Dual Boot System: Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 on Separate Offline SSDs with ZFS Filesystem
In this article, we will discuss how to create a dual boot system with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 on separate offline SSDs using the ZFS filesystem. This setup allows users to run both operating systems independently, with the advantage of using ZFS as the filesystem for Ubuntu.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have the following:
- A computer with two separate SSDs, one for Windows 11 and one for Ubuntu 22.04.
- Windows 11 installed and configured on one of the SSDs.
- A USB drive with at least 4GB of storage for the Ubuntu installer.
- A copy of Ubuntu 22.04 ISO file.
Creating a bootable USB drive for Ubuntu 22.04
To create a bootable USB drive for Ubuntu 22.04, follow these steps:
- Download the Ubuntu 22.04 ISO file from the official Ubuntu website.
- Download a USB creation tool, such as Rufus or UNetbootin.
- Insert the USB drive into your computer.
- Open the USB creation tool and select the Ubuntu 22.04 ISO file.
- Choose the USB drive as the target device and click "Start" or "Create" to begin the process.
Installing Ubuntu 22.04 with ZFS filesystem
Once you have created the bootable USB drive, follow these steps to install Ubuntu 22.04 with ZFS filesystem:
- Restart your computer and boot from the USB drive.
- Select "Install Ubuntu" and follow the on-screen instructions until you reach the "Disk Setup" step.
- Choose "Custom" or "Something else" to manually partition the SSD for Ubuntu.
- Select the SSD you want to use for Ubuntu and click "New Partition Table" if it doesn't exist.
- Create a root partition with at least 20GB of space, using the following settings:
- Type: Primary
- Size: 20GB or more
- Use as: EXT4 journaling file system
- Mount point: /
- Create a swap partition with at least 4GB of space, using the following settings:
- Type: Logical
- Size: 4GB or more
- Use as: swap area
- Create a ZFS root pool with the remaining space, using the following settings:
- Type: Physical Volume for RAID
- Size: the rest of the SSD space
- Bootable: Yes
- Continue the installation process and select the ZFS root pool as the root filesystem.
- Complete the installation and restart your computer.
Configuring the bootloader
After installing Ubuntu 22.04, you need to configure the bootloader to allow you to choose between Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 at startup.
- Boot from the USB drive again and select "Try Ubuntu" to access the live environment.
- Open a terminal and type the following command to install the bootloader configuration tool:
sudo apt-get install
```less
boot-repair
```
- Launch the Boot Repair tool and click "Advanced options".
- Select the "GRUB location" tab and choose the SSD where Ubuntu 22.04 is installed as the "GRUB install device".
- Select the "OSes" tab and make sure both Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 are listed.
- Click "Apply" to install the GRUB bootloader on the SSD where Ubuntu 22.04 is installed.
- Restart your computer and you should see the GRUB menu at startup, allowing you to choose between Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04.
In this article, we have discussed how to create a dual boot system with Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 on separate offline SSDs using the ZFS filesystem. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can take advantage of the advanced features of ZFS while still being able to use both operating systems independently.