For security reasons, many businesses are completely disabling USB storage devices on the computers at work. Particularly if you are like me and work with healthcare information, it's doubly important that not only no one can bring in a virus, but that they also can't leave with any private information.

In Linux the risk of viruses are small to nonexistent, however USB sticks automatically mount for reading and writing regardless. There's an easy way in recent Ubuntu distributions to disable USB storage devices. Simply blacklist the kernel driver:

sudo echo "blacklist usb-storage" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

After that, nobody can use a USB memory stick in that computer, but still allows the administrator(s) to manually load the module and use it.

I'll be giving more enterprise Linux tips in the near future if all goes well.

If you do a lot of Ubuntu installations, or you like to always carry a copy with you so you can use Linux wherever you are, installing Ubuntu on a USB stick really isn't all that hard.

Simply use Synaptic to install "usb-creator". Download an image of Ubuntu that you want to run from the USB drive, keeping it in an ISO image file. From the System+Administration menu you'll see "Create A USB Startup Disk." Choose the ISO file you downloaded as the source image, and pick your empty USB stick as the destination.

If you chose "Stored in reserved extra space" you can literally run Ubuntu from the stick and any changes you make or files you create will be stored on there as well - in my case my Wireless setup is remembered from boot to boot, and any files I save in my home directory are still there next time.

It's a great way to show off Linux to someone who has never seen it - simply keep it on your keyring and you're always ready to run Linux. It's a great way to carry PC and network diagnostic utilities with you as well.