[znpy]

you could do that in linux using usb networking and then sharing files (or block whole devices) over that connection. NFS, SMB or even iSCSI.

I think that iSCSI is involved here, as "target" reminds me of the iSCSI terminology.

I guess that (as usual) mac os just hides a lot of the details and gives you a nice gui to do that automatically.

[EvanAnderson]

On the Macs that supported it the feature was invoked by holding a key during power-on. On the "client" the target disk mode machine appeared as a Firewire-attached disk. It was very slick.

I'd love to have my PC laptop have the same kind of functionality. Need to troubleshoot an OS boot issue-- just plug the unit into a working PC and the disks show up as local devices. Unlock the full disk encryption and go to town. All the convenience of extracting the disk and connecting to another machine without cracking the case.

[userbinator]

Need to troubleshoot an OS boot issue-- just plug the unit into a working PC and the disks show up as local devices.

Or you could just boot from a far more convenient USB drive with a live OS.

[EvanAnderson]

I've done a ton of "boot a rescue disk" because I'm usually too lazy to pull the disk. Particularly with oddball hardware, it always feels like I'm struggling with drivers or missing tools. When I do pull the disk and plug it into my daily driver machine it feels like stuff goes much more quickly because I've got all the tools I'm used to.

It's all counterfactuals anyway-- nothing like target disk mode will ever happen on the PC platform.

[zakki]

Apple solutions is better.

[pmontra]

If you have another machine at hand and the wire. A pendrive fits in a wallet and works even in the middle of nowhere. Both solutions have their pro and cons.