ZimaOS does not currently expose the old CasaOS-style MergerFS “Merge Storage” workflow in its storage UI, and the forum thread did not receive an official commitment that it will return. The user’s apt: command not found result is also consistent with ZimaOS being an appliance-style system rather than a normal Debian host.
The important distinction is that MergerFS is file-level pooling, not RAID. It can present several independent filesystems as one directory, but it does not add parity, redundancy, snapshots, or RAID-like rebuild behavior.
Why apt Is Missing on ZimaOS
ZimaOS exposes SSH and a web terminal for advanced work, but that does not mean the root OS is designed for arbitrary package installation. The current ZimaOS SSH setup documents terminal access, while current developer documentation also describes the root filesystem as read-only in normal operation.
That means trying to turn ZimaOS into a mutable Debian server with apt install mergerfs is the wrong assumption. Even if a package were manually injected, future OS updates could overwrite or invalidate the change.
What MergerFS Would Actually Do
The upstream MergerFS documentation explains that it combines multiple filesystem paths into one unified directory while keeping the underlying filesystems independently accessible. It also explicitly lists RAID-like redundancy and parity as non-features.
That matches the original request well: a large media namespace where losing one physical drive does not automatically destroy every other drive. But a pooled view still needs a separate backup strategy for irreplaceable files.
Treat the Docker Workaround as Experimental
A forum reply suggested running MergerFS in Docker. That is a community idea, not an IceWhale-supported storage mode. A FUSE filesystem inside a container can require elevated privileges, device access and mount propagation, and it may not integrate cleanly with ZimaOS storage management, SMB sharing or app path selection.
If you need a stable production pool, first decide whether a supported RAID/ZFS layout fits. The storage pool planning guide helps separate capacity, performance and failure domains, while RAID and SnapRAID choices covers alternatives with different protection models.
Bottom Line
The 2026 forum request is valid, but there is still no documented native MergerFS button in ZimaOS. Do not interpret apt being unavailable as a broken terminal, and do not treat a privileged Docker MergerFS container as an official replacement for the old CasaOS merge feature. If independent-disk pooling is a hard requirement, test it on non-critical data first and keep a separate backup.
