Linux for low-end HW, pseudo-scientific study(2)

More detail concerning the PC's used in this pseudo-study


A. Dell OptiPlex GXi 5200MTBr
( http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dzer/ )
Pentium MMX 200MHz CPU
66MHz external speed, Socket 7 PGA
L1 cache -- 32KB
16KB data cache, 16KB instruction cache
Intel 430HX motherboard chipset
Dell-branded PhoenixBIOS ver A06
64MB 60ns non-parity DIMM RAM
Built-in S3 Trio64V+ PCI display (86C765)
Netgear FA310TX 10/100 FastEthernet PCI N.I.C.
RealTek RTL8139D 10/100 FastEthernet PCI N.I.C.
Built-in Crystal Semiconductor CS4236 sound


B. Dell OptiPlex Gn+ 5200L EM
( http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dthred/ )
Pentium 200MHz CPU, Socket 7 PGA
66 MHz external speed
L1 cache -- 32KB
16KB data cache, 16KB instruction cache
Intel 430TX motherboard PCIset chipset
Dell-branded PhoenixBIOS ver A12
160MB 60ns non-parity EDO DIMM RAM
Built-in S3 Trio64V2 PCI display (86C785)
Netgear FA310TX vC6 10/100 FastEthernet PCI N.I.C.
Netgear FA310TX vC6 10/100 FastEthernet PCI N.I.C.
(digital 21140-AF chips)
Yamaha 16bit 3D OPL3-SAX ISA sound card


C. Compaq Presario 5724
( http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00008832&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=93589&lang=en )
Pentium III Celeron 500MHz CPU (Mendocino)
66 MHz external speed, PGA
L1 cache -- 32KB
16KB data cache, 16KB instruction cache
L2 cache -- 128KB integrated Pipeline Burst Cache
Intel 810 motherboard chipset
CompaqBIOS(ROMpaq) version 2.02 Rev A
256MB PC100 168-pin SDRAM
Built-in 2X AGP 3D display
(integrated DC100 chip)
Realtek ENL832-TX+ 10/100 FastEthernet PCI N.I.C.
(RTL8139D chip)
Built-in ESS Solo 1938/1969 PCI sound
(Aureal A3D TM?)

D. Dell Dimension XPS T600r
( http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dkub/ )
Pentium III 600MHz E CPU (Coppermine)
100MHz external speed, SECC2
L1 cache -- 32KB
16KB data cache, 16KB instruction cache
L2 cache -- 256KB Advanced Transfer Cache
600MHz speed, in-core location
Intel 440BX AGPset
Dell-branded PhoenixBIOS ver A11
256MB PC100 168-pin SDRAM
nVidia NV5M64 AGP display card
(RIVA TNT2 Model 64/64Pro rev15)
3Com 3C905C-TXM Etherlink 10/100 PCI N.I.C.
Turtle Beach Montego A3D 64 Voice PCI sound card
(Aureal Vortex AU8820B2 chip)

Linux for low-end HW, pseudo-scientific study(1)

My identically-titled posting on this to the BerkeleyLUG is here:

Linux for low-end HW, pseudo-scientific study(1)

OS Choices Indeed (for most!)

I myself am currently engaging in a pseudo-scientific self-study on optimizing some very low-end PCs with Linux.

Hardware that I obtained for negligible cost

(Also see the other blog Linux for low-end HW, pseudo-scientific study(2) for more extensive HW details)

Pentium I MMX 200MHz
64MB 60ns EDO RAM
1 x 1GB hd, 1 x 2GB hdd
The pre-existing MS-Windows 98(FE) is still required for a minimal number of applications….. boo/hiss

Pentium I MMX 200MHz
160MB 60ns EDO RAM
1 x 8GB hd
The pre-existing MS-Windows ME is still required for a minimal number of applications….. boo/hiss

Pentium III 500MHz Celeron
256MB PC100 SDRAM
1 x 10GB hd
Pre-existing MS-Windows 2000 wiped clean off after BIOS updated — yay

Pentium III 600MHz-E (Energy-saving)
256MB PC100 SDRAM
1 x 10GB hd
Pre-existing MS-Windows 2000 wiped clean off after BIOS updated — yay
————————————
Routine questions I did ask and still ask myself on these:
- Do these low-end PCs power on, boot up and otherwise function at operable base-levels (motherboard, BIOS, CMOS, RAM… etc.) ???
- Are BIOS revisions as up-to-date as possible for these old PC’s ??
- What purpose can these low-end PC’s be BEST used for (e.g., “starter” office productivity workstations, simple multimedia workstations, router/firewall appliances, … etc.) ???

No DVD or USB-booting, no wireless setup, no CD-burning capabilities
———————————————————

My own groundrules RE: distros used

NO K/Ubuntu 9.10 “Karmic Koala” Linux, NO Fedora 11 Linux, NO OpenSUSE 11.x Linux, NO Mandriva 2009.x Linux

YES lightweight ("low altitude") CD-R and floppy installable Linux distros having minimalistic X-Windows

——————————————————

Distros used

1. Limited to the Pentium I MMX's

Basic Linux 3.50; ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/baslinux/index.html

Damn Small Linux (DSL); http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=damnsmall and http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/
Specific DSL versions to use:
- DSL 3.4.12 Syslinux
- DSL 4.4.10 Syslinux

Puppy Linux 4.3.1; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=puppy and http://www.puppylinux.com/

TinyMe 2010 i586 RC 1; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=tinyme and http://www.tinymelinux.com/

2. For the Pentium III's

Debian GNU/Linux stable, a.k.a. "lenny", 5.0.4 XFCE+LXDE; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=debian and http://www.debian.org/

Debian GNU/Linux testing, a.k.a. "squeeze", 5.0.x XFCE+LXDE; http://www.debian.org/News/2009/20090730 and http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/weekly-builds/i386/iso-cd/ (the latter is the weekly-generated download site)

MEPIS's AntiX-M8.x; http://linux.wikia.com/wiki/AntiX and http://antix.mepis.org/

Slackware Linux 13.0; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=slackware and http://www.slackware.com/

Vector Linux Light 6.0; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=vector and http://www.vectorlinux.com/

Absolute Linux 13.1; http://distrowatch.com/index.php?distribution=absolute and http://www.absolutelinux.org/

3. Used solely as testing LiveCD’s, and for distro-downloading/CD-burning (latter on another PC) :

System Rescue CD 1.5.x; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=systemrescue and http://www.sysresccd.org/

Tiny Core Linux 2.10; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=tinycore and http://www.tinycorelinux.com/

Knoppix EN[glish] 6.2CD; http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=05783
and http://www.knoppix.com/

4. Used as low-spec routers/firewalls :

FREESCO 0.4.2; http://www.freesco.info/index.php

floppyfw 3.0.*; http://www.zelow.no/floppyfw/

IPCop 1.4.21; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=IPCop and http://www.ipcop.org/

Devil Linux 1.4.x i486; http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=Devil and http://www.devil-linux.org

—

I’ve done all the ISO/img downloads and burning, and am about two-thirds finished performing Linux installs on all four low-end PCs.
I absolutely HAD TO --- and not the last distro in 2 --- perform extensive diagnoses and troubleshooting with these older PCs both BEFORE and DURING their Linux installations.

Results of this pseudo-scientific study soon to follow — maybe sometime around the impending release date of Ubuntu 10.04 (a.k.a. "Lucid Lynx") ????

-Aaron / GoOSSBears