iMac (OS X) - Bootable USB 'Trusted Client'

[HDPete]

Hi,

I am trialing a 'trusted client' model for my work as security architect. It consists of an encrypted USB stick which requires an unlock username and password at POST (in PC terms). It then boots into a locked down Linux environment and runs a VPN client to connect to the Office.

As long as the bios has the boot sequence correct, this works on a PC. The device is not recognised in Leopard or Windows as it's not formatted using a known file system but has a master boot record.

My question is, can I encourage the imac to boot (or at least attempt to boot) from a USB device such as this?

I've tried the Option key, but I'm only presented with the HD to boot from.

Anything else that I could try as a search didn't throw up any other suggestions?

Thanks
Pete

 

[old-wiz]

Well, you need an Intel Mac to be able to boot from USB.

Macs use EFI interface, but I don't know how that relates to booting the system.

 

[Latro]

If you want to setup a USB disk to boot with OS X, you'll need to follow these steps on how to install & Book os X from a USB Drive.

Not sure if you can make this work the way you want (doesn't seem like it)... Have you thought about mounting the secure OS in a virtual machine on the mac?

 

[7031]

If I remember right, Macs cannot boot from USB drives. At least that's what I found when I tried to boot Linux that way.

 

[old-wiz]

If I remember right, Macs cannot boot from USB drives. At least that's what I found when I tried to boot Linux that way.

PPC can't boot from USB, but Intel can.

 

[HDPete]

Yes, but it seems from my testing, not if the USB drive has an encrypted partition using BeCrypt Disk Protect.

Thanks all for your input. I'm off to see whether a VMWare Fusion virtual machine will do the trick.

Cheers
Pete