From: jarl.gullberg@visar-systems.com   
      
   Right - to be clear, Ubuntu has taken the steps of actually bundling the   
   module in the kernel package itself but not compiling it into the image. My   
   ask here is to have a separate zfs-modules- package that is not bundled   
   with the kernel (or the    
   installer) automatically, avoiding tainting the kernel package (or any other   
   package) with potential licensing issues.   
       
   I don't think there should be any problems with even a very broad reading of   
   the CDDL of shipping a prebuilt module in a separate package, which the end   
   user can then choose to install. OpenZFS specifically doesn't use any of the   
   GPL exports either, so    
   to my understanding the zfs-modules- package could be under the CDDL as   
   well.   
       
   --     
   Jarl Gullberg   
   CEO & CTO   
   Visar Systems AB   
       
   +46 73 644 96 64   
   jarl.gullberg@visar-systems.com   
   https://visar-systems.com   
       
      
   "Petter Reinholdtsen" pere@hungry.com – 15 februari 2026 kl. 15:14   
   > [Jarl Gullberg]   
   > > Is this something that could be explored?   
   >    
   > As far as I know, the license picked by SUN Microsystems for the ZFS   
   > implementation in Solaris, which was explicitly phrased to be   
   > incompatible with the Linux kernel license and prohibits distribution of   
   > combined works, if I remember correctly, is the blocker for this. It is   
   > thus a legal risk involved in distributing prebuilt binary packages. I   
   > am aware that Ubuntu have choosen to accept this risk and distribute   
   > prebuilt binary packages anyway. I guess they feel their stock of   
   > lawyers make this an acceptable risk. It is not obvious that Debian   
   > have the required surplus of cash to take a similar risk.   
   >    
   > Note, I would love to be able to set up Debian with zfs on the root file   
   > system with packages directly from the Debian archive, but have no idea   
   > how to make it happen with the current legal constraints.   
   >    
   >   
      
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