Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: beet1e on March 29, 2005, 01:19:18 PM
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I'm going to be working on a project with my GF (tomato) to develop a Linux box with a view to seeing how far we can push it with regard to running Windows applications and using it for games.
I understand that there may well be a 64bit version of Linux now, and I'd be interested to look at that.
If anyone knows about Linux, especially the 64bit version, I'd appreciate a few pointers with regard to where I can get it. I understand it's "open source" ie. free.
If using the 64bit version of Linux, I assume it would be sensible to get a 64bit processor. I'd like to go my usual Asus/AMD route, as this has been remarkably trouble free in the past. Please make suggestions for the following: - Linux version (and URL/where to find it)
- Suitable Asus motherboard for a 64bit CPU
- A 64 bit AMD CPU
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Try searching for Fedora Core 4 (I think it's the latest one), based on Redhat.
One issue - Will not install on a SATA RAID setup, althoguh you can setup on standard IDE drive then add SATA RAID support and migrate it across.
http://fedora.redhat.com/
Personally I have an ASUS A8V deluxe and AMD64 3500.
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Thaks Kev. I also reread your posts in this (http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128638) thread I posted last year. I'll also look at that mobo/CPU combo you have. Does that have the VIA chipset? I had heard that the VIA chipset was no longer leading edge. I had an A7V133 mobo way back when, and was up to v4.36 of the drivers. But the last check I made for new ones, the update service seemed to have been transferred to another site. Too long ago to remember exact details. I went and got an A7N8X-DLX.
I looked at the website you suggested - http://fedora.redhat.com/download/test.html#download - and I'll start some downloads going. I don't currently have a Linux system, and I'm unclear about the method of burning these images to CD. Using these downloaded files, can I begin loading the Linux OS, or are there some other surprises along the way?
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Use something like EZ CD Creator and use the "Create CD from image" option.
Yup the A8V has a VIA chipset, not really had any problems with it though.
Drivers are on http://www.viaarena.com
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Fedora is quite good...and Im not much for Linux. Too many flavors, variants and version changes for me to keep up with. But my Linux guy insists this is the one to have. We went from Redhat 8 to Fedora on both DNS Servers and its been a very smooth ride.
As for home PC stuff, I dont know. I have an older P2 400mhz laptop with a lot of RAM Id like to try it on.
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Well hi there, LePaul! I didn't expect to hear from you! ;) Thanks for replying.
Tomato's son is using "Ubuntu" - see http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ It has a version designed for AMD 64bit processors, so we're going to try that just to get started, and then I'll look at Fedora later on. One of the reason's for doing it that way is that I'll be able to ask Tomato's son lots of questions and get instant answers.
Kev I'll definitely look at your mobo/CPU combo though.
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Hi Beet
Still puzzled as to why you did what you did elsewhere. I assume a good, alcoholic beverage is to blame?
As to Fedora, I dont have it on an AMD cpu, the DNS Servers are both P3 1ghz, one is a dual, one is a single cpu.
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Originally posted by beet1e
Well hi there, LePaul! I didn't expect to hear from you! ;) Thanks for replying.
Tomato's son is using "Ubuntu" - see http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ It has a version designed for AMD 64bit processors, so we're going to try that just to get started, and then I'll look at Fedora later on. One of the reason's for doing it that way is that I'll be able to ask Tomato's son lots of questions and get instant answers.
Kev I'll definitely look at your mobo/CPU combo though.
Fedora is for AMD64 also. You just download the 64 bit version.
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Originally posted by Kev367th
Fedora is for AMD64 also. You just download the 64 bit version.
Rgr that, Kev. I looked at available 64bit processors from my normal supplier. The one you have is fairly high level priced at £153 here. Hmmph....
Assuming I can get Linux to work, and I see no problem with that, I'll want to get some sort of Windows emulator. It's possible to run Windows apps like MS Word etc. on Linux. Do you have experience of doing that? Have you run AH on Linux?
LePaul - email me in private if you want the answer.
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Fedora is free from the link I posted earlier.
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I'm downloading Fedora64 now. Should be done sometime Monday at this rate.
