USB-C (to USB-A Data Cable) for PureOS installation device Suggestion

Hardware Librem 5
1

I already have the usb PureOS OS installation procedure down, that being on the USB-A. I am also glad that the Purism company is selling its own copies, which could be handy for worst case scenarios. https://shop.puri.sm/shop/usb-flash-drive/

For most of the time, I don’t consider using phone devices, much less expected as a Linux OS! Considering its size and sense of portability, a Linux on a phone device with battery charge might have situational uses.

The only problem is given its size, phones have to use their own type of port designs. I am worried that somehow, the OS on the phone may fail as there is no guarantee given the potential of user inputs. If the OS on the phone fails, I want to have the means to get a backup device and install the PureOS again. Of course, the phone needs to have a bootloader before any OS installation can take place. To this day, I don’t recall that the PureOS have a bootloader with its installation. I was hoping that the GNU GRUB or Libreboot bootloader will be available. As for which bootloader is the best, I have yet to find out!

Back to the port, the phone device uses USB-C ports. I may need a USB-C device with PureOS OS installation. It appears that the Purism USB-C Hub has got me covered on my request in alternating between USB types. https://shop.puri.sm/shop/usb-c-hub/
Boasting port compatibility is its strength. Still, it’s quite expensive and if you are not going to use various port types, a USB-C device with PureOS installation medium would do the job just fine. A restricted USB-C to USB-A data cable just as well!

Of course, if phone device’s USB-A/USB-C port is busted from over-use, parts need to be remedied by order for self-repair or repair service.

2

Reinstall doesn’t use a bootloader as such. All you need is a host computer that has a working uuu command and the needed files on said host.

If you want to image your phone as it is now then refer: Possible to make/save Librem 5 distro + data as an image file? i.e. basically boot Jumpdrive on the phone, and for that the requirements are the same as in the previous paragraph (but the needed files are different).

As you say, a USB-C dock (hub) is a relatively expensive way of connecting the phone to a host computer that only has a USB-A port. A USB-A to USB-C cable is one approach. A USB-A to USB-C adapter is another. (I use the latter as my host computer has no USB-C ports. Such an adapter is cheap as …)

As for booting the phone directly off a storage medium attached to the USB-C port … I’m not sure whether that can be done as yet but recent steps are heading in that direction. If and when it works, you would still need to contend with USB-A v. USB-C, but in that case an adapter would be the other way around. (I have plenty of USB-C storage and it works fine direct in the bottom of the phone, just not yet(?) for booting.)

3

Oh, I forgot. PureOS live installation operates on the USB device. I guess there’s no need for bootloaders for such situations. Still, when there’s a need for bootloaders, it would probably be on the device and booting one disk hosting/housing the OS.

Of course, if there is a scenario for simultaneous bootloading multiple disks, the research/practical application reason would probably be out of my mind for the moment.