How can i Install manjaro with enabled compression

Support
1

I want to Install a small rescue system with the manjaro Installer.

Because i am a Fan of btrfs compression, i want to enabled compression even before the Installer Starts to write into the Filesystem. (The Last question regarding this was 2020)

Ist this posible ?

I would Like to use zstd:15 :wink:

2

Yes, but on the condition that you mount the volume yourself with the desired compression options — or remount it if calamares has already mounted it — before proceeding with the installation.

Quite commonly — note: I have not tested this with calamares — you can switch to a separate virtual console (tty) by way of the CtrlAltFunction Key key combos, where you would have a (root) shell at your disposal, and as such, you could verify how — i.e. with what options — the filesystem is mounted, and change this if required.

You can then switch back to the graphical environment that calamares is running in and continue the installation.

3

Problem is when you click that Install button, it immediately creates the partition table, makes the file systems, then starts writing to them. (EFI -> boot -> root I believe)

As btrfs is so flexible, I didn’t mind as you can convert to whatever to you want after (right after you install live). Not optimal, but I’ve always been looking for an alternative.

And I always wished you could setup the destination yourself for dozens of reasons, outside of btrfs even. Everything is still automatic or assumed in the “manual” partitioning.

4

Even worse :wink:
Even in Manual Partition mode, and when the Filesystem ist mounted (to Pin down the Options to zstd:15)
Calamares does its own mounts, an willst doing so, it changes the options by force to compress=zstd:1

5

untested, but seems plausible:

/usr/share/calamares/modules/mount.conf

edit
at the end of the file

...
mountOptions:
    - filesystem: default
      options: [ defaults ]
    - filesystem: efi
      options: [ defaults, umask=0077 ]
    - filesystem: btrfs
      options: [ defaults, compress=zstd:1 ]
    - filesystem: btrfs_swap
      options: [ defaults, noatime ]

before starting the installer

I have done something similar in the past to go around the enforcing of the minimum RAM requirement.

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6
  • Yesterday I installed manjaro, checked the size 4.45GB(gparted),
  • Then i transferred the entire contents of the file system to the RAM disk, (all subvolumes one after the other)
  • I deleted the content of all subvolumes, changed the mount options, remounted and checked the compression to be zstd:15
  • Then i transferred everything back again from the Ramdisk using’ zstd:15

The result is rather disappointing. I checked the size to be 4.35GB(gparted). So i gained 100MB :frowning:

Yes this seems to be an easy way.

Summary:

Don’t bother trying this; the benefits are minimal and the time investment is too great.
Whoever put this ISO together is a true master of their craft and has done everything to optimize the installation. Hats off! :footprints: @philm @Yochanan @linux-aarhus (or whoever did this)

All that remains after the installation is to adjust the compression settings to your liking; this is easily done in the /etc/fstab, where the default setting is compression=zstd:1.

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