List of Linux distributions that run from RAM

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Puppy Linux 5.10 desktop running in RAM

This is a list of Linux distributions that can run entirely from the computer's RAM. That ability allows them to be very fast, since reading and writing data from/to RAM is much faster than on a hard disk drive. Many of these operating systems will run from a Live CD or another removable media, but a "frugal" install can be made to have them installed permanently on a hard disk drive. Technically, other distributions can be made to boot from RAM as well (also referred to as "RAMboot", "toram" or "copy2ram").^{[citation needed]}

Linux distributions that run from RAM

Distribution	Based on	RAM needed
Arudius[1]	Slackware & Slax	210 MB
Damn Small Linux[2]	Debian & KNOPPIX[3]	128 MB
Kanotix[4]	Debian	1GB
Lighthouse Linux[5]	Independent	694 MB[6]
MCNLive[7]	Mandriva
Mustang Linux[8]	Slackware	168 MB[9]
Puppy Linux[10]	Independent	128 MB[11]
RIPLinuX[12]	Independent	512 MB
Slax[13]	Slackware	13 MB (version 2.9.0.21)
Porteus[14]	Slackware	512 MB
SliTaz[15]	Independent	160 MB (32 MB for base)
Tin Hat Linux[16]	Hardened Gentoo	4 GB
Tiny SliTaz[17]	SliTaz	8 MB
Tiny Core Linux[18]	Independent	10 MB[18]

See also

• Lightweight Linux distribution
• Windows PE is a non-Linux operating system that can also be run from RAM.

References

1. ^ Freshmeat - Arudius
2. ^ Distribution Release: Damn Small Linux 3.4
3. ^ DistoWatch - Damn Small Linux
4. ^ Using a liveCD as your Linux Desktop
5. ^ Lighthouse development (January 2011). "Lighthouse Pup". http://lighthouselinux.com/. Retrieved 5 July 2011. 
6. ^ Lighthouse development (2011). "Lighthouse Pup Mariner ISO 5.03 G". http://www.lhpup.org/download500.htm#mar-iso. Retrieved 5 July 2011. 
7. ^ Distribution Release: MCNLive "Delft"
8. ^ Lesser known "mini" Linux runs from RAM
9. ^ Homepage for Mustang Linux
10. ^ DistroWatch.com: Puppy Linux
11. ^ puppylinux.org (November 2009). "Minimum Hardware Requirements". http://www.puppylinux.org/wikka/MinReq. Retrieved 4 September 2010. 
12. ^ RIPLinuX home site
13. ^ Distribution Release: Slackware-Live 2.9.0.21
14. ^ Porteus forum: Cheatcodes in porteus
15. ^ SliTaz
16. ^ Tin Hat
17. ^ Tiny SliTaz
18. ^ ^{a b} Shingledecker, Robert (December 2008). "Tiny Core Linux Welcome Page". http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html. Retrieved 8 September 2011.