This might be way out in LaLa land...

[Marty Metras]

I just saw an add for a 64GB USB flash memory drive. Yes! I said 64 Gig-a-bytes. The is 1,000,000 times what my first computer could address.
Is there any one making a computer that only used these memory sticks instead of hard drives? No moving parts.
I know the newer BIOS's can boot off of USB drives. What about a motherboard that only has the flash memory sticks. You could almost have a SuperDome in your shirt pocket.
There is already monitors you ware like glases.
A new PocketDome with bluetooth and who knows?

Marty, doerofthings.com

[Pete Randall]

Well, Marty, since you asked this in an HP-UX forum, I'll give you the HP-UX answer:

the only USB connections on an HP-UX machine are for the keyboard and mouse.

In a Windoze environment - could be - I don't know.


Pete

[harry d brown jr]

Too SLOW as compared to DDR2 memory or other on-board memory.

BTW, it can be found at http://www.kangaru.com.

Some day we will probably be able to, but not today.

live free or die
harry d brown jr

[Hein van den Heuvel · Accepted solution]

Marty, I know your are thinking in bigger terms, but my 'HP T5515 thin client' pretty much works in the manner you suggest running Linux.

If has a 256MB flash drive as system 'disk', 256M dimm as working memory, and I (re)loaded it by booting from a 64MB memory stick.
It has a Transmeta low power intel compatble CPU, so like you suggest it runs with no moving parts (no fan, no rotating disk).

fwiw,
Hein.

[Alzhy]

Wow! Where'd you seen that memory stick? You could potentially store your life inside such a stick!

But seriously now, 64GB Flash memory on even a USB 2.0 link does not make sense. USB only goes to 480 mbps (about ~ 60 MByte/sec) so I amnot sure it will have practical applications as an enterprise or server storage.

If that 64GB is "Solid State" disk and not USB - then we're talking about a serious server or db accelerator here. Such is the case in some enterprises where SSD (solid state disks) are the norm to accelerate certain applications.

Back to USB Flash Memory off USB - HP-UX PARISC do not support USB but the new HP-UX Integrity might already -- for anywhere from removable storage and possibly even for booting.

On the X86/X86-64 space, booting off "USB Sticks" have been around for quite sometime now (I'd say 4-5 years..). Most of my Linux (and derivatives) machines run their OS of USB Sticks. With 1-2G Sticks as cheap as a decent steak meal these days - You can practically have PC's boot off USB.. Many many advantages...

HTH.

[Marty Metras]

Well, the 'HP T5515' is almost a SuperDome.
I didn't know about this HP's ThinClient. We are working on thin clients. I have not been involved in the project. I sent the group leader a link to the T5515.

Marty

[Marty Metras]

For those of you that have a log of money, I saw those 64GB thumb drives at tiger direct.
The price tag was about $2800. It is the thought that counts here.
A good cell phone wit the new high-speed internet connection will be as far as I'm going this year.
You just wait. Some one is going to do this some day soon just because they can.

Thanks for youe responces.
Marty

[Jan van den Ende]

FWIW,

at last years' OpenVMS Bootcamp in Nashua Stephen Hoffman ("Hoff" in the VMS community) already reported booting VMS off a USB stick, but "... nice to have the ability, and it will sure have its uses, but the performance is not what you would normally consider satisfactory"

Proost.

Have one on me (maybe in may in Nashua?)

jpe