Could someone tell me if it is possible to install SnapRAiD and mergerFS on zimaos?
ZimaOS is Buildroot-based and intentionally minimal. It does not include apt or other traditional package managers, and native package installation is not supported. Any manual changes to the system layer can also be overwritten by updates.
That means you cannot natively install SnapRAID or mergerfs directly on the host OS.
What does work:
- Docker, recommended
ZimaOS is designed around Docker. Running SnapRAID and mergerfs inside a container is the most common and clean approach.
You would:
- Bind-mount your physical disks into the container
- Pass /dev/fuse and add SYS_ADMIN capability for mergerfs
- Run SnapRAID via scheduled tasks inside the container
This keeps the host clean and update-safe.
- ZVM virtual machine
You can create a Debian or Ubuntu VM using ZVM and install SnapRAID and mergerfs normally with apt inside the VM. This gives you a full standard Linux environment without modifying the host, but uses more resources.
Summary:
Native install on host: not supported
Docker: supported and recommended
ZVM: supported alternative
If you share your goal, for example flexible pooling, parity, or something else, we can suggest the best layout for your setup.
It’s plausible that at some point they may officially support it but right now there isn’t a simple way. I’m not sure if the docker setup is rootful or rootless but if the former you can do as @gelbuilding mentioned for mergerfs and can find more details here.