Installing ZFS (FreeBSD)

Introduction

FreeBSD natively supports ZFS, and the file system is deeply integrated into the operating system. This guide will walk through the steps required to install and configure ZFS on a FreeBSD system.

Installing FreeBSD with ZFS

Starting the FreeBSD Installer:
- Boot the system from a FreeBSD installation medium.
- Follow the initial setup prompts until the "Partitioning" screen is reached.
Choosing ZFS as the Root File System:
- On the "Partitioning" screen, select Auto (ZFS).
- Choose the disk or disks to be included in the ZFS pool.
- Configure the pool options, such as RAID level (if applicable), and proceed with the installation.
Post-Installation Configuration:
- Once the installation is complete, the system will reboot into FreeBSD with ZFS as the root file system.
- Verify that ZFS is active by running:
```
zpool status
```
- This command should display information about the root pool (zroot) and any configured datasets.

Installing ZFS on an Existing FreeBSD System

For users who already have FreeBSD installed and wish to add ZFS:

Installing the ZFS Packages:
- Ensure the system is updated:
```
sudo freebsd-update fetch install
sudo pkg update
```
- Install the ZFS utilities:
```
sudo pkg install zfs
```
Loading ZFS Kernel Modules:
- Load the ZFS kernel module manually:
```
sudo kldload zfs
```
- To load ZFS automatically at boot, add the following to /etc/rc.conf:
```
zfs_enable="YES"
```
Creating and Configuring ZFS Pools:
- ZFS pools can now be created and managed using the zpool command.
- For example, to create a simple pool on a single disk:
```
sudo zpool create mypool /dev/ada1
```
- Verify the creation of the pool:
```
zpool status
```

This concludes the installation and initial setup of ZFS on FreeBSD. The next sections will cover basic concepts and more advanced configurations.