Update plan to use WinBtrfs

nixos-steam-dual-boot-plan.md

@@ -0,0 +1,333 @@
+# NixOS Steam Dual Boot Implementation Plan (Btrfs + Beesd Edition)
+
+## Goals & Motivations
+
+### Primary Goals
+1. **Eliminate storage waste**: Avoid duplicating terabytes of Steam games across Windows and NixOS
+2. **Minimize maintenance overhead**: Create a solution that works reliably without constant tweaking
+3. **Preserve Windows stability**: Ensure Windows Steam functionality remains unaffected by the dual-boot setup
+4. **Maintain gaming performance**: No significant performance degradation on either OS
+
+### Secondary Goals
+- **Seamless game access**: Games should be available on both OSes without manual intervention
+- **Update compatibility**: Game updates from either OS should be usable by both
+- **Future-proof architecture**: Solution should be extensible and maintainable
+- **Multi-user support**: Handle 3 Windows users sharing libraries, with 1 user also using Linux
+
+## Architectural Overview
+
+### The Problem with Previous Approaches
+
+**Shared NTFS Library (Traditional)**:
+- ❌ Proton creates files with colons, corrupting NTFS
+- ❌ Requires fragile symlinks that Windows can break
+- ❌ Permission issues plague the setup
+- ❌ Valve officially discourages this approach
+
+**Complex Symlink Management**:
+- ❌ Requires custom scripts and maintenance
+- ❌ Fragile edge cases with Steam updates
+- ❌ Potential compatibility issues with Proton and anti-cheat
+
+**Separate Libraries**:
+- ❌ Wastes terabytes of storage
+- ❌ Games must be installed twice
+- ❌ No benefit from either OS's installations
+
+### Our Solution: Btrfs + Beesd Automatic Deduplication
+
+```
+Windows Steam → /steam/windows/ (btrfs via WinBtrfs driver)
+                     ↓
+Linux Steam   → /steam/linux/  (native btrfs)
+                     ↓
+               [beesd automatically deduplicates identical files]
+```
+
+**Key Insight**: Let each Steam installation work independently, rely on proven btrfs deduplication technology to eliminate duplicate storage automatically.
+
+## Architecture Deep Dive
+
+### Component 1: Shared Btrfs Filesystem
+
+**Purpose**: Single high-performance filesystem for all game storage
+- **Location**: `/steam` (dedicated btrfs partition)
+- **Contents**: 
+  - `/steam/windows/` - Windows Steam library
+  - `/steam/linux/` - Linux Steam library
+- **Access**: Native on Linux, WinBtrfs driver on Windows
+
+**Why this satisfies our goals**:
+- ✅ **Automatic deduplication**: Beesd handles duplicate elimination transparently
+- ✅ **No maintenance**: Zero custom scripts or symlink management
+- ✅ **Independent operation**: Each Steam installation works normally
+- ✅ **Performance**: Optimized mount options for gaming workloads
+
+### Component 2: Beesd Deduplication Service
+
+**Purpose**: Automatic background deduplication of game files
+
+**Core Functionality**:
+- Continuously scans `/steam` for duplicate blocks
+- Automatically deduplicates identical files between `/steam/windows/` and `/steam/linux/`
+- Operates transparently - games never know deduplication is happening
+- Handles common duplicates: DirectX runtimes, Visual C++ redistributables, game engines, shared assets
+
+**Expected Efficiency**:
+- **40-70% storage savings** for typical game libraries
+- **Common targets**: Unity/Unreal engine files, shared libraries, identical texture assets
+- **Real-time operation**: New duplicates eliminated automatically
+
+### Component 3: WinBtrfs Driver Integration
+
+**Purpose**: Provide Windows with native btrfs read/write access
+
+```nix
+# No special configuration needed - standard btrfs mount
+fileSystems."/steam" = {
+  device = "/dev/disk/by-uuid/YOUR-BTRFS-UUID";
+  fsType = "btrfs";
+  options = [ 
+    "noatime"    # Don't update access times - major gaming performance boost
+    "ssd"        # SSD optimizations
+  ];
+};
+```
+
+**Windows Requirements**:
+- Install WinBtrfs driver (https://github.com/maharmstone/btrfs)
+- Configure Steam library path to point to `/steam/windows/`
+- No special configuration needed - works like any other drive
