Need help on Linux

enforcerfx

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Im thinking of turning a dell 3000 into a linux server, can i get some specs on whats decent for a Linux system to run on? Heres my Dell 3000 specs

Intel Penitum D 2.4
512MB ram
40GB HDD
200PSU
52X CD drive
16X dvd drive
Intel motherboard
__________________________

Advice is greatly appreciated.
 

shadowduck

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Im thinking of turning a dell 3000 into a linux server, can i get some specs on whats decent for a Linux system to run on? Heres my Dell 3000 specs

Intel Penitum D 2.4
512MB ram
40GB HDD
200PSU
52X CD drive
16X dvd drive
Intel motherboard
__________________________

Advice is greatly appreciated.

Linux will run on anything, but has fits with the IGP that Dell uses. I have to fiddle with Mandrake for weeks to get it work on a Dell system. Look around at distros and make sure the IGP used in your machine is supported. Linux is not very resource intentive at all. The only thing you might want to do is boost the hard drive a bit. CPU and RAM and just fine for basically any distro of Linux you can think of.
 

michaelahess

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What do you plan on doing with it? If you have no need for a gui it'll work great. If you need Gnome or KDE you'll be fine if you find a dist that works with it's video, if it's ati it won't be a prob with any current major distros, I recommend Debian, Knoppix, DSL, or Gentoo, depending on what you're doing of course.
 

shadowduck

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it doesnt support a IGP, but i will take the advice and add another 512 stick and another 40GB HDD in raid-0. Could it be better then?

No point in RAID.. just install the 2nd 40 and use it for you scratch drive and partly for applications for something.
 

kukito

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Did you mean Pentium 4? Linux will run fine on P4 or PD. If you need to test hardware compatibility just download one of the "live" CDs offered by many distros that run Linux off the CD without installing. Ubuntu's main install CD now has a live feature. If the IGP supports VESA then it should work. You might also want to check out Fedora Core. Fedora Core 5 is optimized for Pentium 4 CPUs.
 

enforcerfx

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its a Penitum D, but its underclocked, orginally a 2.66. I guess ill just have get a 40GB and not raid it, ill probably be using fedora or the new program thats supposed to be coming out soon, i forget the name. thanks for the help though.
 

ghent123

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If your new to linux, by the sounds of it you are. I would recommend you check out Linux Questions out. Has a lot of walk through that can help you out with the most basic stuff and a lot of people on there forums. Haven't seen to many people treated poorly because they are new to linux. http://www.linuxquestions.org/

When you do pick your distro and in the process of install it. Make sure you install your compilers. EX GCC C++ and so on. Most of the time they are installed but don't install the Dev kits which are need to install any new program.

Do a bit of reading up on what you plan to do with it. Linux has come a long way in the past few years, but it isn't still Friendly as windows is to new users. But it's easy to learn.
 

oldsaw

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Congratulations on your decision to become a computer user. Now to your question. There are over a hundred GNU/Linux distributions available, most being modifications of a few key distributions: Slackware, Debian, SUSE, or Fedora-RedHat. Slackware is the best but requires some command line work so if you are new to this world then choose another while coveting Slackware for the future. Debian is probably the king of the hill, but its documentation is downright pathetic; avoid it for now. Both SUSE and Fedora are quirky in that each employs numerous kernel (the "Linux" part of "GNU/Linux") modifications to facilitate its smooth operation overall. That said, either one (SUSE or Fedora) should be your choice. I run the full installation package of each (less their non-English files) on 20G partitions with plenty of room to spare. I'm not too fond of Mandriva for three reasons: I don't like to join clubs; I don't like to pay for software; and I sure don't want to pay to join a software club. As for Knoppix, do it now. Everyone should have a Knoppix disc at his desk.
 

enforcerfx

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You seem to be really into linux there man, This is gonna be one of my 1st times getting into linux, ive used it before, but not in depth. I plan to use any Fedora based programs because my friend has it, and if i need help, ill be asking him, so yea. I just hope the specs of my crappy dell 3000 can handle it.
 

michaelahess

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I have fedora core 5 running on an old dell PIII 700 with 384meg ram and 10gig hd, kinda slow but still very usable. Plays dvd's, mp3's, divx even without a prob.
 

maury73

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Great! And... what to say about my little old K6-2 450MHz with 384MB of RAM?
Don't ask it to run KDE 3.0, but with MySQL + apache + tomcat and a Raptor connected to a PCI SATA controller it's an excellent DBA development system, and it's running 24/7 from 1998! (2 years with Raptor)
 

yourmothersanastronaut

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Yeah, some machines just won't die. Shows how well things were built back then - you'd be hard-pressed to find a machine that runs that well today!

My Dell notebook (which shall become my brother's by the end of the week, if I move everything over to my new, first build this week) has been going for the past 4 years. Screen is awfully dim and has low contrast, but it still works. Not as fast as my new build, but I kind of expected that.
 

windego

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use gentoo, it's great for servers :)

I've tried debian/ubuntu, SuSE and others, but i always find myself coming back to gentoo, it's just so efficient and powerfull.

I wouldn't bother installing X and a window manager if this is going to be a server. You eliminate the problem of installing the graphic drivers and the system will not waste cpu cycles drawing fancy widgets//running superfluos apps.

You can then concentrate on configuring the OS and installing great software like apache//php//perl etc.
 

enforcerfx

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yea ive actually seen gentoo in action or something like it, i think it was gentoo. I plan to run no server applications, or anything like that, i just want to try to get into linux more than i have been. So i hope the 1st experience will pay off.