zpool:tldr:3c467

The "zpool import" command is used to import a ZFS pool on a system running the ZFS file system.

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) for use in modern operating systems. A ZFS pool is a storage container that consists of one or more physical disks or virtual disks, called vdevs. These vdevs can be combined to create a pool that provides various storage capabilities like data redundancy, data integrity, and performance.

The "zpool import" command is used to bring a previously created ZFS pool into the system, making it accessible for use. When a pool is imported, all its associated datasets (subdivisions of the pool for organizing and managing data) are also made available.

The basic usage of the command is: zpool import pool_name

Here, "pool_name" refers to the name of the ZFS pool you want to import. When executed, the command scans the system for available pools, and if it finds a corresponding pool with the given name, it imports it.

The command also offers additional options to modify the import behavior, such as specifying an alternate mount point, issuing a dry run to see what would happen without actually importing, or importing a pool in read-only mode for troubleshooting purposes.

Overall, "zpool import" is a critical command for managing ZFS pools and bringing them online on a system, making their datasets accessible for use.