+
+### Component 4: Beesd Configuration
+
+**Purpose**: Optimized deduplication for gaming workloads
+
+```nix
+services.beesd.filesystems = {
+  steam = {
+    spec = "/steam";
+    hashTableSizeMB = 512;   # Sized for ~4TB of game data (128MB per TB)
+    verbosity = "err";       # Only show actual problems
+  };
+};
+```
+
+**Hash Table Storage**:
+- Stored as file: `/steam/.beeshash`
+- 512MB handles up to 4TB of game data efficiently (beesd recommends 128MB per TB)
+- Loaded into RAM on-demand, not all resident simultaneously
+- Smaller hash table = better performance and less disk usage
+
+## Partition Strategy
+
+### 4-Partition Architecture
+
+1. **Windows Boot Partition** (NTFS) - *Existing*
+   - Standard Windows system drive
+   - Unchanged from current setup
+
+2. **Linux Boot Partition** (btrfs/ext4) - *New*
+   - NixOS system installation
+   - Standard Linux root filesystem
+
+3. **Shared Steam Library** (btrfs) - *New*
+   - `/steam/windows/` - Windows Steam library
+   - `/steam/linux/` - Linux Steam library
+   - Automatic beesd deduplication
+
+4. **Legacy Windows Steam** (NTFS) - *Existing, Optional*
+   - Keep for anti-cheat games that may not work on btrfs
+   - Can be eliminated if all games work on btrfs
+   - Provides fallback option during testing
+
+### Multi-User Considerations
+
+**Current Setup**: 3 Windows users sharing Steam libraries
+**Migration Strategy**: 
+- Other Windows users continue using existing NTFS library
+- Primary user (johno) experiments with btrfs library
+- Easy rollback: point Steam back to NTFS if issues arise
+- Gradual migration as confidence builds
+
+## Implementation Strategy
+
+### Phase 1: Base Setup
+
+1. **Partition Creation**:
+   - Create new btrfs partition for `/steam` (recommend 2TB+ for modern libraries)
+   - Install NixOS on separate Linux boot partition
+   - Keep existing Windows partitions untouched
+
+2. **NixOS Configuration**:
+   ```nix
+   fileSystems."/steam" = {
+     device = "/dev/disk/by-uuid/YOUR-BTRFS-UUID";
+     fsType = "btrfs";
+     options = [ "noatime" "ssd" ];
+   };
+
+   services.beesd.filesystems = {
+     steam = {
+       spec = "/steam";
+       hashTableSizeMB = 512;   # 128MB per TB recommended
+       verbosity = "err";
+     };
+   };
+   ```
+
+3. **Windows Setup**:
+   - Install WinBtrfs driver
+   - Add Steam library pointing to `/steam/windows/`
+   - Test with a few small games initially
+
+### Phase 2: Gradual Migration
+
+1. **Safe Game Testing**:
+   - Start with single-player games
+   - Test save game compatibility
+   - Verify performance matches NTFS installation
+
+2. **Anti-Cheat Evaluation**:
+   - Test multiplayer games progressively
+   - Document which games work on btrfs vs require NTFS
+   - Keep problematic games on legacy NTFS partition
+
+3. **Deduplication Verification**:
+   - Monitor beesd logs for successful deduplication
+   - Use `btrfs filesystem du /steam` to verify space savings
+   - Benchmark game loading times vs separate installations
+
+### Phase 3: Optimization
+
+1. **Performance Tuning**:
+   - Monitor btrfs performance under gaming workloads
+   - Adjust mount options if needed
+   - Optimize beesd parameters based on actual usage
+
+2. **Monitoring Setup**:
+   - SystemD service monitoring for beesd
+   - Disk space alerts for `/steam` partition
+   - Basic health checks for WinBtrfs stability
+
+## Trade-offs and Considerations
+
+### Advantages
+
+**Storage Efficiency**:
+- ✅ 40-70% storage savings through automatic deduplication
+- ✅ No manual intervention required
+- ✅ Works with any game installation method
+
+**Simplicity**:
+- ✅ No custom scripts to maintain
+- ✅ No symlink complexity
+- ✅ Standard Steam library management on both OSes
+
+**Reliability**:
+- ✅ Each Steam installation completely independent
+- ✅ Btrfs and beesd are mature, proven technologies
+- ✅ Graceful degradation if deduplication fails
+
+**Performance**:
+- ✅ Optimized mount options for gaming
+- ✅ No compression overhead
+- ✅ Native filesystem performance on both OSes
+
+### Limitations
