a=
pply. =C2=A0(Byte range locking is a good example of protocol changes that =
can&#39;t sanely be protocol-invisible to older clients.)</div>
<div>=C2=A0</div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8=
ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">use the same on-disk data? =
(ala kerberos4 and kerberos5, etc.) There are probably a million reasons th=
at won&#39;t work,=C2=A0</blockquote>
<div>=C2=A0</div><div>Same on-disk data is not going to fly; new on-disk da=
ta will almost certainly be needed for most if not all of the features peop=
le want to see. =C2=A0And putting it &quot;beside&quot; the existing data m=
ay not work if (a) that data needs to account for older clients (b) needs t=
o account for older *servers* (older dbservers in particular).</div>
<div><br></div></div>-- <br>brandon s allbery =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0<a href=3D"mailto:allbery.b@gmail.com" targe=
t=3D"_blank">allbery.b@gmail.com</a><br>wandering unix systems administrato=
r (available) =C2=A0 =C2=A0 (412) 475-9364 vm/sms<br>
<br>
</div>

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