🐧 Linux Conversion Guide

Complete PikaOS Reinstall, LVM2 Layout, Optimization & Post-Install Setup

📦 LVM2 Overview

What LVM2 Is

LVM2 (Logical Volume Manager) combines multiple disks into a flexible storage pool that can grow and adapt over time.

PV

Physical Volume
Actual disks or partitions.

VG

Volume Group
Combined storage pool.

LV

Logical Volume
Virtual partitions inside the pool.

Benefits

  • Add disks anytime
  • Resize volumes dynamically
  • Avoid mount-point limitations
  • Ideal for homelabs, Docker, Plex, VMs, and gaming
  • Minimal performance impact (1-3%)

Limitations

  • /boot/efi must remain FAT32 and outside LVM
  • Everything else can reside inside LVM

💾 EFI vs Boot Partition

Partition Purpose Recommendation
/boot/efi UEFI firmware partition 300-600 MiB FAT32 (1 GB chosen)
/boot Kernels and initramfs 1-4 GB ext4 (4 GB chosen)

⚡ ZRAM Explained

ZRAM creates a compressed swap device directly in RAM.

Benefits

  • Faster than NVMe swap
  • Reduces disk I/O
  • Helps prevent system stutters
  • Improves gaming and VM performance
  • Reduces SSD wear

Best Practice: Enable ZRAM and keep a traditional 64 GB swap partition.

🚀 SSD TRIM

  • Maintains SSD performance
  • Improves long-term write speeds
  • Extends SSD lifespan
  • Recommended for all NVMe drives
sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

🖥️ Wayland + RustDesk Auto Login

Wayland cannot display the login screen during remote sessions. Auto-login allows RustDesk access immediately after boot.

sudo nano /etc/sddm.conf [Autologin] User=YOURUSERNAME Session=plasma.desktop Relogin=true

🗄️ PikaOS LVM Layout (1 TB + 2 TB NVMe)

NVMe #1 (1 TB)

/boot/efi 1 GB FAT32 outside LVM /boot 4 GB ext4 outside LVM rest LVM PV

NVMe #2 (2 TB)

full disk LVM PV

Create Volume Group

vgcreate pika-vg /dev/nvme0n1p3 /dev/nvme1n1p1

Create Logical Volumes

lvcreate -L 64G -n swap pika-vg lvcreate -l 100%FREE -n root pika-vg

Mount Points

/dev/pika-vg/root → / /dev/pika-vg/swap → swap /dev/nvme0n1p1 → /boot/efi /dev/nvme0n1p2 → /boot

✅ Post Install Checklist

1. PikaOS Setup

sudo pika-update sudo pika-game-setup sudo pika-firmware-update sudo pika-driver-setup

2. Microsoft Edge

wget https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/edge/pool/main/m/microsoft-edge-stable/microsoft-edge-stable_latest_amd64.deb sudo apt install ./microsoft-edge-stable_latest_amd64.deb

3. Tailscale

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh sudo tailscale up sudo systemctl enable tailscaled sudo systemctl start tailscaled

4. CKB-Next

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ckb-next/ckb-next sudo apt update sudo apt install ckb-next

Autostart CKB-Next

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart cp /usr/share/applications/ckb-next.desktop ~/.config/autostart/

5. Hoard

curl -fsSL https://hoard.earth/install.sh | bash hoard login --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --server http://<tailscale-ip>:3200

6. Discord

sudo apt install discord

7. Steam

sudo apt install steam

8. Steam Tools

sudo apt install steam-devices sudo apt install gamemode sudo apt install mangohud sudo apt install goverlay sudo systemctl enable --now gamemoded

9. ShareX Alternatives

flatpak install flathub io.github.snapx flatpak install flathub app.unisic.Unisic

10. RustDesk

sudo apt install ./rustdesk-unattended-wayland-1.5.0-x86_64.deb sudo systemctl enable rustdesk sudo systemctl start rustdesk

🎮 Recommended Extras

System Tools

sudo apt install htop btop nvtop sudo apt install flatpak sudo apt install gparted sudo apt install timeshift

Gaming Tools

sudo apt install wine winetricks lutris sudo apt install protontricks

Multimedia

sudo apt install obs-studio vlc

Development

sudo apt install git curl build-essential

⚙️ System Optimizations

Enable ZRAM

sudo pika-zram-setup

Enable TRIM

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

🎉 System Ready

  • ✅ Clean LVM2 layout
  • ✅ Proper EFI and boot partitions
  • ✅ ZRAM + 64 GB swap hybrid setup
  • ✅ SSD TRIM enabled
  • ✅ Full PikaOS gaming and homelab stack
  • ✅ Wayland-compatible remote access
Built for your PikaOS reinstall and homelab gaming workstation 🚀