eMMC Friendly Linux OS & Dell Wyse 3040 Thin Client

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abq

Active Member
May 23, 2015
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Hello All,

Best Linux OS for an old Dell Wyse 3040 thin client? This little box has an Atom X5-z8350 CPU, 2 GB DDR3L 1600MHz memory, and 16 GB eMMC FLASH. I currently have straight Lubuntu installed, and working pretty well. Saw a few recommendations for Puppy Linux, Ubuntu Server, and ChromeOS as good options for lightweight install & home use. Expect minimal apps for now, and possible home server application someday (files, media, home automation, domain control, etc - storage via NAS, or even external USB drive).

I should note there is no NVME/Sata storage or other expansion capabilities, other than the USB ports & archaic SDIO M.2 slot inside. BTW, also looking for Linux advice on wear leveling & protection for the 16GB eMMC. Will be turning off local logging, mount "/var" and "/tmp" as tmpfs, maybe add ZRAM, SquashFS, etc (protect eMMC life). ...Maybe add a semi-high endurance USB storage mini-thumb drive like Samsung FIT Plus, to unobtrusively plug into one of the USB ports (most SSD drives are way too bulky & expensive for this little box;).

Appreciate your suggestions & experience with lightweight eMMC Linux installs & Wyse 3040.

Best Regards,
ABQ :)
 
Last edited:
zer0sum

zer0sum

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2013
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Do you need a gui at all?

I recently tested a LOT of distros and ended up with just straight debian for tiny linux server duties :D
 
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A

abq

Active Member
May 23, 2015
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zer0sum said:
Do you need a gui at all?

I recently tested a LOT of distros and ended up with just straight debian for tiny linux server duties :D
Click to expand...
@zer0sum, Thank You for your help & suggestion to drop GUI. ...I am definitely more comfortable with a GUI approach, but GUI is not absolute necessity. Yes, I do like Debian based linux distros too:). I have Ubuntu Server on my short list for 'No GUI' options. I have also thought about removing GUI & dependencies after install, updates, & setup. ...My main concern is an eMMC friendly OS & associated settings, since no clear guides in my simple google searches. Of course also lightweight for simple 3040 box hardware.
 
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abq

Active Member
May 23, 2015
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Bump. ...any suggestions or links for an eMMC friendly OS & associated settings? Thx Much :)
 
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Mithril

Active Member
Sep 13, 2019
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I'd look at how people do installs on USB if you're worried about flash wearout.

Usually you do things like turn atime off to avoid writing for that metadata; keep root RO and have tempfs for /tmp. There's some clever "persist occasionally" ways to do /home and /var
 
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BoredSysadmin

BoredSysadmin

Not affiliated with Maxell
Mar 2, 2019
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I've installed the ARM Ubuntu server on eMMC on AMlogic S905X board - it's happily running chrony and Pi-Hole. No issues to report. eMMC on that board is much faster than my old SD cards, so storage performance is ok, but YMMV.

I agree with no GUI on low-powered machines. It takes a bit to get used to, but it's the whole point and worth it in the long run. If you love to see pretty graphs, check out the cockpit project
 
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