Usually with Ubuntu it's a simple matter of booting into the install media and going through the install steps. But with an SSD it's different. We went through the this with our new PC Specialist machine and it ran very well, but we learnt a few new things to do with Ubuntu and SSD which I thought I'd share.
Purple method (Legacy mode): The normal install, just put the media in and boot. Gives a working system on SSD.
Black method (EFI mode): Uses UEFI install, and involves BIOS changes to take proper advantage of SSD speed (boot in 30 seconds).
Black method:
1. You have to set the BIOS to UEFI mode before installing Ubuntu to get the best results.
2. Run the Ubuntu install (a CD rather than liveUSB is suggested).
3. Follow the rest of the install as normal.
4. Set Ubuntu up to run with a SSD, moving commonly updated files to virtual and using TRIM command etc. this is a good guide:
5. If you're using virtualbox, change each virtual machine: "Settings / Storage / <Virtual HDD name> /tick the "Solid state drive" box".
You're done!
Changing a purple method to a black method:
If you have already installed Ubuntu using the Legacy purple method, you can convert it, but it's not straightforward and it would be easy to spend more hours getting a good result than it would take to install again. Info we found was here:
Fresh install on a used SSD:
In the end we went for a fresh install rather than try and convert, and did this:
Re-format:
If you are starting again, it's a important to perform a secure format of the SSD to truly wipe the disk back to factory fresh. This is not possible in either the purple or black install methods, the partitioner format is not the same thing.
http://wiki.freeswitch.org/wiki/SSD_Tuning_for_Linux#Objectives
The process is not as daunting as it seems.
:chef:
Purple method (Legacy mode): The normal install, just put the media in and boot. Gives a working system on SSD.
Black method (EFI mode): Uses UEFI install, and involves BIOS changes to take proper advantage of SSD speed (boot in 30 seconds).
Black method:
1. You have to set the BIOS to UEFI mode before installing Ubuntu to get the best results.
Doing this is a little hidden in ASUS UEFI BIOS. Switch to advanced mode, press "Exit" in the top right corner and choose "Launch EFI shell from filesystem device", which will make change needed.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
2. Run the Ubuntu install (a CD rather than liveUSB is suggested).
You should see a black Ubuntu option screen (example), which indicates that you're using UEFI mode. If you see the purple one, step 1 hasn't worked.
Re the CD, what can happen with a UEFI LiveUSB is the devices get confused during the install. The partitioner can't tell the difference between SSD flash memory and USB flash memory, and you might end up with a system that won't boot unless your USB flash drive is in place. There are many fixes but the quick and easy way is to use a CD.
Re the CD, what can happen with a UEFI LiveUSB is the devices get confused during the install. The partitioner can't tell the difference between SSD flash memory and USB flash memory, and you might end up with a system that won't boot unless your USB flash drive is in place. There are many fixes but the quick and easy way is to use a CD.
3. Follow the rest of the install as normal.
4. Set Ubuntu up to run with a SSD, moving commonly updated files to virtual and using TRIM command etc. this is a good guide:
5. If you're using virtualbox, change each virtual machine: "Settings / Storage / <Virtual HDD name> /tick the "Solid state drive" box".
You're done!
Changing a purple method to a black method:
If you have already installed Ubuntu using the Legacy purple method, you can convert it, but it's not straightforward and it would be easy to spend more hours getting a good result than it would take to install again. Info we found was here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI (scroll down)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GUID_Partition_Table
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GUID_Partition_Table
Fresh install on a used SSD:
In the end we went for a fresh install rather than try and convert, and did this:
Re-format:
If you are starting again, it's a important to perform a secure format of the SSD to truly wipe the disk back to factory fresh. This is not possible in either the purple or black install methods, the partitioner format is not the same thing.
http://wiki.freeswitch.org/wiki/SSD_Tuning_for_Linux#Objectives
The process is not as daunting as it seems.
:chef:
