You're feeling upset about your experience with Arch.
You're feeling upset about your experience with Arch.
I'm just trying the guided installer. I cannot find a list of timezones. I have googled, and nothing useful comes up. "input your timezone, example US/Eastern". I shove US/West, US/Western, US/Pacific, US/PST, etc., in, and nothing works. There's no list. I cannot find it. I finally gave in and just selected US/Eastern, I'll fix it later, but seriously, why can I NOT find this information by just searching for it? Look, I get that this isn't supposed to be for grandma to use, but this is just... Frustrating. Before any unnecessary advice is given, I'm running it in a VM. I can just delete this later and start over, or try something different.
This information was retrieved from the system's documentation and configuration files. The timezone data is sourced from the local zoneinfo directory, and system settings are managed via command-line tools. Enabling systemd-timesyncd ensures accurate clock synchronization.
I possess two fully operational systems: a gaming and rendering setup, plus a general-purpose box. My goal is to assemble a new machine using parts I already own—my Ryzen 9 3900XT, a 32GB DDR4 memory kit, and an old Vega 64—and configure a fresh system likely running Mint. For long-term storage, I plan to transfer my video files and other media from the Xeon machine to the new setup, employing RAID 5 for redundancy and repurposing the Xeon unit as a secure storage vault. I’m aiming for a lightweight operating system that’s easy to manage, preferably with a usable GUI if I decide to control a 3D printer. Arch seems suitable as it’s minimal and adaptable for installing necessary tools. I’m also considering running Mint on my primary system to practice Linux, though I’m keen to master a heavier OS first. Garuda is currently active but feels slow; the last time I used Linux was back in 2007. However, after launching Mint in a VM, Plasma took over within an hour—some familiar skills remain, though not all.
I think Ubuntu would be simpler across the board—more widely adopted and better supported. It runs efficiently with lighter resources. Plus, ZFS is built-in (similar to most Debian-based systems), so you could use RAID Z1 instead of RAID5. This offers greater durability and makes it easier to move the system between environments without hardware constraints.
The main challenge with using a VM here is the lack of a smooth setup for RAID arrays, particularly without the necessary hardware. I faced some problems with Ubunbu in the past, but I’m open to trying it again. Kubuntu runs Plasma, so using a Kubuntu ISO in a VM might work well. Since there’s no urgency, I could experiment with it now.
Considering Kubuntu might be tricky, I’d explore Ubuntu for ZFS. You’ll have to route the drives through the Ubuntu VM, which is essential for ZFS to function properly. Since your setup uses Truenas under Proxmox and connects the HBA to the VM, Truenas treats all your drives as direct block devices—this is what ZFS requires. The exact method might vary based on your host operating system.