This chapter presents information you need to know and tasks
you need to perform before installing Linux. It helps you make
certain that your IBM-compatible PC meets the minimum hardware
requirements for Linux. It shows you how to document your system
configuration so that you can respond to questions presented by
the Linux install procedure. Finally,
it shows you how to prepare your hard disk for Linux.
Linux supports a wide range of PC hardware; but not even Linux
supports every known device and system. Your PC must meet
certain minimum requirements in order to run Linux. The
following sections present these minimum requirements;
however, for the latest and most complete information, you
should check the Debian Project web site at
https://www.debian.org/. The Debian web
site will also help you determine if Linux supports all
the devices installed in your system.
Linux does not support the Intel 286 and earlier
processors. However, it fully supports the Intel 80386,
80486, Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, and Pentium III
processors. Nevertheless, some users feel that their 80386
Linux systems respond sluggishly, particularly when running
X. So, if you want optimum performance, you should
install Linux on a PC having an 80486 processor or
better.
Linux also supports non-Intel processors such as the
Cyrix 6x86 and the AMD K5 and K6. Most Linux users have
systems that use Intel chips; if your system uses a
non-Intel chip, you may find it more difficult to
resolve possible problems.
Linux supports the standard ISA, EISA, PCI, and VESA
(VLB) system buses used on most IBM-compatible PCs. Linux
recently gained support for IBM's MCA bus, used in IBM's
PS/2 series of computers. However, at the time of this
writing, Debian GNU/Linux does not yet support the MCA
bus. If you have an IBM PS/2, you may be unable to
install Debian GNU/Linux (check the Debian Project web site for the
latest available information on support for the MCA
bus).
Your motherboard should include at least 16 MB of RAM for
optimum Linux performance. Some users have managed to coax
Linux into working on systems with as little as 4 MB of
RAM. However, if your system has less than 16 MB of RAM, you
probably won't be pleased with its performance. If you plan
to run X, you may wish to install more than 16 MB of
RAM - perhaps 64 MB. Although X operates well with 16 MB
of RAM, you can open more windows and switch between them
more quickly if you have additional memory.
A handful of motherboards presents special problems when
installing Linux. Generally, the problem stems from a bad
BIOS, for which a fix is often available. Check the Debian Project
web site for details.
An anonymous wag once quipped that one can never be too
thin, too rich, or have too much hard disk
space. Fortunately, Linux is not too hungry for disk
space. To install and use Linux, you should have at least
250 MB of free hard disk space. (The minimum is
about 100 MB, but installing Linux on a system with so
little disk space will compel you to omit many useful
applications and will leave you with little room to
work.)
More realistically, if you plan to use your Linux system
as a workstation, you should have at least 600 MB of free
disk space; if you plan to user your Linux system as a
server, you should have at least 1.6 GB (1,600 MB) of free
disk space.
For convenient installation using the CD-ROM
included with this book, your system should include an IDE
or SCSI CD-ROM drive. It's also possible to install Linux
from a PCMCIA CD-ROM drive, an FTP site, an NFS server, an
SMB shared volume, or a hard drive. Consult the Debian Project web
site for details.
Your system should also include a 3.5-inch floppy
drive. You'll use the floppy drive to boot your system from
a special Linux diskette you create.
