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Is possible and safe install and use Linux through Sabrent docking station?

  • MJ

    Hello Sabrent

    For a laptop with USB-C being even Thunderbolt I have the intention to buy this product:

     

     

    Important to note that I don't want touch the original SSD of the laptop to avoid harm the default OS Windows. The OS is used for my family and I want use Linux by using the 100% of the hardware. Thus VirtualBox is not an option. Normally I use this software but now is required use the 100% of the hardware

    So my idea is buy a new SSD to be connected through the mentioned docking station and use it as a secondary disk to install Linux directly there. Therefore:

    • Shutdown the laptop
    • Connect the docking station with the secondary SSD
    • Put a Pendrive with ventoy which exists the .iso file to install Linux
    • Turn on the laptop to boot through the USB (of course it configured previously through the BIOS)
    • Select the iso image to load and install it in the secondary SSD

    Therefore the laptop has permanently connected that docking station with Linux installed. Thus each time the laptop is started through GRUB is possible select the OS to boot.

    Questions

    1. Does my idea has sense for you?

    I am concern with the existence of an impact the latency of transfer at real time through the port, it even when is thunderbolt. Therefore here “theoretically the speed should be fast” and thus the latency would be “zero”. Of course it “theoretically”. I know the speed of the a SSD installed directly through the mobo must be faster than the SSD used through the docking station. But I am assuming the port is so fast that “perhaps” the latency is really imperceptible.

    1. Is this approach safe for the three parts?

    It for the laptop, the docking station and the secondary SSD

    Even when the Docking Station has 5 slots for SSDs, only 1 slot is going to be used due the approach to run Linux at real time, so the others 4 slots are without utility. But I have chosen this product due the Cooling Fan. Bear at mind the laptop is going to work by many hrs.

    BTW, if this approach is absolutely viable, I hope exists the following product in the future too:

     

     

    It with the intention to work with the nvme type. According with my understanding it is faster than a SSD 2.5''

    Pls, let me know your thoughts

    Thank You

    0 likes
  • S

    @Manuel Jordan There may be ways to boot other than Ventoy, such as netboot, but that part of the process is sound. There are also other virtualization mechanisms you can use but I get that you want "bare metal" for this project. You can boot through USB with modern motherboards using UEFI although it is not ideal. It will be slower and potentially less reliable. However, yeah, drives are fast enough today even over USB that you could probably run an OS off them without too much performance degradation. Thunderbolt would an improvement as it can tunnel with PCIe lanes but still not as fast as a native drive.

  • MJ

    Hello Sabrent 

    Thanks for the reply

    There may be ways to boot other than Ventoy, such as netboot, but that part of the process is sound. 

    Well for many machines I use directly ventoy to install in the primary and unique SSD of the laptop the respective OS through its own ISO. Therefore at a first glance has sense to repeat the same approach with the secondary SSD through the Docking station

    There are also other virtualization mechanisms you can use but I get that you want "bare metal" for this project. 

    Yes, It because VirtualBox takes always the half of RAM and processors. So I want take 100% of the laptop hardware

    You can boot through USB with modern motherboards using UEFI although it is not ideal. It will be slower and potentially less reliable.

    I am assuming through USB-C type. Am I correct? If yes I am assuming Thunderbolt should be better but ...

    However, yeah, drives are fast enough today even over USB that you could probably run an OS off them without too much performance degradation. Thunderbolt would an improvement as it can tunnel with PCIe lanes but still not as fast as a native drive.

    I am assuming the best approach is:

    Thundebolt 4/5 + M.2 NvME Gen 4/5 with higher lanes + Sabrent Docking Station

    If my memory does not fail me, your Docking station supports only up to 10 Gbps it because the current docking is USB-C and not Thunderbolt.

    I did do a research in your home page and I found the following:

    One:

    Tool-Free USB Type-C Dual Docking Station for PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs

    Good: Has cooling and works for NvME

    Bad: Does not support Thunderbolt

    Two:

    Thunderbolt 3 to M.2 NVMe SSD Tool-Free Enclosure 

    Good: Supports Thunderbolt 3 and works for NvME

    Bad: Does not have cooling (The Thermal Pad is tricky)

     

    Pls let me know your thoughts

     

    Thanks

     

     

     

     

     

     

    0 likes
  • S

    @Manuel Jordan

    Hypervisors and VMs today can be extremely efficient with the right setup. As for booting, modern motherboards have UEFI boot which basically means you can combine and use storage over multiple interfaces including USB. USB-C has the potential to be faster at 10Gbps+. Thunderbolt would be 40Gbps+, using/tunneling PCIe lanes for data at 32Gbps+. It can also tunnel HMB to help with DRAM-less NVMe SSDs.

    One thing to keep in mind is that many Thunderbolt enclosures have no USB fallback or slow USB fallback, usually 10Gbps. USB4 also has its issues in this regard depending on the port. We have a TB5 drive and TB5 enclosure coming out which will fallback to basically anything, though.

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