Linux-Next Branch Accepts File System Code for Testing
The Linux-Next branch, responsible for testing future releases of the Linux kernel, has accepted the file system code for bcachefs. This file system code, developed by Kent Overstreet, aims to provide performance, reliability, and scalability similar to XFS while incorporating features found in BTRFS and ZFS. Earlier, Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, suggested that the proposed patches for bcachefs be evaluated in the experimental branch of Linux-Next before considering their inclusion in the main kernel. If the review process is successful, bcachefs may be included in the upcoming Linux kernel release 6.7, expected in December.
Features of Bcachefs
Bcachefs aims to offer performance advantages over BTRFS and other Copy-on-Write (COW) based file systems while demonstrating speeds comparable to Ext4 and XFS. It provides additional capabilities such as multi-layer drive configurations, replication (RAID 1/10), caching, transparent data compression using LZ4, GZIP, and ZSTD modes, snapshots, checksum-based integrity verification, Reed-Solomon error correction codes (RAID 5/6), and encrypted storage using Chacha20 and poly1305. The overall goal is to combine the best features of existing file systems into a single solution.