Is it possible to run linux off a usb pen drive?
Which distro would u recommend to run on a 256MB pen drive?
I would like to run apache mysql with selinux Also if any changes are made they will be saved on the pendrive right?

I will be running in text mode.

LAMPPIX
Slax Server Edition

Slax comes with a server version that has MySQL and Apache.

LAMPPIX is also a server distribution that comes with the XAMPP webserver package.

To run it off a Pen Drive you will just need to set up your BIOS boot-order to run a SCSI or USB device first, just make a note that not all BIOSs will have that option.

Check DistroWatch and FrozenTech LiveCD List for detailed information about various LiveCDs. You can save changes to your Pen Drive, but, by default, all changes are saved in RAM.



Editing for clearity and to correct mistakes.

thanks thought damn small might be my choice. Just wanted to see if there are any others

I originally posted DSL and Slax, but since you said you wanted a web server application for it, I don't believe DamnSmall comes with one.

but i can always install the package by myself from the source right?

If you have a hard drive in your computer, or if you have a bunch of RAM and want to re-install it every time you reboot.

I don't know how it works to install things to a hard drive because your entire filesystem is loaded into your RAM from the LiveCD (or, in this case, the Pen Drive), so you would have to make a symbolic link, everytime you boot your computer, to the location of the installation on your permanent hard drive. I'm sure you can do it, I just don't know if it will be any trouble.

Somebody that has had experience will probably chime into this thread, sooner or later -- I've just used LiveCDs to fix buggered installs, not as a permanent desktop solution.

I've heard Puppy Linux is good for pen drive booting, I think it might even have a distro specifically for that. A new release was just out yesterday or today, so you might want to look into that.