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5.9 KiB
HTML
94 lines
5.9 KiB
HTML
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<!Converted with LaTeX2HTML 95.1 (Fri Jan 20 1995) by Nikos Drakos (nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk), CBLU, University of Leeds >
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<TITLE>1.8 Hardware Requirements</TITLE>
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<meta name="description" value="1.8 Hardware Requirements">
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<meta name="resource-type" value="document">
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2026 HREF="node31.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2024 HREF="node8.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2018 HREF="node29.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2028 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2029 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2027 HREF="node31.html">1.8.1 Motherboard and CPU </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2025 HREF="node8.html">1 Introduction to Linux</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2019 HREF="node29.html">1.7.4 Other implementations of </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<H1><A NAME=SECTION00380000000000000000>1.8 Hardware Requirements</A></H1>
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<P>
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<A NAME=secintrohardware> </A>
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<P>
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Now you must be convinced of how wonderful Linux is, and all of the great
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things that it can do for you. However, before you rush out and install
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the software, you need to be aware of the hardware requirements and
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limitations that Linux has.
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<A NAME=516> </A>
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<P>
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Keep in mind that Linux was developed by its users. This means, for the
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most part, that the hardware which is supported by Linux is only the
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hardware which the users and developers actually have access to. As it turns
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out, most of the popular hardware and peripherals for 80386/80486 systems
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are supported (in fact, Linux supports more hardware than some
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commercial implementations of UNIX). However, some of the more obscure and
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esoteric devices aren't supported yet. As time goes on, a wider
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range of hardware is supported, so if your favorite devices aren't
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listed here, chances are that support for them is forthcoming.
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<P>
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Another drawback for hardware support under Linux is that many companies
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have decided to keep the hardware interface proprietary. The upshot of this
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is that volunteer Linux developers simply can't write drivers for those
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devices (if they could, those drivers would be owned by the company that
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owned the interface, which would violate the GPL). The companies that
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maintain proprietary interfaces write their own drivers for operating systems
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such as MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows; the end user (that's you) never
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needs to know about the interface. Unfortunately, this does not allow Linux
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developers to write drivers for those devices.
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<P>
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There is very little that can be done about the situation. In some cases,
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programmers have attempted to write hackish drivers based on assumptions
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about the interface. In other cases, developers will work with the company
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in question and attempt to obtain information about the device interface,
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with varying degrees of success.
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<P>
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In the following sections, we'll attempt to summarize the hardware
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requirements for Linux. The Linux <em>Hardware HOWTO</em> (see
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Section <A HREF="node43.html#secintrosources">1.9</A>) contains a more complete listing of
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hardware supported by Linux.
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<P>
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<b>Disclaimer:</b> a good deal of hardware
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support for Linux is currently in the development stage. Some distributions
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may or may not support these experimental features. This section primarily
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lists hardware which has been supported for some time and is known to be
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stable. When in doubt, consult the documentation for the distribution of
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Linux you are using (see Section <A HREF="node51.html#secinstalldistrib">2.1</A> for
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more information on Linux distributions).
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<P>
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<BR> <HR>
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<UL>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2030 HREF="node31.html#SECTION00381000000000000000">1.8.1 Motherboard and CPU requirements</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2031 HREF="node32.html#SECTION00382000000000000000">1.8.2 Memory requirements</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2032 HREF="node33.html#SECTION00383000000000000000">1.8.3 Hard drive controller requirements</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2033 HREF="node34.html#SECTION00384000000000000000">1.8.4 Hard drive space requirements</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2034 HREF="node35.html#SECTION00385000000000000000">1.8.5 Monitor and video adapator requirements</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2035 HREF="node36.html#SECTION00386000000000000000">1.8.6 Miscellaneous hardware</A>
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<UL>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2036 HREF="node37.html#SECTION00386100000000000000">1.8.6.1 Mice and other pointing devices</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2037 HREF="node38.html#SECTION00386200000000000000">1.8.6.2 CD-ROM storage</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2038 HREF="node39.html#SECTION00386300000000000000">1.8.6.3 Tape drives</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2039 HREF="node40.html#SECTION00386400000000000000">1.8.6.4 Printers</A>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2040 HREF="node41.html#SECTION00386500000000000000">1.8.6.5 Modems</A>
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</UL>
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<LI> <A NAME=tex2html2041 HREF="node42.html#SECTION00387000000000000000">1.8.7 Ethernet cards</A>
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</UL>
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2026 HREF="node31.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2024 HREF="node8.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2018 HREF="node29.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2028 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2029 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2027 HREF="node31.html">1.8.1 Motherboard and CPU </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2025 HREF="node8.html">1 Introduction to Linux</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2019 HREF="node29.html">1.7.4 Other implementations of </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<BR> <HR>
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<P><ADDRESS>
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<I>Matt Welsh <BR>
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mdw@sunsite.unc.edu</I>
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</ADDRESS>
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