Feature #15742

Test running Tails from an external hard disk

Added by sajolida 2018-07-19 16:24:31 . Updated 2020-03-06 08:00:58 .

Status:
Resolved
Priority:
Normal
Assignee:
Category:
Hardware support
Target version:
Tails_3.14
Start date:
2018-07-19
Due date:
% Done:

0%

Feature Branch:
Type of work:
Test
Blueprint:

Starter:
Affected tool:
Deliverable for:

Description

From Cybelle’s June spreadsheet: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-project/2018-July/001871.html

If we want people to rely more on Tails it might be useful to some people to install Tails on a hard disk instead of a USB stick, to have more storage capacity, be faster, and more reliable.

Subtasks

Related issues

Related to Tails - Feature #10731: Tails Installer should not allow installing on non-removable USB sticks Rejected
Related to Tails - Feature #8422: Support running Tails from internal hard drives Confirmed 2014-06-30
Related to Tails - Feature #6397: Support booting from devices exposed as non-removable Confirmed 2014-06-30
Blocks Tails - Feature #16080: Core work 2018Q4 → 2019Q2: User experience Resolved 2018-10-29

History

#1 Updated by sajolida 2018-07-19 16:24:44

  • blocks Feature #15392: Core work 2018Q2 → 2018Q3: User experience added

#2 Updated by intrigeri 2018-07-22 02:30:06

FTR I’m not aware of any technical reason that would prevent this from working :)

#3 Updated by sajolida 2018-07-29 11:27:34

Next step: buy myself a new external hard disk case (my old one is giving USB protocol errors).

#4 Updated by sajolida 2018-07-31 07:39:46

And recycle a small hard disk :)

#5 Updated by Anonymous 2018-08-18 10:02:35

  • related to Feature #10731: Tails Installer should not allow installing on non-removable USB sticks added

#6 Updated by Anonymous 2018-08-18 12:50:39

  • related to Feature #8422: Support running Tails from internal hard drives added

#7 Updated by sajolida 2018-10-29 14:22:19

  • blocks Feature #16080: Core work 2018Q4 → 2019Q2: User experience added

#8 Updated by sajolida 2018-10-29 14:22:22

  • blocked by deleted (Feature #15392: Core work 2018Q2 → 2018Q3: User experience)

#9 Updated by sajolida 2019-05-08 15:08:15

  • Subject changed from Test and document running Tails from an external hard disk to Test running Tails from an external hard disk
  • Status changed from Confirmed to Resolved
  • Assignee deleted (sajolida)
  • Target version set to Tails_3.14

I finally got a chance to test this. I installed an USB image, got syslinux, and then the following error message:

(initramfs) Unable to find a medium containing a live file system

I could read the Tails system partition and read it when plugging this disk in another Tails.

In other words: doesn’t work :)

#10 Updated by intrigeri 2019-06-01 10:42:37

  • related to Feature #6397: Support booting from devices exposed as non-removable added

#11 Updated by intrigeri 2020-03-06 08:00:58

I suspect removing live-media=removable would have workaround’ed the problem. Whether that’s needed or not is a function of how the external USB drive enclosure exposes the disk to Tails.