Chapter 4: Preparing to Install Linux

Topics covered in this chapter: 4.1 Different types of Distribution and installing software with them. 4.2 What sort of computer will I need for Linux? 4.3 Compatible CPU types 4.4 How much memory do I need? 4.5 How much hard drive space do I need? 4.6 What sort of graphics card is best? 4.7 Will my sound card work with Linux? 4.8 Will my network/wireless/modem work with Linux? 4.1 Different types of Distribution and installing software with them. As described in the previous chapter, there are lots of different types of Linux distributions floating around, and yes, this generally means that they all have different Installers to put them onto your PC, Mac or Alpha based computer. This chapter focuses on installing a Debian based distribution, but gives a short insight to other distributions as well. Debian is one of the oldest distributions out there. Slackware and Red Hat are pretty much the only other two that come close in age, Debian has lasted the test of time, and does not look like it's going anywhere soon. It's a free distribution (which will not change, because of it's license) and it has thousands of developers world wide.

The Debian Logo A major difference between Debian-based distributions (such as Ubuntu and Linspire) is the fact that they use the DEB package management system to install software. Installing software via binary packages, or if you need the source code, via source packages, is very convenient for most Linux users, because it means that you don't have to compile the source code of an application to get it working. In most cases, you can simply click on a package to install one via a tool in a GUI, and the software will be installed. Here we will discuss two major package systems, however, there are others, such as Slackware's .tar.gz based system, and BSD's ports system. When the .DEB package format is combined with software such as APT or Synaptic, the .DEB system works very well at resolving things called dependencies (software that needs other software, in other to work).

The RPM Logo Red Hat based distributions such as Fedora Core, SuSE and others use the RPM Package Manager, previously known as the Red Hat Package Manager. Packages have a .RPM extension (for example gimp-2.05.i386.rpm) are packaged binary applications (sometimes they package source code as well). For software that is not bundled with your Distribution, you should read Chapter 9, "How Do I Install Software?". Distributions like Fedora Core seem to provide less bundled software packages for their distributions than the DEB based ones. This is mainly due to something called the Debian Universe which is a large repository of software which is available in the 'wild', but freely obtainable through the same software installation tool (such as Synaptic) as the Distributors software. Software in the Debian or Ubuntu Universe (or Multiverse) is not necessarily supported by Debian/Ubuntu. RPM based users often have to visit third party websites to download packages such as freshmeat.net, as well as any dependent packages (dependencies). Both the use of the Universe, and third-party websites can have issues, because they contain software that is not guaranteed to work with your distribution, and may cause unexpected results - so be careful if you download software from other sources! Distribution Package manager

Red Hat/Fedora RPM SuSE Mandriva RPM RPM

Linspire/Lindows DEB (with Click N' Run) Debian Ubuntu DEB DEB

Figure 4.1: Popular distributions and their software packaging systems Both RPM and DEB packages are very widely used in the Linux arena, most of which can be installed simply by using software, like the 'Add Applications' menu in Ubuntu.

4.2 What sort of computer will I need for Linux?

Only Kidding! This question has a lot of answers. The bottom line is: Depending upon what you want to do with Linux, the system requirements can range from an old Intel 386 to a state of the art PC. This section of the chapter will go through all the major parts of hardware attached to a typical PC and detail what is expected to run a typical modern Linux desktop, starting first, with the CPU.

CPU (Central Processor Unit) Many types of CPU have been adapted to work with Linux, here are just a few: Intel i80386DX/33 i80486DX/33 Motorola/IBM Alpha

PPC/Amiga/Apple Compaq/HP servers G3 Sun Sparcs

i80586/Pentium/AMD K5 G4

i80686/Pentium II/III/4 AMD Athlon (and AMD64)

G5

Figure 4.2: Some types of CPUs that Linux will work with Linux was originally devised on an Intel 386 back in the early 90's, this however does not necessarily mean that Linux works better on a PC than a Macintosh computer (PPC or Intel). Today's Linux desktop is most popular on Intel, PPC (G3-G5) and AMD64 processors, therefore, most of the common software is actively developed for these platforms. If you have another platform such as a Sparc, Amiga, Atari or ARM based processor, Linux will no doubt be different in that many software titles may not exist for that given platform, or software is older than that of the most popular platforms.

RAM (Memory) Most Modern day Linux distributions will require a minimum of around 256MB to use it to a reasonable degree, but if you wish to use Linux for non-graphical based uses, such as web page hosting, or a firewall, you can run a basic installation of Linux from just 4 MB RAM. If you're going to be serious about Linux, and want optimal performance, then as with any software, the more RAM you point towards it, the better it runs. Ideally, if you reckon you're going to be a home user, at least 512MB RAM would be a good figure to live with. If you want to do demanding stuff like perform intricate artwork in the Gimp or edit lots of audio, then we're probably talking about 1GB+. If you have the RAM, Linux will use it, and it will be used well, thanks to the superb memory and process management within the Linux kernel!

