This update introduces the all-new ZimaOS Photos. We wanted to build more than just a place to view your photos. Our goal is to create a self-hosted photo library that feels beautiful and effortless to use, while keeping your memories in your own hands.
From timeline browsing, local AI search, Memories, albums, and maps to iCloud Photos integration, we’re rethinking how you manage, explore, and rediscover your photo library on ZimaOS.
We’d love for you to try ZimaOS 1.8 Beta and share any feedback, suggestions, or issues you run into.Please Please leave a comment below. or feel free to email collin.tian@icewhale.org
What do we need these add-ons for? Isn’t Immich enough? Wouldn’t it be better to refine the operating system? Drive wake-up is buggy in RAID arrays. There are plenty of other reported issues, yet you aren’t doing anything about them. I’m considering switching to Unraid, even though it costs $250.
I honestly feel the same way since ZimaOS 1.7.0 was released.
For me, ZimaOS has become noticeably worse instead of better. I really don’t like the new layout, and more importantly, basic things are no longer working reliably. After a reboot, some Docker containers do not start properly, and there are still several other issues that have been reported for quite some time.
At this point, I’m also seriously considering switching to Unraid or another alternative. Yes, around $250 is quite expensive, but I would rather pay for something stable and reliable than constantly deal with problems after every ZimaOS update.
I’ve put a lot of work into my Update Monitor and Disk Monitor apps for ZimaOS, but even that would not really stop me from switching. These projects could also be adapted for Unraid or another platform.
What bothers me most is the direction of development. New features are being added while existing core problems still need attention. In my opinion, stability, Docker reliability, storage and RAID behaviour, and fixing long-standing bugs should have a much higher priority before adding more features.
Please share all the stability issues you’re currently experiencing, including the RAID drive wake-up problem. If possible, describe them one by one with the steps or conditions that trigger each issue.
I’ll make sure they’re passed to our development team for investigation. Stability issues are very important to us, and having clear reproduction details will help us identify and fix them properly.
Thank you for taking the time to explain these issues in detail, and also for all the work you’ve put into the ZimaOS community through Update Monitor and Disk Monitor.
We take the feedback you mentioned seriously. If possible, please list the issues you’re still experiencing one by one, especially those that can be reproduced consistently, along with any relevant logs or previously submitted issue links. I’ll organize them and pass them directly to our development team so they can review and investigate each one.
I’ll also share your feedback about the UI and the overall development direction since 1.7.0 with our product and engineering teams. We don’t want community members to feel that long-standing issues are being overlooked.
In my case, the zimaos-storage application periodically wakes up my RAID1 array (two 4TB WD Red Plus drives). It is so bothersome that this sometimes happens dozens of times a day. Disabling it with the command sudo systemctl disable zimaos-storage solves the problem. However, after doing this, I lose access to the “Files” section and the drive status overview. I get around this by using Scrutiny, while file access is handled via SMB. In my opinion, an extra option could be added to the developer section to perform SMART checks only once a day—for instance, at 2:00 AM (similar to how Scrutiny operates)—and only for HDDs (sda, sdb), skipping NVMe drives. Another point is the need for an additional (expandable) SMART menu providing more detailed information. Why should I have to install Scrutiny when this could be a standard system feature?
Sorry to hear that you’re feeling disappointed with ZimaOS. Could you tell us a bit more about what happened or what issues you’ve been experiencing? We’d really like to understand what’s gone wrong and will do our best to help resolve the problems you’re facing.
Regarding Photos, we’ve also heard your feedback about making it optional. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Beta Notes: