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* Name: [[User:Ngompa| Neal Gompa]]
* Name: [[User:Ngompa| Neal Gompa]] for kiwi produced media
* Email: ngompa13@gmail.com
* Email: ngompa13@gmail.com
* Name: [[User:Dustymabe| Dusty Mabe]] for CoreOS produced media
* Email: dusty@dustymabe.com
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* FESCo shepherd: [[User:FASAccountName| Shehperd name]] <email address>
* FESCo shepherd: [[User:FASAccountName| Shehperd name]] <email address>
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== Current status ==
== Current status ==
[[Category:ChangePageIncomplete]]
[[Category:ChangeReadyForWrangler]]
<!-- When your change proposal page is completed and ready for review and announcement -->
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== Detailed Description ==
== Detailed Description ==
In recent years, there has been increasing adoption of a new, more advanced read-only filesystem for a variety of use-cases called the [https://erofs.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/ Enhanced Read-Only FileSystem (EROFS)]. Support for EROFS as the backing read-only filesystem for live environments was introduced in Dracut v103. This change switches over all kiwi-produced live media to use EROFS instead of SquashFS.
In recent years, there has been increasing adoption of a new, more advanced read-only filesystem for a variety of use-cases called the [https://erofs.docs.kernel.org/en/latest/ Enhanced Read-Only FileSystem (EROFS)]. Support for EROFS as the backing read-only filesystem for live environments was introduced in Dracut v103. This change switches over the following live media to use EROFS instead of SquashFS:
 
* all kiwi-produced live media. Currently:
  * KDE Desktop
  * KDE Mobile
  * LXQt
  * MiracleWM
  * COSMIC
* Fedora CoreOS Live media
  * i.e. fedora-coreos-42.2025XXXX.91.0-live-iso.x86_64.iso
 
Note: When future editions/spins get moved to kiwi they will inherit this change.


== Feedback ==
== Feedback ==
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== Benefit to Fedora ==
== Benefit to Fedora ==
EROFS is considerably more actively developed than SquashFS, and suffers from fewer strange I/O issues (e.g. such as how squashfs-based live environments randomly freeze when using <code>unsquashfs</code> to install the live environment to disk). Image creation is slightly faster while maintaining similar compression levels.
EROFS is considerably more actively developed than SquashFS, and offers more modern file system features that can be utilized in the future.


== Scope ==
== Scope ==
* Proposal owners:
* Proposal owners:
** Merge [https://pagure.io/fedora-kiwi-descriptions/pull-request/105 fedora-kiwi-descriptions#105]
** Kiwi: Merge [https://pagure.io/fedora-kiwi-descriptions/pull-request/105 fedora-kiwi-descriptions#105]
** CoreOS: Implement [https://github.com/coreos/fedora-coreos-tracker/issues/1852 fedora-coreos-tracker#1852]. This will require work in OSBuild, since OSBuild builds the Fedora CoreOS Live ISO now.


* Other developers: <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
* Other developers: <!-- REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM WIDE CHANGES -->
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== How To Test ==
== How To Test ==
Once the change is applied, users can grab nightly Fedora live images that fall in scope (such as the KDE and LXQt images) to test it. Simply booting the images in a VM and installing the environment is a sufficient test.
Once the change is applied, users can grab nightly Fedora live images that fall in scope (such as the KDE and LXQt images) to test it. Simply booting the images in a VM and installing the environment is a sufficient test.
For Fedora CoreOS, nightly [https://builds.coreos.fedoraproject.org/browser?stream=rawhide&arch=x86_64 rawhide installation media] can be used to perform an [https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-coreos/bare-metal/#_installing_from_live_iso install].


== User Experience ==
== User Experience ==

Latest revision as of 21:06, 10 January 2025

Switch to EROFS for Live Media

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

Switch the read-only filesystem image format from SquashFS to EROFS for Fedora live media.

Owner

  • Name: Neal Gompa for kiwi produced media
  • Email: ngompa13@gmail.com
  • Name: Dusty Mabe for CoreOS produced media
  • Email: dusty@dustymabe.com


Current status

  • Targeted release: Fedora Linux 42
  • Last updated: 2025-01-10
  • [<link to devel-announce post will be added by Wrangler> Announced]
  • [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> Discussion thread]
  • FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
  • Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

In recent years, there has been increasing adoption of a new, more advanced read-only filesystem for a variety of use-cases called the Enhanced Read-Only FileSystem (EROFS). Support for EROFS as the backing read-only filesystem for live environments was introduced in Dracut v103. This change switches over the following live media to use EROFS instead of SquashFS:

  • all kiwi-produced live media. Currently:
 * KDE Desktop
 * KDE Mobile
 * LXQt
 * MiracleWM
 * COSMIC
  • Fedora CoreOS Live media
 * i.e. fedora-coreos-42.2025XXXX.91.0-live-iso.x86_64.iso

Note: When future editions/spins get moved to kiwi they will inherit this change.

Feedback

Benefit to Fedora

EROFS is considerably more actively developed than SquashFS, and offers more modern file system features that can be utilized in the future.

Scope

  • Other developers:
  • Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
  • Alignment with the Fedora Strategy: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Upgrade/compatibility impact

There should be no visible impact. This only affects live media used to make fresh installations.

How To Test

Once the change is applied, users can grab nightly Fedora live images that fall in scope (such as the KDE and LXQt images) to test it. Simply booting the images in a VM and installing the environment is a sufficient test.

For Fedora CoreOS, nightly rawhide installation media can be used to perform an install.


User Experience

There should be no visible impact to users. Live installations continue to work as expected, and live environments may be slightly faster.

Dependencies

N/A. Everything has been in place and supported since Fedora Linux 41.

Contingency Plan

  • Contingency mechanism: Revert back to SquashFS.
  • Contingency deadline: Final Freeze.
  • Blocks release? Yes.


Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

Release Notes

Fedora Linux live environments now use the Enhanced Read-Only FileSystem (EROFS), a modern, feature-rich read-only filesystem.