Arch linux in ram

Arch Linux

I’ve been looking into running an OS from a USB key recently as carrying my laptop is more difficult than just carrying around a small USB, I have been using Puppy linux as my main means of doing this but was wondering if anyone knew of a Arch based distro that would do this job?

Having done some looking around for information on this and have come across this thread:

It has some good recommendations on different distro’s to look into, but the last post on it was back in 2011 and some of the suggestions are either not supported anymore or just don’t exist.

So I’m mainly looking to see if there’s anything a bit more recent out there that may possibly in active development right now? Some of the main things I’m looking for are running the system in RAM rather than reading from USB, as it is much quicker and not a persistent USB as I hear this can kill your USB drive after a bit of time.

Any information is appreciated

#2 2016-12-19 19:08:07

Re: Running Arch in RAM from USB

Liveroot looked promising for something like this, but I’ve never gotten around to trying it.

OT LOL: I couldn’t remember the name of the package at first, but knew it leverages overlayfs. So I googled «arch overlay» and on the first page of results was a google books link about rhinoplasty.

But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain — that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.
-Lysander Spooner

#3 2016-12-19 22:56:10

jsteel Package Maintainer (PM) From: England Registered: 2008-03-18 Posts: 119

Re: Running Arch in RAM from USB

Build your own with archiso and boot with «copytoram» appended to the kernel parameters.

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Arch Linux

hi all,
would it be possible, or is there any «easy» way to entirely run arch from ram? i think archie (?) has this nice cp2ram options but i couldn’t find any more information about that or how it works.
this issue was already discussed in the gentoo forums (http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-29 … +copy.html) but i don’t know if it works on arch or if it’s really worth doing!?
i have lot’s of unused ram and would like to transfer more stuff into ram to speed things up!

#2 2011-01-20 13:49:18

Re: run arch in RAM

It won’t speed up applications, just possibly their loading time. And even that at the expense of a *much* longer boot time, so really, you’re not getting anything by putting everything into ram.

#3 2011-01-20 14:27:05

Re: run arch in RAM

What exactly are you trying to speed up?
Apps are loaded into RAM anyway when you use them, so you may end up with a much slower system boot (you load it ALL into RAM) and than open the few apps you use instantly.
Edit: . as Gusar already wrote.

RAM is pretty cheap nowadays so selling it is not the best idea either.

Last edited by karol (2011-01-20 14:27:54)

#4 2011-01-20 14:40:57

Re: run arch in RAM

Running entirely from ram also leaves open the possibility of losing important data after a crash. Check out the preload and go-preload packages, and loading certain directories (such as /tmp) into ram. Despite using KDE, I usually find myself with two-thirds of my ram available even with several apps open, so I like to devote as much of it as possible to everything I can—typically, nepomuk and pre-loaded apps.

#5 2011-01-20 16:11:36

Re: run arch in RAM

Perhaps CKArchLive is your ticket. It runs from CD or Flash and has cp2ram option.

Downloads from Calimero teknik, is a french adoption of arch, the download has an english option at boot time.

Operating in ram with a flash unit provides the fastest boot time (23 secs in my computer in cp2ram).

My computer uses Compact Flash 2GB with a sata adapter.

There is no HDD in the system so power consumption is down and latency is not a problem.

All operations occur in ram as you desired.

Prediction. This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit! X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

#6 2011-01-20 16:29:19

Re: run arch in RAM

As to loss of data, ince the system is couched in Flash, there can be no problem if the system crashes. just reboot.

Reboot from the cp2ram system can be as fast as pressing the reset button on the computer which wipes the ram «toot de suite» and Flash is unaffected.

If using Flash from USB, the boot time will be much longer. However, if copied to ram, the system will be at maximum PERFORMANCE, regardless of the fact that normal operations run in ram with a hdd , CD or USB based OS.

Latest packages compatible with the installed kernel can be downloaded and operated in a given session.

Operating in this manner prevents any corruption of the system since the Flash devices retains its stored program.

When operating in cp2ram, the flash device can be removed, as a matter of note.

Prediction. This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit! X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

#7 2011-01-20 16:51:57

Re: run arch in RAM

the system will be at maximum PERFORMANCE

There will be no performance difference. The only difference is, app data isn’t read from a disk when the app starts. But once the app starts, it’s all the same. So where should this performance come from?

#8 2011-01-20 17:47:13

Re: run arch in RAM

You stated the PERFORMANCE item very well. the «starting» is already in ram with the «live» cp2ram system.

Prediction. This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit! X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

#9 2011-01-20 18:38:07

Re: run arch in RAM

That’s not performance, that’s just loading times. By «performance» I understand an app actually working faster.

#10 2011-01-20 19:44:42

Re: run arch in RAM

If the loading is eliminated, that is PERFORMANCE. however small!

Prediction. This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit! X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

#11 2011-01-20 22:15:51

Re: run arch in RAM

I think you need to perform a cost/benefit analysis here. What DE/WM are you using? Just how much ram are we talking about? Won’t preloading those programs which lag the most during start-up be enough? Do you wan’t to go through what was described in that Gentoo forums thread—repartitioning your hard drive and reinstalling Arch, or migrating/installing to a new flash drive—to save a couple seconds? Are those couple seconds so valuable that you’re willing to wait a couple of minutes for your machine to boot up first? If everything’s sitting in ram, you may be lacking the space necessary to suspend to ram, and will need to suspend to disk—which will further increase start-up time. Again, I’m not sure how much ram you’ve got. In the end, if you really want to significantly improve overall performance, you’ll need a new cpu. As a half-assed analogy, think of your box as a car: sticking more fuel in the tank won’t make it go faster, but widening the fuel line and changing the fuel type will help acceleration, as more fuel will be immediately available to the engine.

As for CKArchlive, that looks to be an Arch-spin in the spirit of Puppy, using a minimal Openbox setup. It’s fast because it requires little ram or cpu power, not because it’s maximized the amount of ram it can use.

#12 2011-01-20 22:38:43

Re: run arch in RAM

Using Compact Flash @ 45MB/s provides minimum access time for a package..no seek time latency. This move is much better than doubling the cpu speed, but if the ram speed is doubled, that is a direct one-to-one increase in PERFORMANCE.

New computers are not cheap.

All the ram is available in cp2ram, even 64GB. My system is x86_64 in CTK and is very snappy even with kdenlive, HP printer, VLC, SMplayer,Gimp. jumanji, qtfm , ranger among others.

Can’t lose with a trial download and DD to Flash. Compact Flash in IDE mode is best.

Prediction. This year will be a very odd year!
Hard work does not kill people but why risk it: Charlie Mccarthy
A man is not complete until he is married..then..he is finished.
When ALL is lost, what can be found? Even bytes get lonely for a little bit! X-ray confirms Iam spineless!

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