kldload 1.0.1
7 Linux distros. One USB. ZFS on root. Free.
kldload 1.0.1 adds Arch Linux and Fedora 41 to the lineup. CentOS Stream 9, Debian 13, Rocky Linux 9, and Ubuntu 24.04 install fully offline from embedded darksites. RHEL 9 requires Red Hat CDN. Arch Linux and Fedora 41 require internet. Boot fixes for all distros.
Tested platforms
| OS | Profile | Platform | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CentOS Stream 9 | Desktop, Server, Core | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — all profiles pass |
| CentOS Stream 9 | Server | Proxmox (QEMU/KVM) | Tested — q35, OVMF, TPM 2.0 |
| Debian 13 (Trixie) | Desktop, Server, Core | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — debootstrap from darksite, ZFS DKMS builds |
| Ubuntu 24.04 | Desktop, Server | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — offline darksite, GNOME, NetworkManager |
| Fedora 41 | Server | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — DNF install, ZFS DKMS |
| Rocky Linux 9 | Server, Core | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — shares CentOS RPM darksite |
| RHEL 9 | Desktop, Core | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — Red Hat CDN, no CentOS contamination |
| Arch Linux | Server (all checkboxes) | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — online install, ZFS on root, SSH, eBPF, WireGuard |
| Arch Linux | Core | KVM (libvirt) | Tested — minimal ZFS on root, boots clean |
Hardware tested
| Platform | Configuration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| KVM (libvirt) | 16GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 80GB virtio, UEFI (OVMF), no Secure Boot | Primary test platform. CentOS + Debian verified. |
| Proxmox VE | q35, cpu host, OVMF, TPM 2.0, virtio-scsi, 16GB RAM | CentOS Server verified. Serial console + VNC. |
| Bare metal USB | Various x86_64 hardware | ISO boots and installer runs. Install results vary by hardware. |
What's new in 1.0.1
7 distros, one USB
Added Arch Linux (core + server, online) and Fedora 41. CentOS Stream 9, Debian 13, Rocky Linux 9, Ubuntu 24.04, and RHEL 9 carry over from 1.0. Five of seven distros install offline, two require internet.
Arch Linux on ZFS
Rolling release Arch with ZFS on root. Kernel pinned to archzfs-required version.
ZFSBootMenu boot environments give Arch what it never had: safe rollback from a bad
pacman -Syu. Core and server profiles. All checkboxes (WireGuard, eBPF, NVIDIA).
Boot fixes (all distros)
ZFS root mounts read-write on boot. Bootloader initramfs detection fixed for Arch. vconsole.conf created before mkinitcpio. SSH host keys generated at install time. Profile packages retry with fresh DB sync on 404.
Arch mkinitcpio
Modern Arch defaults to systemd-based initramfs hooks. The archzfs zfs hook only works with udev init. kldload rewrites the hooks to udev-based, ensuring ZFS pool import works on every boot.
NVIDIA on Arch
NVIDIA checkbox installs nvidia nvidia-utils nvidia-settings from the Arch
extra repo. Hardware transcode and GPU compute ready from first boot.
Everything from 1.0
ZFS on root, ZFSBootMenu boot environments, sanoid snapshots, WireGuard, eBPF observability, golden image export, 30+ CLI tools, web UI, AI assistant. All still there, all still working.
Known issues
| Issue | Severity | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Image export fails during install | High | qemu-img cannot read the block device while ZFS pools are mounted. Run kexport /dev/vda qcow2 after rebooting into the installed system. |
| Ubuntu GNOME first boot may hang | Low | GDM login spinner can hang on first boot while services start. Second boot works. Not a data issue. |
| AI model pull needs internet | Medium | Ollama pulls llama3.1:8b on firstboot. Requires internet + 16GB RAM. If pull fails: ollama pull llama3.1:8b |
| NVIDIA on VMs without GPU | Low | NVIDIA checkbox installs drivers but modprobe nvidia fails if no GPU hardware. Harmless — system works fine without GPU. |
| Pool export timeout on install completion | Low | Live system holds the pool. Export times out after 5s. Pool imports cleanly on reboot. No data loss. |
| Secure Boot MOK enrollment | Low | MOK keys are generated and modules are signed. Automatic MOK enrollment on first boot is not yet fully automated on all hardware. |
| Web UI install log may go blank | Low | The websocket connection can drop during long installs, causing the log area to go blank. The install continues in the background and completes normally. Refresh the page to reconnect. |
Component versions
| Component | CentOS (RPM darksite) | Debian (APT darksite) | Ubuntu (APT darksite) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kernel | 5.14.0-687.el9 | 6.12.74 | 6.8.x (noble) |
| ZFS | 2.2.9 | 2.3.2 | 2.2.x (noble) |
| ZFSBootMenu | Latest EFI binary (embedded or downloaded) | ||
| Ollama | Latest (downloaded on firstboot) | ||
| whisper.cpp | Latest (built from source on firstboot) | ||
| WireGuard | DKMS (kernel module) | DKMS (kernel module) | In-tree (kernel built-in) |
Roadmap — 1.1
- Arch offline darksite (zfs-linux prebuilt in cache)
- Modular checkboxes (sanoid, k-tools, webui as separate options)
- Workstation profile (desktop environment for distros that ship DEs)
- ZFS encryption end-to-end
- ARM64 build pipeline
- Image export during install
- Hybrid MBR boot for legacy hardware
Built by one person who just knows the primitives.
Learn the primitives — they'll outlast any product.