[CentOS] Centos on a Flash drive and Micro drive

Sun Jul 15 14:04:02 UTC 2007
Robert Moskowitz <rgm at htt-consult.com>


Johnny Hughes wrote:
> Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>   
>> I am considering putting together a 'micro server' that I can easily
>> travel with.  I am seriously considering the decTOP, as at $99 (plus the
>> cost of a 256MB SIMM) is amazingly priced.
>>
>> But I want to run on batteries, so trash a real hard drive.  I have a
>> couple of IDE to Compact flash adapters that support 2 flash cards.  So
>> I was considering a 4Gb (or even 2Gb) cheap real fash card for the OS
>> and a 4 or 8 Gb micro drive (I have a 4Gb sitting in a drawer gathering
>> dust got to figure out how to fix its paritions that I messed up).
>>
>> So I was thinking to put the more static parts of the OS on the flash
>> card and the not static parts on the micro drive.
>>
>> Obviously the Swap partition, /home, and /var/log go onto the micro
>> drive.  What else?  /tmp?
>>
>> Are /dev and /proc real things on disk or only pointers to the various
>> devices?
>>
>> And then how do I put all these directory trees on the micro drive.  I
>> currently use a LVM partition for my /home on my notebook, but this is a
>> lot more.  Do I do Symbolic links?  Or what.  Are there any howtos?  I
>> have not found anything to help me so far.
>>
>> Probably got at least a week to figure this out.  Obviously I don't have
>> the system right now.  And monday it is off to San Fran for the IEEE 802
>> meeting... (and the following week IETF in Chicago, family gets really
>> upset when I have these 'back-to-back' conferences).
>>     
>
> The major issue with that box is processor power and usb speed (it is
> not USB 2).  I do not have an alternative that can be used in that way,
> and so it may be OK so long as you know what you are getting.
The 'hard' drive is on a IDE to Compact flash interface.  These things 
are almost all wiring.  I do not believe they are an IDE to USB 
converter.  Afterall, the Compact flash is a drive, so it is a matter of 
wiring and power.  (there is only a couple of capcitors on the PCB and a 
place to plug in a drive power connector.


So the bottle neck is the Geode GX500 (articles equate it to a 366Mhz 
Intel processer).  But if I can find another nice micro system like the 
decTOP with a little more speed, at that price point, I would grab it....