Wanted: Flash Drive bootable Linus Info.

[Joseph Sinclair]

Actually, the install of DSL designed just for Flash drives currently allows you to store your settings (home dir) in a file on the same drive
(http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ#How_do_I_save_my_settings.3F)

Puppy Linux also is designed to work correctly entirely off the flash drive, including /home (/root actually, since it defaults to running as root).  It uses UnionFS to unify the flash partition(s) (Puppy stores them in files for speed of boot, since it copies the whole system into RAM) along with a user partition stored in a special file on the same drive (all changes end up here).  It's done that way to enable efficient copy-on-change for the whole system, still permit auto-detect to work, and work with a unified image for both flash and CD (the CD has the same support for a writable file for the user's changes).
(http://puppylinux.org/wikka/FlashDetail)

In both cases, you get a functioning system that does exactly what was originally asked, that is that it runs well from USB flash (both systems have no swap partition, but will use one if available otherwise), and retains settings between sessions, like any normal install.

It's not terribly obvious on the sites for both systems, but it does work this way.  The way both systems store the data (in a file) is done for three reasons:
1) Both systems are designed to be EXTREMELY frugal about writes to flash, and the settings file is only updated on shutdown (it's all in memory the rest of the time).
2) Using a file like this works better with UnionFS and with loading the whole system into RAM (which really speeds up the system).
3) The file can often be stored on someone else's filesystem (Windows NTFS/FAT16/FAT32, Linux Ext3, etc...), enabling you to share a friend/roommate's computer without disturbing their OS, regardless of their choice of OS.

==Joseph++

Dazed_75 wrote:
> Perhaps it is my misunderstanding, but I thought that Puppy could save
> files
> even on the LiveCD version IF you use it in a multisession mode on the CD.
> Hard to believe you cant do so with the flash version.
> 
> I do see the worry about using a swap area on the flash drive as there
> could
> be a LOT of read/write activity.  I guess the only solutions to that would
> be to use a small swap partition on the hard disk (not useful for a
> travelin
> Linux) or in memory (why bother).
> 
> On 11/13/06, Mark Jarvis <mark.jarvis at pvmail.maricopa.edu> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I would like to install a small Linux distro on a flash drive--I mean
>> REALLY install, with a /home/userid I can save things in, a /etc that
>> would save a few printers, and so on. I "installed" Puppy Linux on a
>> flash drive last weekend.  It works--but it's really just a "Puppy Linux
>> Live Flash Drive". It's just the same as the live CD version, except
>> faster. Every place I've looked so far seems to be about the same:
>> here's how to create a "live flash drive" installation.
>>
>> Yes, I know that going through the setup every time makes it possible to
>> boot up on boxen w/ different hdw. I can live with that. What's missing
>> is the ability to save files in a natural manner.
>>
>> Can anyone point me to a distro & instructions for creating a true flash
>> drive installation, preferably on a 1GB or smaller flash drive?  I would
>> like to use this in a classroom situation, so even a flash drive
>> installation that only worked on one machine would be useful.
>>
>> Here's hoping . . .
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> -mj-