Install a linux distro into 2 pen drives.

Luca_VR · 10-30-2006, 10:05 AM

Hi all, i need to install a linux distro into something very small (like a pen drive).
First i thought to a 4 gb pendrive but i read that those ones are very slow in read / write. So i thought to install it into two 2 gb pendrives and use them in raid 0 like two hard disks. Is it possible?
Thanks, Luca

pwc101 · 10-30-2006, 10:54 AM

There are distros that are specifically designed to work from usb drives (I'm thinking of Puppy linux, which will do so quite nicely). However, you should be able to install most aspects of a "normal" distro on less than 2GB, if you're careful what you install. I'd recommend using fluxbox or XFCE over KDE or Gnome, for example. And slimming down on unneeded applications. I got a slackware installation with fluxbox installed on an old laptop with a 2GB hard drive, and I had ~800MB free space at the end.

Luca_VR · 10-30-2006, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwc101

There are distros that are specifically designed to work from usb drives (I'm thinking of Puppy linux, which will do so quite nicely). However, you should be able to install most aspects of a "normal" distro on less than 2GB, if you're careful what you install. I'd recommend using fluxbox or XFCE over KDE or Gnome, for example. And slimming down on unneeded applications. I got a slackware installation with fluxbox installed on an old laptop with a 2GB hard drive, and I had ~800MB free space at the end.

Thanks for your answer.
I Tried Xubuntu with XFCE and it was great. Do you think that it can fit in 2 gb?

pwc101 · 10-30-2006, 11:15 AM

Hmmm... I haven't installed any of the buntu's, so I don't know how big they are when installed. Unless you really need a full blown distro, I'd suggest using one of those specifically designed for smaller installations, like DamnSmallLinux, Puppy etc.

Luca_VR · 10-30-2006, 11:27 AM

Ok, I'll try the slackware. And what about the raid, is it possible to be done with 2 pen drives?

pwc101 · 10-31-2006, 03:36 AM

I've never used raid at all, let alone with USB drives, so I can't help you there I'm afraid.

I don't know how much you've used linux, but slackware's installation doesn't hold your hand, so you might want to check out the slackbook (http://www.slackbook.org/), specifically the section on the installation (Chapter 3).

I've looked on google a bit about USB raid arrays, and it's possible it seems, but they seem to be software raid - you'd probably need hardware raid, which I think is quite expensive. Maybe someone else here has had some experience of it?...

Hope this helps.

slantoflight · 10-31-2006, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luca_VR

So i thought to install it into two 2 gb pendrives and use them in raid 0 like two hard disks. Is it possible?
Thanks, Luca

Yes and its still very slow.

Its better to copy the OS into ram instead. Most of you're speed problems are solved then.

pwc101 · 10-31-2006, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slantoflight

Its better to copy the OS into ram instead. Most of you're speed problems are solved then.

Hence puppy, I guess

Luca_VR · 10-31-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slantoflight

Yes and its still very slow.

Its better to copy the OS into ram instead. Most of you're speed problems are solved then.

Well... I have to use it on computers with about 32 mb ram... How many mbs are needed to install dsl?