Introduced in 2005, ZFS is an open source file system designed by Sun Microsystems. Designed originally for it’s OS, Solaris, It is a 128-bit file system. This means it can handle file sizes 18 billion billion (1.84 × 1019) times more bigger than current 64-bit systems (NTFS, HFS+). The main idea behind ZFS was to make a file system that would be able to take on the demanding future and win.

Although ZFS is very nice and powerful, it still has it’s limitations, which is why I doubt ZFS will be the default file system for some time. I’m expecting that it was added to enhance support for creative professionals who work large files sizes. Working with uncompressed HD video can eat up drive space fast. Supporting a max file size of 16 exabytes, ZFS makes for one future proof file system.

If you are looking for more info on ZFS try these links:

Wikipedia’s Article on ZFS

Sun Microsystems Explains ZFS