From: cummings@tiger1.prime.com (Kevin J. Cummings)
Subject: Re: Minimum requirements for linux - just to run single user
Keywords: Minimum requirements
Organization: Prime Computer, Inc.
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 17:58:11 GMT

In article <data.715303501@cs1.bradley.edu>, data@cs1.bradley.edu (Mark Hall) writes:
> 
> Hi.  I'm kinda new to the linux thing...I just heard about it, and wanted to
> try it.  I've read a little, and I got a feeling I just can't do it, however,
> before I chuck it, I figured I should ask a question or two...:)
> 
> I have a 386 (non Dx/Sx/anything else x) running 20 Mhz.  I only have 640 K of

Er, Ah, is it a SigmaSigma step chip?  or does it have the infamous task switching
bug in it?  If its a REALLY old 386, you may not be able to use it.

> ram.  (Ok...You can stop laughing now... :)  Should I assume that I cannot run

Whose laughing?  My Dad has my old 16MHz 386 DX with 1MB of RAM.  640K conventional
and 384K extended?  Do you have ANY extended memory?  Or is it configured as
BIOS shadow RAM?

> Linux?  I'm hoping to be able to upgrade to at least 2 megs sometime, but am

In order to upgrade a 1MB 386 to 2MB, you have to be able to add in 4 banks of
256K memory.  386 memory must be 32 bits wide unless you have an SX system,
in which case it must be 16 bits wide.  Since most memory banks are 8 bits wide,
you either need space for another 4 banks on your motherboard or on a 32bit
memory card.  If you only have space for 4 memory banks, then you will need
to upgrade them from 256K chips to 1M chips, increasing your memory from 1MB to
4MB.

> not sure when.  I'd like to be able to fiddle around with linux, maybe even
> change over to linux as my main OS.  I tried to boot with the bootimage and
> rootimage disks (I have a 1.44 M on drive a:, and a 250 Meg Archive Tape
> backup as my other floppy (grin).  I have about 25 megs I can spare for it
> right now, a 2400 baud modem, and of course a "STANDARD" VGA monitor for the
> console.  Nothing fancy, but it's an OLD system. I should also mention that
> it's a Zenith (This explains the memory problem...Quality goes out before the
> name goes on).
> 
> Is it even possible for me to run linux on this system?  Any way that I could
> get rid of about 3 ptys and 4 (or more) virtual consoles?  I tried booting
> with bootimage and got as far as:
> 
> 	No BUS mouse...
> 	D*mn. Mem swap error (or something like that).

Sounds like 1MB is too little memory.  I have heard of people running in 2MB
on 386SX processors.  Just be sure to configure a swap partition (4-8MB) to
get you running.  As long as there is sufficient memory to run the kernel in,
swap space will look like paged virtual memory to your system, and it will
manage it for you.  I have 4MB ram, and 10MB swap.  I haven't run out of memory
yet.  I suspect you could run with 2M ram and 4 MB swap, but it would be slow.
(Lots of disk accesses I suspect.)

=================================================================
Kevin J. Cummings                       PrimeService
20 Briarwood Road                       A Computervision Company
Framingham, Mass.                       500 Old Connecticut Path
					Framingham, Mass.
Work:  cummings@primerd.Prime.COM
Home:  cummings@kjc386.framingham.ma.us

Std. Disclaimer: "Mr. McKittrick, after careful consideration,
		  I've come to the conclusion that your new
		  defense system SUCKS..."   --  War Games
=================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux