Because we don’t live in an ideal world, we’ll assume you know little about your PC and need a primer on its components. We’ll run down both the minimal and ideal Linux PC configurations and then give a compatibility list.

---

NOTE:  When buying a PC, the temptation is to spend as little as possible or to try to squeeze by with lesser or inferior components. We understand the need to live on a budget—we certainly don’t have thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment sitting around our home offices. But there comes a point when you need to make the necessary investment if you want to run Linux effectively. Too often we see people complaining in the Usenet newsgroups that Linux doesn’t run properly on their PCs or that XFree86 won’t run in higher resolutions on their unsupported graphics cards. You can avoid this by either taking an inventory of your PC before installing Linux (which may mean actually taking off the cover and physically poking through the components) or making sure a new PC meets the compatibility guidelines. Either action is a real pain, we admit; but by spending some time up front, you’ll avoid many problems later in the installation and configuration process. You may be pleased with yourself after saving some cash buying a new graphics card from NoNameClone Corp., but in the end you’re better off paying a little more for hardware that’s been thoroughly tested by the huge number of existing Linux users.

---

Table 1.1 lists the minimum and ideal configuration guidelines for Linux.

---

NOTE:  If you’re not sure about your particular hardware setup and Linux compatibility, check out the Hardware Compatibility-HOWTO (see Appendix A for details).

---

---

WARNING:  Watch out for hardware advertised as “plug-and-play.” Most of this hardware is extremely difficult to use with Linux, although it can be done by first booting DOS and then “warm booting” into Linux with Loadbin. Some experimental kernel patches and a plug-and-play configuration tool are included in Slackware, but in general, if you can avoid plug-and-play devices (at least until Linux support improves) you’ll be better off.

---

The Core Components

In the rest of this chapter, we’ll run down the various PC components and warn you about any potential downfalls if you want to use Linux. In addition, you’ll want to check out Chapter 3 for a discussion of supported graphics cards—support that becomes vitally important if you’re looking to run XFree86 (the implementation of the X Window System) with Linux.

In this section, we’ll begin with a rundown of the basic components of your computer: bus, processor, and so on.

Bus

Linux runs on all the major bus architectures—ISA, VLB, PCI, EISA—except for the nonstandard Micro Channel Architecture, found on most IBM PS/2 models. (Not every IBM PC features an MCA bus, luckily; the ValuePoint and PS/1 models feature an industry-standard ISA bus.)

Processor

Linux needs at least an Intel 80386-based processor in order to run efficiently. Don’t bother with a 80286-based PC. If you’ve got an older PC sitting in the closet and you think it might be neat to recycle by using Linux, leave it there, donate it to your local charity, or give it to the kids to bang on. It won’t be useful in your Linux adventure.

Basically, any PC built around the Intel 80386 or better (including the i486, and Pentium, and chips from AMD and Cyrix) is capable of running Linux. If there is no math coprocessor (which may be an issue in older 80386-based PCs), Linux has built-in FPU emulation.

A Few CPU Problems

There are a few reported instances of Linux conflicting with a CPU or math coprocessor:

•  Some AMD 486DX CPUs may hang in very specific situations, a problem that’s not unique to Linux. If this happens to you, contact your PC vendor and get a replacement chip.

•  Some older math coprocessors from Cyrix, IIT, and ULSI (the Math*Co series) have problems with the FSAVE and FRSTOR instructions, which may cause problems with Linux. Again, you can get a replacement chip from your PC vendor.