The merging of DRBD® into Linux Kernel was a notable achievement in DRBD’s history. Linux head developer, Linus Torvalds, is the lead developer of the Linux kernel community. He was the driving force behind the decision to merge DRBD®, an open-source data replication solution, into Linux as a fully supported component.
DRBD & Linux Kernel: A Fixture In The Storage Market
Torvalds’ acknowledgement and decision make DRBD a fixture in the storage market. As a result, this bookends a fantastic journey after Phil Reisner wrote the first line of code on December 8, 1999. Reisner originally published the Distributed Replicated Block Device as part of his Master’s thesis at the Vienna University of Technology. Originally intended as a means of storing email messages redundantly, Reisner quickly realized the full potential of the newly developed solution. So in November 2001, he co-founded LINBIT®, a Vienna, Austria-based enterprise focused on advancing the development of DRBD and Linux High Availability.
In May 2005, Lars Ellenberg joined LINBIT to lead its R&D team with Phil Reisner. His dedication has been a priceless addition to the LINBIT development team. We released DRBD 8 in January 2007. This version broke previous performance barriers. It also introduced active-active clustering capability, allowing simultaneous write access from two cluster nodes. In 2008, we founded LINBIT USA, LLC to offer development, consultancy, 24/7 support, and OEM/ISV integration services in North, Central and South America. Recently, LINBIT attracted considerable attention by open-sourcing DRBD+, a formerly commercially licensed add-on that offered three and four-node clustering support.
A Comment From Our Founder
Phil Reisner is particularly impressed with Torvalds’ decision to integrate DRBD into Linux. “This is a token of trust in DRBD and a terrific acknowledgement of our work – a true milestone in our company’s history.” LINBIT North America CEO Kavan Smith highlights the advantages of Torvalds’ decision, “With this mainline addition to Linux, DRBD will be available to a wider audience of users, enabling them to replicate data with more efficiency and control than ever before. Experiencing downtime? DRBD is the answer, not some expensive NAS/SAN device.”
The 2.6.33 Linux kernel release, of which DRBD is an integral part, is expected in February 2010. DRBD’s history is quite remarkable, but it’s far from finished. If you want to contact the team and discuss new opportunities, don’t hesitate because we’re always reachable.
