Can I install Linux onto a server SSD using another computer?

The installed system may not be completely portable between computers. Most Linux installations handle different hardware fairly well, but network configuration, boot settings, or a system such as Proxmox may be tied to the computer used during setup. It’s safest to copy or install the files on the other PC, then complete the configuration after moving the SSD into the server.

A USB flash drive is usually the simplest and safest solution. You need something to hold the installer regardless, and a small drive can be kept inside the server case afterward so it doesn’t get lost. It also lets you install directly on the old machine and avoids hardware, bootloader, and network-configuration surprises.

If the target machine boots in UEFI mode, the EFI boot entry may be created in the computer you used for installation rather than on the target machine. If it doesn’t boot after moving the drive, use the firmware’s “Boot from file” or boot-entry option, or reinstall the bootloader to the SSD’s EFI System Partition. Installing in legacy BIOS mode is generally less dependent on firmware entries.

Yes, this can work. Boot an installer on your current computer and select the separately connected SSD as the installation target. Just be extremely careful to identify the correct drive, since the installer could erase your current system disk. You’ll still need some installation media, such as a USB drive, another disk, or a virtual machine with the ISO attached.

A virtual machine can also do this: attach the installer ISO, pass the physical SSD through to the VM, and install directly to it. That avoids buying a USB drive, but it requires more care because choosing the wrong physical disk could destroy data. Network boot is another option, though it’s considerably more complicated than using inexpensive installation media.