+
+**Windows Dependencies**:
+- ⚠️ Requires WinBtrfs third-party driver
+- ⚠️ Driver updates needed with major Windows releases
+- ⚠️ Potential compatibility issues with some anti-cheat systems
+
+**Complexity Trade-offs**:
+- ⚠️ More partitions to manage than single-filesystem approach
+- ⚠️ Beesd adds background CPU/disk usage (minimal but present)
+- ⚠️ Hash table requires disk space (512MB for large libraries)
+
+**Platform Compatibility**:
+- ⚠️ Some games may prefer NTFS for maximum compatibility
+- ⚠️ Anti-cheat systems may flag non-NTFS installations
+- ⚠️ WinBtrfs stability depends on third-party development
+
+### Risk Mitigation
+
+**Backup Strategy**:
+- Regular btrfs snapshots of `/steam` partition
+- Keep legacy NTFS Steam library as fallback
+- Steam's built-in backup/restore for critical games
+
+**Fallback Options**:
+- Easy to revert games to NTFS library if needed
+- Linux can install games locally if `/steam` partition fails
+- Independent operation means failure in one OS doesn't affect the other
+
+**Monitoring**:
+- SystemD service status for beesd
+- Disk space monitoring for early warning
+- Game launch testing after major updates
+
+## Expected Outcomes
+
+### Immediate Benefits
+- **40-70% storage savings** for typical game libraries
+- **Zero maintenance** after initial setup
+- **Identical performance** to native installations
+- **Future-proof** architecture using standard technologies
+
+### Long-term Benefits
+- **Automatic optimization**: New games deduplicated without intervention
+- **Simplified management**: One shared library instead of separate installations
+- **Technology leverage**: Benefits from ongoing btrfs and beesd improvements
+
+### Success Metrics
+- ✅ Games launch successfully from both OSes
+- ✅ Save games work correctly on both platforms
+- ✅ Updates from either OS don't break the other
+- ✅ Storage usage 40-70% less than separate libraries
+- ✅ No performance degradation vs native installations
+- ✅ Anti-cheat compatibility acceptable for target games
+
+### Monitoring and Maintenance
+
+**Automated Monitoring**:
+```nix
+# Add to NixOS configuration for basic monitoring
+systemd.services.steam-health-check = {
+  description = "Check Steam partition and beesd health";
+  serviceConfig = {
+    Type = "oneshot";
+    ExecStart = pkgs.writeScript "steam-health" ''
+      #!/bin/bash
+      # Check beesd service status
+      systemctl is-active beesd-steam >/dev/null || echo "WARN: beesd not running"
+      
+      # Check disk space
+      USAGE=$(df /steam | tail -1 | awk '{print $5}' | sed 's/%//')
+      [ "$USAGE" -gt 90 ] && echo "WARN: Steam partition >90% full"
+      
+      # Verify both directories exist
+      [ ! -d "/steam/windows" ] && echo "ERROR: Windows Steam directory missing"
+      [ ! -d "/steam/linux" ] && echo "ERROR: Linux Steam directory missing"
+    '';
+  };
+};
+
+systemd.timers.steam-health-check = {
+  wantedBy = [ "timers.target" ];
+  timerConfig = {
+    OnCalendar = "daily";
+    Persistent = true;
+  };
+};
+```
+
+## Implementation Files Needed
+
+1. **NixOS Configuration Addition** - Add to existing machine config
+2. **WinBtrfs Installation Guide** - Windows setup instructions  
+3. **Migration Checklist** - Step-by-step game migration process
+4. **Troubleshooting Guide** - Common issues and solutions
+
+This architecture provides maximum storage efficiency with minimal complexity, leveraging proven technologies instead of custom solutions. The automatic nature of btrfs deduplication eliminates the maintenance overhead of complex symlink management while providing excellent storage savings.

roles/printing/default.nix

@@ -19,5 +19,12 @@ in
         nssmdns4 = true;
         openFirewall = true;
       };
+
+      hardware.printers.ensurePrinters = [{
+        name = "MFC-L8900CDW_series";
+        deviceUri = "dnssd://Brother%20MFC-L8900CDW%20series._ipp._tcp.local/?uuid=e3248000-80ce-11db-8000-b422006699d8";
+        model = "everywhere";
+      }];
+      hardware.printers.ensureDefaultPrinter = "MFC-L8900CDW_series";
     };
 }