Running an OS from RAM (like RAMDISK).

Hmm..

In the quest for a PC with no mechanical parts, I was wondering if anyone has heard of running a PC totally off of RAM.

I don't mean something like Windows, more like *NIX. But any OS would do.

My bud does alot of work in the manufacturing industry using PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and it made me wonder if you could make a computer w/ no moving parts that could replace a PLC.

So - Anyone ever hear of doing this? I've seen the "Linux on a floppy" stuff, so I figured there must be an easy way to run all from RAM or ROMS?!?

Either way - a PLC with 4/4 control/input channels runs about $10,000+ whereas a the shittiest PC could control many more channels and offer tremendous flexibility.

Secondly - Could Windows run from RAM alone or can you fake it run from RAM only??

Thanks!

This is not anything important, but the price of PLC's spiked my curiousity..

You need a permanent storage medium at some point, to hold the image loaded into ram (flash, disk, etc.) But it is possible to run linux from ram (like knoppix/gentoo live images). The Zaurus PDA also runs straight from ram (but loads the system image from flash storage). I suspect most PDA's work like this.

Windows 95, maybe. Using a thin client...

DOS 6 would probably work that way. You have to be able to upload the OS core files to resident physical memory from SOMEWHERE, be it a hard drive, CD-ROM, USB Keydrive (or another similar EEPROM), or a network file server.

solid state :p

solid state :p
Sure, if it were accessible at the consumer level.

I've wondered whether it would be possible to run a game off a large flash drive and emliminate load times...

no because flash is slower...? doy

I've found some stuff, but alot of it points towards thin-client stuff: www.Disklessworkstations. com , www.ltsp.org

(PLCs are control centers for machinery. They control relays, etc and get info from sensors and switches. You basically replicate what was done with electrical components, but the advantage is if you have to change the circuit, you just reprogram the PLC, rather than rewiring a bunch of components)

In case you didn't know, one of the bigger advances in PLC stuff is that you can now take a vector-drawn schematic (autocad) and upload that to the PLC. The vector drawing has all your relays, thermocouples/thermistors, switches, etc in it and the PLC replicates the functions of those traditional components, controlling relays and fielding inputs and throwing outputs. These units are $10K +, minimum. If you could replicate that functionality using a reliable computer (aka one with the least moving parts), it would be a very welcomed product. Especially since it can be built using PCs that people are throwing away daily.

no because flash is slower...? doy


Flash is slower than a CD ?????

let's say the average drive reads between 16-48X.

16 x 150KB/s = 2.4 MB/s
48 x 150KB/s = 7.2MB/s

So on average, you'd read about 4.8MB/s

I believe a really fast flash drive MIGHT do that much.

But why are you talking about CDs anyway, it's not like you run games off the CDs. You run them off your HD for the vast majority of games, with cut scenes running off the CD, in which case it's not slowing you down at all.