Booting a Linux system off USB pendrives is one of my favorite things.
On a laptop we have the following advantages,
- The hard disk drive can be shutdown and that reduces power consumption (hdparm)
- The system heats less and the fans are triggered less frequently
- The system can take more shocks (a bumpy backseat taxi ride)
With old workstation hardware,
- Can be used for quick testing of the hardware platforms
- Linux (Ubuntu these days) works quite well with most hardware
- One downside: Many old motherboard BIOSes do not support a USB boot
I have preferred a USB "boot-stick" to a live CD in most cases.
Questions.
- What other advantages and problems have you seen or anticipate with a USB-booted Linux system?
- What is your choice of Linux for this purpose?
- Would you suggest ext4 or something more proven/stable for a Linux USB boot?
- Do you often find USB drives getting corrupted?
- Do you partition your USB drives?
Recent install guide reference, Ubuntu Karmic Koala Encrypted Flash Memory Installation (edited 2009-07-22).
This install guide is for installing Ubuntu 'Karmic Koala' in a USB flash memory stick with the LUKS encrypted ext4 file system by running the Ubuntu Karmic Koala 'Alternate CD'.