Initial support for ZFS added

demm

When KaOS started in 2013, there was some serious consideration to base this distro on Illumos. One of the biggest draws for Illumos was the ZFS filesystem.
ZFS has been possible on Linux system for a few years now, but licensing issues and no installer support meant it was not an option to use in KaOS.
Today Calamares received initial support for ZFS, and licensing issues should be no problem if the needed modules are not build into the kernel, but distributed as separate modules instead.
For now, the only kernel that supports ZFS is the linux-next kernel, since dracut is fully supported by ZFS, anything mkinitcpio based needs to come from downstream.
This also means, the move to dracut as default initcpio needs to be finalized, it has been default for linux-next since March, with no issues found or reported. Biggest job for that will be the ISO creation, rewrite section to use dracut. The stable linux kernel move is simple, it can use the same settings as linux-next.

ZFS packages now in the repository:
https://kaosx.us/packages/packages.php?sortby=&sortdir=&flagged=&page=&repo=&exact=&search=zfs

shalokshalom

I am aware, that this is about btrfs, but it would be interesting to know, if something like that is possible on ZFS.

Benefit would be, that updated systems, who require a restart, are not broken until we do so.
https://github.com/ChimeraOS/frzr

shalokshalom

This seems to support that: https://zfsbootmenu.org/

demm

Almost a year later and testing to add ZFS to the install options can finally start.
It has been mostly stuck on ISO creation with Dracut, but as tested now, that is not really needed for the the install to use Dracut instead of Mkinitcpio.
The ISO currently listed for testing Plasma 5.26 Beta is the first one that implements the Dracut modules in Calamares instead of Mkinitcpio.
With Dracut in place (and tested pretty good as working fine), the linux kernel starting with 5.19.10 will also default to Dracut (if dracut is found on the system). That means ZFS can now be added as an option starting with the next ISO testing cycle (will start in a few days).

demm

First successful install with ZFS (& Dracut), local test ISO (systemd-boot module needs adjusting before ISO can be uploaded):

shalokshalom

demm wonderful 😃

I know you have worked hard for this 👍️
KaOS is, once again and just as usual, leading the way for others. 🥳