I did try out the 64bit-extensions XP beta and was not happy at all. Several key features didn't work and the driver support was abysmal. They are going to be offering free XP-64 to anyone that has XP sometime mid-year from what I've heard.
Beetle, I wouldn't hold out too much hope for a decent Windows emulator in 64bit. Especially one that supported the new games coming out. Windows itself isn't doing this very well at the moment.
And skuzzy, if you're reading this, fedora is 4 CDs of installation. ;)
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MiniD - what apps will you be able to run on your Linux system?
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I have no idea. I'll have to see what's on the CDs. The only ones I'll need right away are Apache and some kind of BBS. I'll have to check and see about the rest. I'd like to have some kind of mailer too.
Other than that, I'm pretty sure everything comes with some kind of mail reader, word processor, spreadsheet and so forth these days. Oh... I'll also need some heavy duty photo editors. I'm going to dual boot until I figure out if LINUX will do the things I absolutely need.
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I'm using Linux only at home as desktop and quite happy with it. MS Windows was removed permanently!!!
I use Fedora Core 3 - it nice easy to install. I've tryed also Debian Sarge it is very good also but it more professional oriented system and more complex in installation. Others Suse, Mandrake hadn't tryed. Ubuntoo - is Debian based.
Fedora Core 4 - is very new and it is testing version... So unless you want newest soft, but less stable you can try it.
MiniD - what apps will you be able to run on your Linux system?
Internet - Mozilla, Fireforx, Mail
Open Office - Word, Presentation, Spreed Sheet (quite compatable with MS one MS Word, Power Point)
Gimp - powerfull photo editor
Various Servers and net applications, Lot of developlent tools.
Multimedia - movies, music etc...
Lots of other great free opensource software.
You have usually the very good package that is given with the distribution and you can download much more!!!
You can do all that you have in Windows!!!
Accept playing games - AH2 :(
If you install Fedore there is number of very usefull links:
http://www.fedoraforum.org/ (http://www.fedoraforum.org/)
http://www.fedorafaq.org/ (http://www.fedorafaq.org/)
This FAQ must to read - gives lot of important things for you. How to install multimedia, get all you need working.
I'm going to be working on a project with my GF (tomato) to develop a Linux box with a view to seeing how far we can push it with regard to running Windows applications and using it for games.
In order to run Win Apps you will need WINE. Usually each distribution has one. I don't know if it is same for 64bits (there are no 64 windows now only very first betha version... Actually all windows versions are bethas)
You probably need for these WineX (http://www.transgaming.com) - DirectX support for Linux - in order to run windows games,
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Artik - thanks for that very useful information. It seems you can do more with Linux than I imagined possible. I had already downloaded the install version of ubuntu as an .ISO file, so loaded it to CD and Tomato installed it on an old PC she has. It worked first time! No apparent issues with drivers etc. I think she said it had a built in word processor app, web browser and connection software.
But I think I'll do what you guys have done and get fedora3 Linux.
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Originally posted by beet1e
Artik - thanks for that very useful information. It seems you can do more with Linux than I imagined possible. I had already downloaded the install version of ubuntu as an .ISO file, so loaded it to CD and Tomato installed it on an old PC she has. It worked first time! No apparent issues with drivers etc. I think she said it had a built in word processor app, web browser and connection software.
But I think I'll do what you guys have done and get fedora3 Linux.
You can take any distribution from Ubuntoo, Fedora Core, Debian and others...
What I liked in Fedora that it has much more software - 4 disks that give you allmost anything you need. All of them are good. If you have somone who knows one of distros of Linux and may help you... this is very good for beginner that new for linux/UNIX systems.
You can try any one... The main problem is probelm of choice :D (Not like using MS Stuff)
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Downloading Fedora just now - about 2600MB total! I'm glad I upgraded my ADSL to 1MB...
Kev367 - I found that the Nero software I have is able to convert .ISO images and create the CDs.
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One more link might be good for you too:
FC3 Installation Guide (http://stanton-finley.net/fedora_core_3_installation_notes.html)
It is for FC3, 32bits but in most - it might be helpfull for some things.
Good luck!!!
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Got it up and running! I've installed Fedora Core 3 Linux. I like the Blackjack game that comes with it - better than solitaire.
