What Do YOU Use FreeBSD For, and Do You Use UFS or ZFS? :)

RedPhoenix

RedPhoenix

I use it for development, you know, Programming 'n stuff... :) I also use it for ZFS, since I keep backups of my friends' and family members' data. :) I also use it for other things, like when I use Linux, but want more of a UN*X-y feel. It also speaks to how good of an OS it is when I would use it on a Laptop, EVEN without WiFi [I DO have a built-in Ethernet port in this HP Lappy]. But, SOMEday, I'll get that working. ;)) I typically use UFS on workstation installations, and ZFS on the Server side (when I replace Ubuntu with FreeBSD once I get Spectrum to kindly help me wire the Ethernet up to my bedroom). I saw on Wikipedia that ZFS and UFS can handle an INCREDIBLE ammount of GBs. :D I know that, SPECIFICALLY, it's actually UFS2 that the *BSDs use, but still. :) Also, I had a lot of black coffee earlier this morning... :3 Cheers, fellow Daemons! :D
 
I should also mention that currently I'm booted into Peppermint OS, a derivative of Ubuntu. :) I downloaded the Firmware for my Intel Wireless, and am hoping to port it over to FreeBSD.
 
“What do you use FreeBSD for?” → Everything. :)

But seriously … I use FreeBSD on two so-called root servers hosted at two different companies (for redundancy). These machines provide mail service for my personal domains, DNS, web, chat and a lot more. I use FreeBSD for my home server that acts as firewall, router, DNS server, file server and a bunch of other things. I use FreeBSD on my desktop PC (I like to call it “workstation”), connected to a 34" UWQHD (3440×1440) screeen. FreeBSD even runs on my standalone mp3 player (a small diskless SBC box that boots via NFS). I do not have Windows, though other persons in my household do.
The only thing I cannot do with FreeBSD is converting Blu-ray discs – for that I had to install a Linux distro inside VirtualBox on my workstation (doesn't work with bhyve).

Currently I use UFS only (UFS2, of course, to be exact), but that's mainly for historic reasons and because I'm too lazy to convert the existing disks. If I had to start over from scratch, I certainly would consider ZFS at least for some of the file systems (probably not for all). Today, UFS and ZFS are on par regarding stability and support under FreeBSD. ZFS has a lot of nice features – however, UFS2 has grown new features, too, like snapshots and journaling, and just recently Kirk started adding inode checksums to UFS2. In other words, UFS is far from being regarded as “legacy”.

Since you mentioned backups: Of course, everyone should have backups, no matter what filesystem is used, ZFS or UFS or something else. Some people mistakenly think that RAID saves them from making backups. They'll learn it the hard way … Or, as someone put it: “No backup – no mercy”
 
Predominantly I used FreeBSD as a desktop. At work I run it in VirtualBox because I don't get on well with the Windows installation my company laptop came with, FreeBSD allows me to Get Things Done in a familiar and efficient manner.
At on my personal laptop I also have FreeBSD installed. While I used to use macOS I found their laptop range to be creeping out of my budget, so switched to a second hand ThinkPad and started experimenting with FreeBSD. I also have a Raspberry Pi 1B with FreeBSD on acting as my DHCP server.

I also use FreeBSD on my Linode VPS. I use it to host:
Each point above is hosted in its own Jail, managed with sysutils/iocage.

On all of my machines, aside from the Raspberry Pi, I use ZFS. I have scheduled snapshotting (sysutils/zfstools), which is nice, plus I like the safety of boot environments when it comes to updates.
Don't get me wrong, I still have more robust backups, but ZFS generally saves me against using them most of the time - the "oh, I dodn't mean to delete/overwrite that" moments, and the "Hmmm, that upgrade didn't go well".
 
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