5/12/2018 What is Persistent Linux | USB Pen Drive Linux

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What is Persistent Linux

Persistent Linux – What is it? After looking through some of the tutorials offered on Pendrivelinux.com,
you may be wondering what Persistent Linux means. So in the following segment, I will cover my
understanding of persistence in relation to Linux, data storage and recovery. In addition, I will try to
explain some of the limitations of using a USB Persistent or Persistence Data storage structure.

Wikipedia definition: "Persistence – in computer science refers to the characteristic of data that outlives
the execution of the program that created it. Without this capability, data only exists in RAM, and will be
lost when the memory loses power, such as on computer shutdown."

What does Persistence mean for USB Linux Users?

For USB Linux users, a persistent Linux install is one that allows its user to save data changes back to the
USB storage device instead of leaving the information in system RAM. This data can then be recovered
and used again on subsequent boots, even when booting from different machines. Typically a separate
Persistent storage space (persistent overlay) is used in conjunction with a compressed Live Linux OS.

Advantages and disadvantages of using the persistence feature?

Advantages:

1. More available storage space – Since the Live Linux Operating System (OS) is compressed with most persistent installs, the entire operating system takes
up less space. Enabling operating systems that usually require gigabytes of space to be condensed into storage capacities less than 1GB in many cases.
2. Less wear on the USB device – Since most of the operating system is loaded into system memory and only the changes are written back to the USB
storage device, the read/write cycles decrease, prolonging your USB flash drives life.
3. Independence – The storage space used for persistent changes is independent of and separated from the OS, allowing users to backup or recover persistent
changes on the fly without reinstalling and rebuilding an entire operating system. The operating system should still continue to function like a fresh install
if the persistence feature is disabled.
4. Portability – Bookmarks, settings, system preferences, customizations and file downloads can in most cases be stored and retrieved when booting from
different or multiple machines.

Disadvantages:

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1. Limited Protection – Persistent Data is left unencrypted in most cases. Lose your drive, someone could steal and use your data.
2. Persistent data is uncompressed – Although the Live OS can be compressed, the persistent data is left uncompressed making it very easy to run out of
storage space quickly.
3. Some changes are not saved persistently – In some cases, further modification is required to enable things like graphical card settings and network card
settings to be saved. In some cases, system wide updates do not work.

*System and initrd updates appear to be working on recent Ubuntu and Ubuntu based remixes.

Similar Portable Linux Posts:

Install gOS to a USB Flash Drive from Live CD
How to Fix Ubuntu 8.04 Casper script for Persistence
Install Xubuntu 8.04.1 to a Flash Drive using Linux
What is Persistent Linux published under Using and Configuring Linux

persistence, persistent linux, persistent overlay, usb persistent

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