[ale] anyone installed linux on to a flash drive

Mon Oct 1 12:38:49 EDT 2012

On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 11:40 AM, Narahari 'n' Savitha
<savithari at gmail.com> wrote:
> What is the diff between putting a live cd on a usb stick vs installing
> linux on usb stick ?
>
> The putting live cd is easy since there are tools like pendrivelinux or
> unetbootin which I have done.  (Puppy has driver issues with Wireless
> although I like Puppy due to less foot print)
>
> The installing of Linux on a Flash Drive may work better since the data and
> apps are persisted (example I can put Firefox15 and it stays there).
>
>
> -Narahari
>
>> On Sun, Sep 30, 2012 at 1:13 PM, Michael H. Warfield <mhw at wittsend.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Wow...  And I'm suppose to give a talk on my "multiboot" keys sooner or
>>> later...  Reminder to self...
>>>
>>> Yeah, I've done this...  I have a pair of 64G USB keys (always have a
>>> backup if you are going to do this).  It's a multiboot key using a
>>> custom rolled grub2 configuration (which would be what my talk would be
>>> about)...
>>>
>>> What's on that key (in order)...
>>>
>>> * Boot Images for my encrypted laptop (3 most recent kernel images).
>>>
>>> * Chainloaders to drive 1 and 2 of the system.
>>>
>>> * OpenClient (and IBM customized RHEL image) run live and testdrive
>>> images...
>>>
>>> * CentOS 6 desktop run live.
>>>
>>> * Fedora 15, 16, and 17 Desktop run lives for i686 and x86_64.
>>>
>>> * Network Security Toolkit 2.16 (various configurations).
>>>
>>> * Parted Magic.
>>>
>>> * Ubuntu
>>>
>>> * Backtrack (another forensic related distro).
>>>
>>> * TinyCore (minimalist busybox based distro).
>>>
>>> All totaled, probably a couple dozen menu entries including sub-menus
>>> and what not.
>>>
>>> Takes a little over 1/2 of that 64G key including persistent image store
>>> and a common encrypted home directory.
>>>
>>> Why?  It's my Swiss Army Knife.  I can (have to) boot my totally
>>> encrypted laptop from the key.  No key - no boot.  End of discussion.
>>> In addition, I can walk up to any computer and boot the computer from
>>> any one of my boot selections and have a run live for demonstration or
>>> for forensic purposes.
>>>
>>> It's actually pretty easy to install a run-live to a USB key with a
>>> persistent store for updates and a home partition for use.  We typically
>>> refer to these as a "Computer On A Stick".  Building a multiboot that
>>> works like that (ESPECIALLY if you have a common home) is a lot tricker
>>> but grub2 makes it easier than syslinux or the old grub.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Mike
>>>
>>> On Sun, 2012-09-30 at 10:02 -0400, Narahari 'n' Savitha wrote:
>>> > Friends:
>>> >
>>> > I want to install Linux on to a flash drive.
>>> >
>>> > Has anyone in the ALE family done this ?
>>> >
>>> > When I install Linux on to a Flash drive, does it mean that I can take
>>> > it
>>> > from machine to machine or is it specific to the hardware that I
>>> > installed
>>> > for ?
>>> >
>>> > What about taking the flash drive out and plugging it back to the same
>>> > machine, that should be doable right ?  I am trying to use this as an
>>> > alternate os at work on the same hardware.
>>> >
>>> > What is the diff between installing the OS on a Flash drive vs running
>>> > Live
>>> > CD (Puppy or Linux Mint that saves data) ?
>>> >
>>> > My Flash drive is 2GB and I am not sure if Arch can be installed there
>>> > with
>>> > XFace.
>>> >
>>> > Is it feasible to do so ?
>>> >
>>> > I would like all kinds of comments to help out.
>>> >
>>> > -Narahari
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > Ale mailing list
>>> > Ale at ale.org
>>> > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>>> > See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>>> > http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael H. Warfield (AI4NB) | (770) 985-6132 |  mhw at WittsEnd.com
>>>    /\/\|=mhw=|\/\/          | (678) 463-0932 |
>>> http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
>>>    NIC whois: MHW9          | An optimist believes we live in the best of
>>> all
>>>  PGP Key: 0x674627FF        | possible worlds.  A pessimist is sure of
>>> it!
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Ale mailing list
>>> Ale at ale.org
>>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
>>> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at
>>> http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo
>>>
>>
>
>
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>

I do all the time. I use SUSE Imagewritter to write iso and virt
harddrives to usb flash drives.

If you think about it, a USB Flash Drive is no different than install
Linux on Flash Drive of Thin Client. Only difference it that one is
removable.

Here are some links for you...

http://www.linuxliveusb.com/
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
http://www.linux-usb.org/
-- 
Terror PUP a.k.a
Chuck "PUP" Payne

(678) 636-9678
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