# Dotfiles

## NixOS

Install instructions for NixOS.
First open a shell with vim and git:

```bash
nix-shell -p git vim
```

### EXT4

```bash
parted /dev/nvme0n1 -- mklabel gpt
parted /dev/nvme0n1 -- mkpart ESP fat32 1MB 512MB
parted /dev/nvme0n1 -- mkpart root ext4 512MB 100%
parted /dev/nvme0n1 -- set 1 esp on

mkfs.fat -F 32 -n BOOT /dev/nvme0n1p1
mkfs.ext4 -L NixOS /dev/nvme0n1p2

mount /dev/disk/by-label/NixOS /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/boot
mount -o umask=077 /dev/disk/by-label/BOOT /mnt/boot
nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
```

### ZFS

First stop the zfs-zed service, and unload the ZFS kernel modules:
```bash
systemctl stop zfs-zed
lsmod | grep zfs | cut -d' ' -f1 | xargs rmmod -f
```

Then add the following to `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`:
```bash
boot.supportedFilesystems = [ "zfs" ];
```

And rebuild the system:
```bash
nixos-rebuild switch --upgrade
```

Partition the disk:
```bash
parted --script /dev/nvme0n1 -- mklabel gpt mkpart esp fat32 1MiB 512MiB mkpart primary 512MiB 100% set 1 boot on
```

Create an encrypted pool. The `-O` flags set filesystem properties that every
dataset inherits, so they only need to be given once here:
```bash
zpool create -f \
    -o ashift=12 \
    -o autotrim=on \
    -O encryption=on -O keyformat=passphrase \
    -O compression=zstd \
    -O dnodesize=auto \
    -O xattr=sa \
    -O acltype=posixacl \
    -O relatime=on \
    -O redundant_metadata=most \
    -O mountpoint=none \
    rpool /dev/nvme0n1p2
```

Create the datasets. Keeping `/nix` separate from `/` means the store can be
excluded from snapshot and rollback policy, which is what makes an
erase-your-darlings setup possible later:
```bash
zfs create -o mountpoint=legacy rpool/root
zfs create -o mountpoint=legacy rpool/nix
zfs create -o mountpoint=legacy rpool/home
zfs create -o mountpoint=legacy -o recordsize=1M rpool/Storage
zfs create -o mountpoint=none -o refreservation=2G rpool/reserved
```

Mount them:
```bash
mkdir -p /mnt
mount -t zfs rpool/root /mnt
mkdir -p /mnt/nix /mnt/home /mnt/Storage
mount -t zfs rpool/nix /mnt/nix
mount -t zfs rpool/home /mnt/home
mount -t zfs rpool/Storage /mnt/Storage
```

#### Why these properties

Some of these can only be chosen when the pool or dataset is created, so they
are worth getting right the first time.

Creation-only, no way to change later without recreating the dataset:

- `encryption` and `keyformat` enable native ZFS encryption. This cannot be
  turned on afterwards.
- `dnodesize=auto` allows dnodes larger than 512 bytes. Combined with
  `xattr=sa` this keeps extended attributes inline instead of spilling into
  separate blocks, which matters for a Nix store holding a hundred thousand
  small files. Existing files keep whatever size they were written with.
- `ashift=12` matches the 4K physical sector size of modern NVMe drives.

Changeable later, but only applied to newly written blocks:

- `compression=zstd` gives a better ratio than the `lz4` that plain
  `compression=on` selects. The Nix store compresses particularly well.
- `acltype=posixacl` is needed for systemd-journald to grant journal access
  through ACLs. With the default of `off` that mechanism silently does nothing.
- `redundant_metadata=most` reduces the number of duplicate metadata writes.
- `recordsize=1M` suits bulk file storage. Leave it at the 128K default for
  general purpose datasets, and drop it to 16K for databases or VM images.
- `autotrim=on` issues TRIM continuously. The `zpool-trim.timer` unit that
  NixOS enables covers this periodically instead, so either approach works.

The `rpool/reserved` dataset never gets mounted. Its `refreservation` holds
space back so that the pool can be brought below its full mark by destroying
that one dataset. ZFS performance degrades noticeably above roughly 80%
capacity.

On a single disk pool there is no redundancy, so ZFS can detect corruption but
never repair it. Setting `copies=2` on the datasets that hold irreplaceable
data stores a second copy of each block at the cost of double the space:
```bash
zfs set copies=2 rpool/home
```

Snapshots are configured through `services.sanoid` in `hosts/Common/zfs.nix`.
ZFS dataset names are case sensitive, so an entry there has to match the
dataset exactly. A name that does not resolve leaves that dataset with no
snapshots at all while the service still reports success.

Format the boot partition:
```bash
mkfs.fat -F 32 -n BOOT /dev/nvme0n1p1
mkdir -p /mnt/boot
mount -t vfat /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot
```

Generate the configuration:
```bash
nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
```

Add the following to /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix:
```bash
boot.initrd.supportedFilesystems = [ "zfs" ];
boot.supportedFilesystems = [ "zfs" ];
services.zfs.autoScrub.enable = true;

networking.hostName = "Aloria";
networking.hostId = "abcdef01";
```

### Install


Then either clone the repository:

```
git clone https://git.thomasave.be/thomasave/Dotfiles
sudo nixos-install --impure --flake ./Dotfiles#Aloria
mv ./Dotfiles /mnt/home/user/.dotfiles
sudo ln -s /home/user/.dotfiles /mnt/etc/nixos
```

Or install it directly:

```
sudo nixos-install --impure --flake git+https://git.thomasave.be/thomasave/Dotfiles#Aloria
```

### Post-install

Clean-up:
```bash
umount /mnt/{home,nix,Storage,boot}
umount /mnt
```

If using ZFS:
```bash
zpool export -a
```