Re: Convert Old PC to Linux - Minimal Requirements???

TechieGrl <cschaller@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
As a follow-up question, do you know how I can figure out what hard
drives this computer will support?

As discussed in another thread recently, it will probably support any
size, as long as you don't let the BIOS detect them (just tell it that
you don't have a hard disk except the 10GB one). Boot from the 10GB
hard disk (i.e., the boot partition must be there), and the Linux
kernel will successfully talk to the other disk(s).

You had mentioned possibly
purchasing a SATA controller card. I'm not sure how to determine if I
would need that.

You would need that if you wanted to use SATA drives.

If you have an PATA connector (you probably have), it's probably
easier to just buy a PATA (aka ATA aka IDE) disk and just plug it in
directly.

Depending on the safety requirements, you might want to buy two disks
(preferably from different manufacturers) and use them as RAID1 using
the md driver.

Also, the Ethernet port is actually a card that was installed, any
thoughts as to how I can determine if that card can be upgraded?

Just pull it out and plug in a new PCI card. BTW, Gigabit Ethernet
cards are pretty cheap nowadays, it hardly pays to buy a 100Mb card.

- anton
--
M. Anton Ertl Some things have to be seen to be believed
anton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Most things have to be believed to be seen
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/anton/home.html
.

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