Tutorials
These tutorials started as my own runbooks — years of building appliances, automating infrastructure, and wrecking things in production until the process was solid. Now they're updated to run on kldload, organized from getting-started basics through advanced multi-site deployments.
Getting Started
What is kldload
The big picture — what kldload is, what it replaces, and why it exists.
Editions & Profiles
Free vs Core editions, desktop vs server vs core profiles, and how to pick the right combination.
CLI Tools Reference
Every k-prefixed command — kinstall, kexport, kupgrade, kstatus, and the rest — with usage examples.
Package Management
How offline darksites work across RPM, APT, and pacman distros, and how to add your own packages.
Unattended Install
Answer files, automation flags, and headless deployment — install kldload without touching a keyboard.
Storage
ZFS Zero to Hero
From first pool creation through snapshots, replication, and production tuning — the complete ZFS walkthrough.
NFS & iSCSI
Serve ZFS datasets over the network with NFS exports and iSCSI targets for shared storage.
Export Formats
Export golden images as qcow2, vmdk, vhd, ova, or raw for deployment to any hypervisor or cloud.
Secure Boot & Encryption
Full-disk ZFS encryption, Secure Boot with MOK enrollment, and the complete boot chain.
Networking
Networking
Network configuration on kldload — bonds, bridges, VLANs, and firewall zones across all supported distros.
WireGuard Basics
Set up your first WireGuard tunnel — key generation, peer configuration, and persistent connections.
WireGuard Masterclass
Advanced WireGuard patterns — split tunneling, NAT traversal, DNS routing, and high-availability configurations.
WireGuard Mesh & Multi-Site
Full mesh and hub-spoke topologies connecting multiple sites over encrypted WireGuard tunnels.
Migration Guide
Migrate existing Linux servers to kldload — in-place upgrades, data migration, and rollback strategies.
Virtualization
KVM Virtual Machines
Create and manage KVM guests on ZFS — zvol-backed disks, GPU passthrough, and live migration.
Docker on ZFS
Run Docker with ZFS as the storage driver — instant snapshots for every container and image layer.
Kubernetes on KVM
Deploy a Kubernetes cluster on KVM virtual machines backed by ZFS persistent volumes.
Proxmox & kldload
Use kldload alongside Proxmox — ZFS pool sharing, template imports, and backup integration.
Cloud & Packer
Build cloud-init-ready golden images with Packer for automated deployment to any cloud or hypervisor.
Cluster & Blue/Green
Provision a 16-node cluster from a single USB stick — unattended install, WireGuard mesh, and shared storage.
NVIDIA
NVIDIA driver installation, CUDA setup, GPU passthrough to VMs, and hardware transcoding configuration.
Appliance Recipes
NAS Server
A full-featured NAS with ZFS, Samba, NFS, and web-based management — replacing TrueNAS or Synology.
IoT Gateway
Edge gateway for IoT sensors — MQTT broker, data collection, local processing, and secure uplink.
Ham Radio (IRLP)
Internet Radio Linking Project node on kldload — linking amateur repeaters over the internet.
Live TV Streaming
Capture, transcode, and redistribute live TV over your LAN with SRT, HLS, and IPTV protocols.
Satellite DVR
Radio StationSatellite dish signal observatory — DVB-S2 reception, SDR capture, ADS-B tracking, and weather imagery.
Plex on ZFS
Plex Media Server on ZFS with hardware transcoding, automated library management, and snapshot-based backups.
Firewall & Gateway
Turn kldload into a network gateway with nftables, traffic shaping, DNS filtering, and VPN termination.
Automated Seedbox
Automated torrent management with ratio tracking, media organization, and ZFS snapshot protection.
Build Your Own Cloud
Private cloud infrastructure with VMs, containers, object storage, and self-service provisioning.
Multi-Site Cloud
Federated cloud spanning multiple locations with WireGuard interconnects and ZFS replication.
Game Servers
Dedicated game servers on ZFS — instant rollbacks, scheduled backups, and per-game isolated datasets.
dRAID Storage
High-density storage with ZFS dRAID — faster rebuilds, distributed spares, and petabyte-scale pools.