MESSAGE
| DATE | 2015-03-31 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] The systemd Project Forks the Linux Kernel
|
http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20150330#community
The systemd project
began as an alternative implementation of init, the software which
brings an operating system on-line when a computer boots. Traditionally,
Linux distributions have used either the SysV init
software or Upstart
. While these older init systems had their
benefits, systemd developers saw room for improvement and the chance to
leverage several underutilized features available to modern Linux
distributions. Using systemd, distributions are able to more easily
start services in parallel, simplify service dependencies and make
easier use of cgroups .
Many people in the Linux community have welcomed the improvements
systemd's init implementation brings and have praised the speed and ease
of use systemd provides to the distributions adopting the new init
implementation. The benefits of systemd have caused most mainstream
Linux distributions, including Fedora ,
openSUSE , Mageia
and Debian
, to replace their ageing init software
with systemd packages. Later this year, Ubuntu
will switch from using Upstart to
systemd, with Ubuntu community distributions expected to follow. Only a
few conservative or experimental distributions such as Slackware
and Void
have stuck with alternative init software.
Despite systemd's many benefits and modern features, some people in the
Linux community are wary of the project and its rapid expansion. One
common concern is the systemd project has a habit of taking on
additional features
outside the
scope of a traditional init implementation. To date, systemd has taken
on logging, time synchronization, mounting partitions, a console daemon
(replacing the Linux virtual terminal), login sessions and seats,
network configuration and device management. Some people feel the
systemd project should focus on performing one task well while allowing
separate projects to handle other tasks. Detractors of systemd point out
the UNIX Philosophy
recommends each project have a narrow focus and try to do one thing well
while playing nicely with other projects. Lennart Poettering, the
founder and lead developer of systemd, argues the systemd project is
more UNIX-like than the way Linux distributions have traditionally been
developed, in large part because systemd brings many small projects
under one umbrella: "In fact the design of systemd as a suite of
integrated tools that each have their individual purposes, but when used
together are more than just the sum of the parts, that's pretty much at
the core of UNIX philosophy. Then, the way our project is handled (i.e.
maintaining much of the core OS in a single git repository) is much
closer to the BSD model (which is a true UNIX, unlike Linux) of doing
things (where most of the core OS is kept in a single CVS/SVN
repository) than things on Linux ever were."
The systemd developers have occasionally bumped heads with developers
working on other projects, perhaps most notably Linus Torvalds, lead
developer of the Linux kernel. Since systemd's init software works to
bring the operating system on-line at boot time, systemd needs to work
closely with the kernel and this can cause problems
. In fact, some
conflict and proposed solutions
have
resulted in at least one systemd developer getting banned
from contributing to the Linux kernel.
Now it appears as though the systemd developers have found a solution to
kernel compatibility problems and a way to extend their philosophy of
placing all key operating system components in one repository. According
to Ivan Gotyaovich, one of the developers working on systemd, the
project intends to maintain its own fork of the Linux kernel
. "There
are problems, problems in collaboration, problems with compatibility
across versions. Forking the kernel gives us control over these issues,
gives us control over almost all key parts of the stack."
In essence, systemd will gain another component, the Linux kernel, which
can be patched as needed to work better with other systemd components.
Having both the init software and the kernel managed by one project will
also allow bug fixes to be addressed more quickly and avoid conflict
between Linux and systemd developers. Ivan says systemd developers plan
to merge improvements and changes from Torvalds' kernel into the systemd
project and, in an e-mail, confirmed systemd developers will make their
own patches public so they can be merged back into Linus' Linux.
Having two versions of the Linux kernel raises concerns about
compatibility, but Ivan Gotyaovich states the systemd developers will
work hard to maintain ABI compatibility
and avoid
breaking any userspace packages. He also states this could be an
exciting time for Linux users: "Since until now development of GNU/Linux
has been fragmented, slowed by poor communication and conflicting
designs. Our systemd project offers distributions a united core where
almost all key components live. Soon we will not need dozens of separate
userland components talking with an alien kernel. All components will
work together by design. We will no longer need
GNU/udev/ntpd/NetworkManager/syslogd/Linux. Instead we will soon have
GNU/systemd, [a] much simpler, unified platform. GNU/systemd will be a
better target for third-party developers and easier to support."
While some members of the Linux community may not like the idea of a
further expanding systemd project, it is hard to deny GNU/Linux has been
a difficult platform for independent software vendors, particularly game
developers. Products like WPS and Steam
tend to target one or two specific
distributions and leave porting and compatibility issues up to
individual distributions to solve. Having one united core operating
system for Linux users may make the platform more attractive to a wider
range of companies and developers who do not have the resources to
properly support the hundreds of permutations of software found across
GNU/Linux distributions.
What do you think of a united GNU/systemd operating system? Is this a
way for Linux distributions to become more standardized, the way other
platforms like OS X and FreeBSD are? Or is the systemd project expanding
too far, taking on more than its developers should? Leave us a comment
below with your thoughts on the subject.
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