| > You don't need a persistent root. I'd already addressed that point. Just run modprobe and you're done. That assumes too much. For example, that you have a network connection while booted from the live media. You may not have one; then you cannot run apt/yum and you need persistent media that you prepared somewhere else. (Happened to me). > Bullshit. Surely. Or you have extra speedy USB keys. Just installing minimal distro on USB takes a better chunk of that time. > The whole point of this tangent was about when one needs an Live CD. When you are doing something non-standard - and installing ZFS on Linux is pretty nonstandard - you know in advance that the normal live media won't work. It's prudent to have something prepared, if/when SHTF event occurs. Specifically with regards to filesystem, when you are installing with non-distro-provided-fs root, you need to make it anyway, just to install it in the first place. So instead of throwing it away, just label it and put in into the drawer. (When you are not installing on non-distro-fs root, you don't need support for that fs in live media at all, the standard one will do for making the system boot). |
You've been assuming a crap load of stuff as well when it suits your argument. Like having a pre-prepared USB key to begin with.
> For example, that you have a network connection while booted from the live media. You may not have one; then you cannot run apt/yum and you need persistent media that you prepared somewhere else. (Happened to me).
Indeed. You might also not have a CD drive on the host (happened to me), or any blank CD-Rs, or a CD burner on your workstation. Or the internet connection might not work on your workstation either. But then most of those arguments can be made for creating a USB key as well so your point is moot. In fact my latest workstation (Macbook Pro) only has USB-C so I couldn't use my USB keys when I went to install Linux on that.
My point is, if you're looking for ways to nitpick, there are plenty for your examples as well. In fact there will be a thousand different exceptions for any solution you could dream up. Thus is the nature of working in IT.
> Just installing minimal distro on USB takes a better chunk of that time.
Arguably yes but that also takes longer and your original point was about getting stuff done as quickly as possible. So you're now contradicting yourself.
> When you are doing something non-standard - and installing ZFS on Linux is pretty nonstandard - you know in advance that the normal live media won't work.
Except the whole point of this tangent is me demonstrating where it does work.
> It's prudent to have something prepared, if/when SHTF event occurs.
Now you're arguing a different point to the point I was discussing. I'm not going to disagree with you there (since I've already discussed I run a PXE server for situations like these) but that wasn't the topic we were discussing.
I seriously just think you're now just arguing for the sake of winning an internet argument. I'm not going to argue with you that a CD is better than USB because it's pretty obvious that isn't the case. But that wasn't the point I was discussing. So for the benefit of my own sanity can we please get back onto topic: you can use live CDs to repair a degraded system running ZFS. Sure there will be occasions when you cannot; but that's the case when doing anything in IT (and thus why use sysadmins get to command such a good wage). But generally you can. And I literally have. Many times in fact. So enough with the dumb "death by a thousand paper cuts" and goal post moving arguments please.