Now what happens about things like the Asus Probe Utility and the VIA chipset drivers - are there Linux versions of these?
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Good to hear.
Try http://www.viaarena.com for linux chipset drivers.
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Fedora's install locked up on me. I thought that was pretty funny.
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Originally posted by Mini D
Fedora's install locked up on me. I thought that was pretty funny.
I just kept getting windows pop up, headed "Bug report", and a line of code looking like an arithmetic expression would be displayed. I just hit ignore all the way past those and it seemed OK.
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Mine didn't give me that window. I got to where it's writing some kind of cache or something and it would just stick there.
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Originally posted by Mini D
Mine didn't give me that window. I got to where it's writing some kind of cache or something and it would just stick there.
How did you format your hard drive? My HDD is a Maxtor, so I downloaded their disk utility, MaxBlast4, and created a bootable CD with MaxBlast4 on it. When creating the partition, it asks you what OS you're going to be installing, but the choices are all Windows OS- no Linux. So I said W2000, and chose the NTFS format. I wonder if Linux works with Fat32, if that's what you chose?
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I started with a fresh HD (nothing on it) and let Fedora format it. I installed it using the boot-cd option.
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How about BIOS settings then - any chance you're inadvertently overclocking? I did that once, and the system stalled.
Kev367 - the BIOS for that A8V board freaked me out! There's a lot of new stuff in there. I didn't know what half of it means, so many of my settings are still default. Any tips?
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Originally posted by beet1e
How did you format your hard drive? My HDD is a Maxtor, so I downloaded their disk utility, MaxBlast4, and created a bootable CD with MaxBlast4 on it. When creating the partition, it asks you what OS you're going to be installing, but the choices are all Windows OS- no Linux. So I said W2000, and chose the NTFS format. I wonder if Linux works with Fat32, if that's what you chose?
I dont know about Fedora, I havent tried that flavor in about 6 years. But every version of Linux I've ever setup accepts FAT and FAT32 drives and works within them well. NTFS is another story, and more than likely your Linux install completely reformatted it anyway (or at least it's own partitions, if you partitioned the drive). I do know that if you run NTFS, Linux can't change partition sizes, where it can on FAT32 drives. I just assumed that meant it couldn't read or write to an NTFS formatted disk. Obviously, assumptions can be wrong. :)
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I don't overclock anything, so that's not the problem. I have the system up and running right now with Windows Server 2003 with no problems.
It actually installed all of the components, but would lock up whenever it tried to boot at the "writing cache" (or buffer or something like that) screen.
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Beetle-
Try setting the command rate 2T in the memory timings to disabled. This forces command rate 1T.
Set the HTT to its max either 1000 or 200 I can't recall which way each BIOS release lists it.
Been looking for a review that shows/recommends the BIOS settings.
Been that long since I did mine thats the only 2 that really stick in my memory.
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Africa - no problems with NTFS with Linux. I have no plans to change partition sizes, and would probably use the Maxtor MaxBlast4 utilities if I did.
MiniD - which version of Linux is that? I'm using FC3 but may upgrade to FC4. My main project is going to be loading a Linux version of the IBM database management system, DB2. If I can do that in FC3, I may not upgrade the OS just yet.
Kev367 - I'll check that out, thanks.
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I was installing FC3. I re-tried it and the thing fired up. It was the sdisk program that was seemingly causing the failure... only now it procedes past it.
I then spent the next 3 days loading the updates and rebooting on lockups as various updates did not like being installed. It was a bit frustrating.
This weekend, I'm going to see if I can get the webhosting to work.
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I just installed FC4 test 3. There's still some issues, but I'm pleased overall. I decided to go with the Gnome GUI and like that, but I'm disappointed with alot of little things.
I'll eventually figure out why sendmail won't send mail from PHP. I'll eventually figure out why I can't get GD loaded with PHP. The worst thing about this is the lack of coherant instructions. Everything is so segmented that it's difficult to understand. It's also difficult to deal with re-compiling vs editing a registry setting or simply changing a config file.
I'm keeping this as my server and workhorse, but I'm already saving for the new XP system.
MiniD