# Headin' back to FreeBSD from Gentoo



## Simba7 (Aug 4, 2011)

Well, looks like I'm heading back to FreeBSD after a 4 year stint with Gentoo. I might keep Gentoo on a couple systems, but I'm definitely shifting the others.

I've been using FreeBSD since 1998 and have absolutely loved the stability. The reason I left the *BSD world was because in Gentoo I could compile everything from the ground up. Unfortunately, some packages are not being maintained or some people think all we need is last year's linux-header file or an old-as-hell package that no one wants to update.

Ok. So the question I have is this.. Can I install FreeBSD on a LZMA-compressed ZFS filesystem without a couple dozen steps and a dozen mount points? I don't remember FreeBSD having so many darn mount points. I'm also installing it on a GPT, mostly due to my arrays being >2TB in size.

Another question.. Is there a way to install it over SSH? I've been able to install several Gentoo systems this way, but can't find a way to do it with FreeBSD.

I do admit, I'm a little rusty.. But I'd love to hop back into the FreeBSD universe ASAP.


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## graudeejs (Aug 4, 2011)

1) yes, no problem with that
2) never tried, never needed, don't know


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## MasterOne (Aug 4, 2011)

Having openssh-server enabled on the install media would also be on my wishlist! If booting the memstick-image, and accessing the Fixit environment, is it possible to load and start the SSH-server?


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## vermaden (Aug 4, 2011)

Welcome back then.



			
				Simba7 said:
			
		

> Well, looks like I'm heading back to FreeBSD after a 4 year *stint* with Gentoo.


F1 fan?



> Can I install FreeBSD on a LZMA-compressed ZFS filesystem without a couple dozen steps and a dozen mount points?


Yes, You can even create only the / on ZFS and enable compression there.



> Another question.. Is there a way to install it over SSH?


You still need someone to put the disk inside, but generally Yes, boot to LiveCD, enable sshd, login and launch the installer or do it by hand using /sbin utilities.


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## rusty (Aug 4, 2011)

I thought lzjb and gzip were the compression formats used on ZFS, did something get added/changed?


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## vermaden (Aug 4, 2011)

@rusty

You are right, these are only available possibilities: on/off/lzjb/gzip/gzip-[1-9]/zle


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## graudeejs (Aug 4, 2011)

vermaden said:
			
		

> @rusty
> 
> You are right, these are only available possibilities: on/off/lzjb/gzip/gzip-[1-9]/zle



zle is for zpool v28, AFAIK


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## rusty (Aug 4, 2011)

vermaden said:
			
		

> You are right, these are only available possibilities: on/off/lzjb/gzip/gzip-[1-9]/zle



First time I've heard of zle (zero length encoding). Info on what zle is and how it works seems very sparse, anyone have links?



			
				killasmurf86 said:
			
		

> zle is for zpool v28, AFAIK



So it's tied into deduplication?


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