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) As with all things Linux, it's possible to do it in the smallest of setups. Using distributions such as ZipSlack or Puppy Linux, you can achieve a fully working Linux setup in a few hundred MB. However, if you want to install a standard workstation installation of any up-to date distribution, you will probably want at least a 4GB hard disk drive, but in all honesty, a usable desktop system will take around 10-12GB of space as a typical user will store lots of stuff: Apps, MP3s, Movies, Documents, emails etc and over time, it uses up quite a lot of drive space. Modern Linux distributions easily support new drive technologies such as software RAID and SATA, so you will have no worries about your latest technology drives. If you use more high end storage equipment

such as iSCSI or fibre channel disk arrays, distributions like Ubuntu Server edition support these technologies right out of the box. As you are just starting out, you may find it easiest to purchase a new hard drive to install Linux on or why not recycle an old hard drive if you have one spare! The reason for using a seperate drive is because you are likely to be using another Operating System such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. If you wish to use both Linux and Windows/Mac OS (so you can see if Linux is for you), then the easiest way to set it all up is if you have another drive to put Linux onto. You won't have to mess around with resizing partitions and the like: Typically, Windows/Mac OS will allocate 100% of a hard drive to it's own use, meaning there is no space left for Linux. If you don't want to buy a new hard drive for Linux, then you will somehow have to re-allocate some of the unused (free) space on your Windows/Mac OS drive for Linux. Using something like Symantec Partition Magic which splits your disk into partitions as well as resizes existing partitions can make it a snap to have Windows and Linux exist side-by-side on the same disk. It is very easy to use for the beginner. Alternatives to Partition Magic are QTParted, which can be obtained free with a Live Linux CD (a distribution you can try out without installing it to a hard drive), Knoppix is a popular Live CD. Finally, The Ranish Parition Manager is a free utility for resizing partitions, and also has an excellent guide on dual-booting Linux with Windows.

Video Card (Graphics Adaptor) Any bog standard graphics adaptor will do for linux. Optimally you will want to have an SVGA adaptor in your PC that has enough RAM to support resolutions of at least 1024x768. Graphics Accellerator cards of many types are supported by today's modern distributions for even faster graphics. If you're looking for really good graphics performance under Linux, the NVidia Geforce range are an excellent choice, because they are well supported under Linux by Nvidia. ATI cards are also popular, however their driver support for Linux does not appear to be as good as NVidia's, which seems to be an ongoing issue with ATI. If you don't know what card you have in your machine, visit your device manager in Windows, or System Preferences in Mac OS. Integrated graphics chipsets such as the Intel i Series or Cirrus Logic chipsets generally work ok, however if you need 3D graphics performance, as with Windows or Mac OS, you are best using a 3D Acellerated graphics card from the likes of Nvidia or ATI.

Sound Card Most sound cards and integrated sound chips will work fine under Linux, however it appears that some work better than others. Most notably, some USB based external sound systems, and some older style ISA sound cards seem to struggle, along with some lesser known integrated chipsets. Most standard PCI based sound cards work best, the Creative Sound Blaster range are popular and produce good results.

Using Network Cards, Wireless Cards and (Broadband) Modems with Linux Almost every network card available should be quite happy with Linux. Note that older ISA based cards require a bit of tweaking to get working. Modern PCI or integrated based options such as those manufactured by 3com, Intel and Realtek range will automatically plug and play. Wireless card support in Linux is generally very good. Standard WiFi cards will work out of the box without any need to install a driver. However, some vendors have made cheaper soft-pci, mini-pci 'wintel' based cards (a lot of which are found in laptops), these do not work as well as their larger counterparts under Linux because the vendors do not wish to provide drivers or any information for Linux developers to work with. This can usually be resolved by loading the Windows driver inside Linux, using a tool called ndiswrapper (see this wikipedia link for further information). Cards known to work out of the box include the Orinoco chipset, Intersil Prism/Prism II and Cisco Aironet based cards. For more information on Wireless compatability under Linux, see Jean Tourrilhes Wireless LAN resources for Linux page. ADSL & Cable modems are usually one of two breeds, either they are USB modems such as the Alcatel 'frog' or they are fully blown Ethernet routers, today these mostly contain WiFi radio as well. Thankfully, most ISPs are now providing 'proper' Ethernet based routers which simply plug and play with Linux. If you do have a USB modem from your ISP, consider shelling out for a proper router as the USB modems support under Linux is somewhat hit-or-miss and you will often find that performance from a USB modem is much less than you would get from a router (regardless of whether you are using Windows, Linux or a Mac). Good examples of external routers are Belkin, Netgear, Linksys, 3Com and Draytek. Cable modems (in the UK) are often found to be versions of the Motorola 'Surfboard'. If you have a Surfboard, then you are in luck, as it is very well supported, it appears to work best via the Ethernet port, but can also work via USB.

56K, ISDN, DSL and Cable modems in Linux are also well supported. Notable exceptions are with software based modems, specifically Windows-only based mini-pci 56K modems (rockwell etc). If you want guaranteed compatability with a dialup modem, go for an external Serial (RS-232) modem. The 3Com, Zoom and Diamond Supra series are all good, the same applies to ISDN modems.