[Ham-Computers] Running Linux

[Ken Sprouse]

Jonathan D. Thawley, KC8CPW wrote:

>Hello,
>
>Here's the scoop....
>
>I need to run linux on a computer.... here is what I want to do with the
>system....
>
Greetings from Pittsburgh.  I don't need to run Linux on a computer but 
I WANT to run Linux.  It has put some of the fun back in computers for 
me.  I am putting together a new radio room and I want the main computer 
in here to be Linux based.

>
>I want to use it as a firewall... it will be connected to DSL 24/7  in
>addition to being the firewall, I want to run TNOS (the linux version) for
>packet on 2 meters or 440... haven't decided what band to use for what i
>need yet.... anyhow that's beside the point....
>
Not a problem.  I just helped set up a system for my church that acts as 
an Internet gateway, firewall and does web filtering.  Latter we are 
going to add SAMBA and create a central file server and automate file 
backups.  I have other plans for the system but as you say that is 
beside the point.  For the radio room system I hope to be running packet 
and other ham software.  This in addition to the "normal" computer 
functions OpenOffice, email, web surfing, digital picture editing and 
whatever else I might want a computer to do at any given moment.

>basically what i need to know is.... can I run RedHat 9.2 (I think is the
>latest) with the following system specs
>
>AMD K6-2 400MHz
>256MB RAM
>20GB Hard Drive
>
>or
>
>Celeron 466
>256MB RAM
>20GB Hard Drive
>
>am I going to encounter any problems???
>what am I looking at as far as sluggishness, speed wise,or hang ups???
>any ideas???
>
>Jonathan
>
>  
>
I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised.  I started with Red 
Hat Linux at version six.  It worked well but was not for the faint of 
heart when it came to getting it installed and working.  If you were 
well grounded in DOS and Windows and understood how to determine what 
hardware your computer had and how to partition a hard drive you could 
be have it going in about an hour.

A few weeks ago I installed Red Hat Linux version 9 on a Dell laptop 
computer.  I put the CD in the drive, booted up,  answered the questions 
about a root password and then just kept clicking "next".  In about half 
an hour I had a working computer.   The only changes I made from the 
default settings was to select the KDE desktop environment instead of 
Gnome.  I did this because the other local Linux gurus are using KDE.  
The laptop is a Pentium II running at 400 mHz with 192 megs of RAM 
installed.  The hard drive is 6 gigs and I have room left on it.  I 
don't think either of the configurations you site above will be 
"sluggish" for you.  Applications seem to take a little longer to load 
because unlike Windows they are not tied directly into the operating 
system but I have not found the speed objectionable at all.  I will be 
curious to see what you think when you get your system up and going.  
Stay  in touch.  Thanks and good luck.

-- 
Ken Sprouse / WA3FKG  Oakmont, PA
Member of the American Radio Relay League
Pittsburgh Area Scanner net on Sunday evenings 9:00PM on 147.090 mHz.
Glock - The ultimate point and click user interface.  (c)
Ask me how you can have any picture on your mouse pad.