Hey everyone! I'm a sophomore studying software engineering and I have three 32GB USB drives and one 16GB USB drive. I'm wondering if I can connect them all through a USB hub and set them up as one bootable system, with the 16GB drive serving as the core OS. I'm using a live disk on one of them, but I'm concerned that it might not be enough for my Operating Systems class. My professor wants us to submit a USB with all our work by the end of the semester to grade us. We're starting out with Linux, specifically Ubuntu, but I'm curious about other distros too, like Mint and Arch, even though I'm not too familiar with them yet. Any suggestions for distros or advice on how to configure my USBs?
5 Answers
You can actually install a full Linux OS on a single 32GB USB drive! Plus, using a second USB for your home directory can give you even more space, which is a smart way to manage your files.
You can mount multiple USB drives just like any other drives on your system. Trying to combine them into one bootable system isn't the best approach, though. If you're considering this, think about how to handle multiple points of failure.
Make sure to talk to your professor about this setup. They might not appreciate receiving multiple USB drives that need to be combined to access everything. Clarifying their expectations upfront could help avoid issues later on.
Good point! I'll ask them later today.
It's definitely possible to use multiple USB drives, but I recommend getting a decent USB SSD instead of relying heavily on flash drives if you can. They are usually more reliable for running an OS.
Thanks for the tip! What specs should I look for in an SSD?
I’ve used SD cards as bootable drives before and rely on internal drives for caching and swap. I recommend not splitting the system across multiple USB sticks, as it complicates things. Maybe utilize the smaller drive for media if storage gets tight?
That sounds great! How exactly can I do that with my Ubuntu setup?