i’ve been using a USB 2.0 drive to run a live linux OS for the past couple of years, mostly for storing linux ISOs, installing linux on laptops and live persistence. lately, i’ve noticed a huge drop in write speed, currently around 1.8 MB/s, which is pretty slow for the tasks i do. i’m planning to replace it with a USB 3.0 drive in the future, but i wanted to ask:
- how long have you typically used a USB drive for live linux systems, including for live persistence??
- do you still use USB 2.0, or did you upgrade to a 3.0 or higher?
- any tips to extend the lifespan of a USB drive when using it for live linux systems?
i’m mainly looking for advice and insights on how others manage their USB drives for similar use cases. thanks in advance for sharing!
EDIT: it’s a usb stick. forgot to tell.
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There is such a thing as industrial-grade flash chips, they have better specs and durability. I am familiar with them in terms of using the chips directly in circuit boards, and also industrial grade SD cards. But I bet if you look for industrial USB 3.0 sticks, you will find them. Industrial flash vendors may also have free utilities available that can help you better diagnose failures if you care to.
They will be more expensive, but if you are only buying low quantities you can probably invest another $40 or $50 per device (just my guess) to get more longevity out of it.
Haven’t used USB for this in years, USB flash drives just aren’t reliable.
Maybe worth trying a USB SSD, it might give you much better performance and reliability.
okie
There are too many variables to give you a direct answer for measuring lifespan, but as you suspect, degraded performance is an indicator of failure.
If this is a USB disk drive (and not a “stick”), Smartmontools is your friend and there should be a package for your distro.
If it is a stick, you’re much more limited and testing, such as it is, is data destructive. https://superuser.com/a/376278
To maximize life of solid state media, reducing the number of writes is key. Here’s an article to get you started with the basics, but do look into the implications of changes to some of these before jumping.
yes, it’s stick. thanks for the resources!
The USB I use is like… 7 or 8 years now I think? It is a USB 3 one, but that thing had everything from windows ISOs to linux ones, and from school projects to pirated media, and it’s still going strong
what’s the product, if you don’t mind me asking?
If it ever had a model name on it, it has long been worn down… it’s a 30 gig kingston one tho… I think those are like 10-20 bucks
Is there anything preventing you from installing it in your main drive?
already have one, some times i’m just lazy to bring my laptop when i go out
You made me remember college, when we’d carry Knoppix on a thumb drive to use on university shared computers.
Can you switch to an M2 external drive?
I’ve used old laptop (2.5") drives in compact enclosures as my “build anything” tool since forever.
My two current ones are old 500gb drives from dead laptops. I have multiple ISO’s and tons of software on them. Latest one is SSD, so that’s for travel.
Bigger than a pen drive, but they don’t need external power.
If you don’t need a bunch of space, you can get a 32gb optane m.2 and put it in an enclosure
I’ve got my truenas server running on one
How’s that doing for heat dissipation? I’ve read M2’s can overheat in some external enclosures.
Doesn’t even feel warm to the touch. I got a ugreen aluminum one with built in heat spreader & thermal pad for the optane m.2 I use 24/7 for truenas
Cool, good to know. Thanks!
