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How would I run a bootable Ubuntu Server from an external SSD in Windows?

au flag
jonathan

Ok, so I will try to be as detailed as I can in this post,

I have an external SSD that has an install of Ubuntu Server. I can boot the server directly using the boot menu if I shut down my Windows PC, and start it back up.

I want to be able to "connect" to my headless Ubuntu using a terminal in Windows. When I say "connect", I mean the exact way I would if I were to SSH into a Ubuntu Server, although, since it is on the same physical PC, I don't know if SSH is the optimal way to do this.

The part that's tricky for me to wrap my head around is how do I "power it on" from Windows? If I could even SSH into it, that would be a step forward.

Is there a way to do this without using virtualization (virtual box/ vm ware)?

Thanks.

For the end of this post, to clear up my goal for all of this, I want to be able to take this external SSD with me wherever I go, so that on any Windows PC, I can plug it in, and run Ubuntu commands/ use vim/ and have a portable environment where I can store config files, so I never have to use Windows command line ever again.

I see it working in a way that I partition the SSD into: A. the Ubuntu Server B. My portable terminal emulator, and the file I need to execute in order to boot up the server, and then remote into the server.

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galexite avatar
pk flag
galexite
You cannot connect to the Ubuntu system because it is not running. You need to look at alternative solutions which run the Ubuntu system within Windows, like Windows Subsystem for Linux, Multipass, or a virtual machine.
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sudodus avatar
jp flag
sudodus
You can't boot the same computer into Ubuntu and Windows at the same time. You need a virtual machine running in one of the systems, the host, and then boot the other system, the guest, in the virtual machine. Then you can communicate via ssh, for example log in 'remotely' from Windows into your Ubuntu Server.
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sudodus avatar
jp flag
sudodus
You may want the network to be portable. The Ubuntu Desktop and family flavours (Kubuntu, Lubuntu ... Xubuntu) have portable networks by default, but you must fix it after installation in Ubuntu Server. See [this link](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1367302/how-to-make-a-portable-ubuntu-server)
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Score:4
user535733 avatar Ubuntu
cn flag
user535733

"Is there a way to do this without using virtualization (virtual box/ vm ware)?"

No: All solutions to the setup you describe --connection using a Windows terminal-- require some form of virtualization. (Including WSL, which seems to be some proprietary form of virtualization)

Whichever Operating System boots on the bare metal controls ALL hardware: The monitor, the keyboard, the disks, the network connection, everything. Only one Operating System can control the system at a time. Switching between Operating Systems in control of the hardware requires a reboot.

It is possible for the Operating System to present emulated hardware for a different OS to run upon and control...and that process is the very definition of virtualization.

To run a portable Linux server or Desktop natively instead of virtualized, consider starting with a LiveUSB, which contains a fully-featured "Try Ubuntu" environment.

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au flag
jonathan
This is what I needed to hear. I suppose I'm asking the impossible question of "how can I use virtualization without virtualization?" This did send me down a rabbit hole where I realized the reason I didn't want to use virtualization was because I thought the only options were VMware and VirtualBox. I found Qemu, and it is exactly what I am looking for. I didn't want to have to install VMware everywhere I went, and even with vbox.me you still have to install it onto the host pc. I very much like Qemu, because it is less proprietary, and more bare bones. Again, thanks for the help.
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