How to add encrypted ZFS pool on FreeBSD server

To add an encrypted ZFS pool on a FreeBSD server, you will need to have the geli (GEom ELI) kernel module loaded and the geli utility installed. Here are the general steps to add an encrypted ZFS pool:

1. Load the geli kernel module:

2. Create a new GPT partition on the desired disk. This can be done using the gpart command. For example:

3. Create a new geli provider on the partition:

This will create a 4KB sector-size encrypted partition.

4. Attach the geli provider:

5. Create the ZFS pool on the geli provider:

This command creates a ZFS pool named “tank”, using the geli provider /dev/ada0p1.eli, with the specified options for ashift, compression, encryption, keylocation, and keyformat.

6. Set the permissions on the key file

7. Create file systems and datasets as required.

8. Finally, you can now mount the new ZFS file system.

Note: This is a general guide for adding an encrypted ZFS pool. The exact commands and options used may vary depending on your specific setup and requirements.