Submission + - Optimizing Linux use on a USB flash drive
Buckbeak writes: I like to carry my Linux systems around with me, on USB flash drives. Typically, SanDisk Cruzers or Kingston HyperX. I encrypt the root partition and boot off the USB stick. Sometimes, the performance leaves something to be desired. I want to be able to to an "apt-get upgrade" or "yum update" while surfing but the experience is sometimes painful.
What can I do to maximize the performance of Linux while running off of a slow medium? I've turned on "noatime" in the mount options and I don't use a swap partition. Is there any way to minimize drive I/O or batch it up more? Is there any EASY way to run in memory and write everything out when I shutdown? I've tried both EXT2 and EXT3 and it doesn't seem to make much difference. Any other suggestions?
What can I do to maximize the performance of Linux while running off of a slow medium? I've turned on "noatime" in the mount options and I don't use a swap partition. Is there any way to minimize drive I/O or batch it up more? Is there any EASY way to run in memory and write everything out when I shutdown? I've tried both EXT2 and EXT3 and it doesn't seem to make much difference. Any other suggestions?
