Re: [PLUG] Read only USB drive

I have seen nothing recently, but I do have a very old (256MB) USB 1.1 drive with a physical write lock switch. I had wonder if it is even possible these days, but some people are still making variations, apparently.

I can't speak to recommendations, but some examples follow:

https://www.amazon.com/Kanguru-Flash-Physical-Protect-switch/dp/B008OGNM8E

https://www.amazon.com/Netac-Write-Protection-Flash-Drive/dp/B00S822R12

You could, possibly, use a USB SD card reader, and use the physical lock switch on an SD card, though it might not perform they way you need (boot, etc).

Jason Plum

WarheadsSE

On Wed, Oct 5, 2016 at 12:07 PM, Keith C. Perry <kperry@daotechnologies.com> wrote:

Interesting request... I've only ever done with by user various software tricks. I would like to see such an animal too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Keith C. Perry, MS E.E.
Owner, DAO Technologies LLC
(O) +1.215.525.4165 x2033
(M) +1.215.432.5167
www.daotechnologies.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "George Zipperlen" <George.Zipperlen@mail.com>
To: plug@lists.phillylinux.org
Sent: Wednesday, October 5, 2016 11:28:02 AM
Subject: [PLUG] Read only USB drive

I'm looking for an in-hardware method to make a USB drive read-only. Either with a built in switch, or, via a small, inexpensive, USB 'sleeve' sitting between the drive and the USB port.

Use case (1): A larger equivalent to CD-ROM or DVD Write Once Read Many, for archival backup.

Use case (2): bootable USB sticks

Use case (3): A way to safely distribute data, even their own (!) to an end user who might inadvertently trash something, or be using an OS which messes with any file system attached to a USB port.

Search on product sites like Microcenter.com led me nowhere. DuckDuckGo (Google) not particularly helpful, mostly junk and solutions in software. I got a sense that USB sticks with a switch do (used to?) exist. After a few tries, I have no idea what keywords would find the 'sleeve' I described, if such a thing exists. Most of the matches involved software protection dongles; the closest I could find was expensive forensics hardware, which confirms my belief that this is technically feasible.

Apologies, this is not really a Linux question, as any flavor of Unix derived OS will have some way to 'mount -r', even through a GUI.

If this is an FAQ, a pointer to the right place would be appreciated.

Thank you
--
George Zipperlen
Sent from my iPhone

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Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug