Zelta: A Safe and Powerful Approach to ZFS Replication By: Daniel Bell

Zelta: A Safe and Powerful Approach to ZFS Replication In the storage management landscape dominated by overpriced and underperforming cloud-based systems, ZFS stands out as a top-notch enterprise backup and recovery framework—especially with FreeBSD’s longstanding first-class implementation. However, mastering ZFS requires expertise and understanding. Drawing from my experience managing hybrid cloud infrastructure, I'll share my journey with ZFS, highlighting its strengths and challenges. I’ll introduce Zelta, a suite of portable AWK scripts that embodies the Unix philosophy of simplicity and modularity, providing not just a solution for fleet management but a ZFS training tool that will make enterprise storage more accessible. Outline: Introduction ZFS pitfalls and challenges Accidental mount overlap Destructive common practices Trouble with permissions, inheritance, and more Limitations of popular solutions Appliances & hybrid cloud options Kitchen sink software Inspiring examples of simplicity and modularity The building blocks of ZFS management Introducing Zelta zelta match: Describe the relationship between two dataset trees zelta backup: Replicate a dataset zelta policy: Replicate a fleet Suggestions for upstream collaboration Empowering system administrators to compete with the cloud