[ILUG] wondering about linux compat...

[Rick Moen]

Quoting kevin lyda (kevin at suberic.net):

> any compaq people here?  i notice your web pages are frightfully thin
> on linux support.  i need to spec a test machine (and i have to get
> it from compaq) so i'm wondering if this will work well under linux
> (redhat 7.2 distro):
> 
>     http://www.compaq.ie/products/desktops/options/celeron_850_enss.stm

The old-timer's method of dealing with this sort of question is to find
out what chipsets the machine consists of (video, ethernet, sound, SCSI
host adapter if any, PCMCIA chip if any, USB/firewire chips if any,
etc), and then check that against the known state of those chipsets'
support in various Linux kernels and XFree86.

And, of course, OEMs like Compaq often aren't very cooperative at
providing the needed information, having turned over their entire
Internet presence to marketroids from Sirius Cybernetics Corporation 
long ago.  Seldom are the manufacturers any use whatsoever, as an
information source on Linux support, so one checks for one's self.
In this case, let's see:

Video:  "Integrated Intel 3D Graphics (4MB) with Graphics Performance
Accelerator (GPA) or NVIDIA TNT2 Pro AGP with 16MB SGRAM. Space Saver:
Integrated Intel 3D Direct AGP with GPA (Embedded) or NVIDIA TNT2 Pro
AGP with 16MB SDRAM (Embedded).  No 4MB on the Celeron 566Mhz or Pentium
667MHz models."

Wow!  That's, like, almost useful.

Reading between the lines of all that tripe (and noting as mentioned 
below that this is an Intel 815E motherboard), you'll be setting XFree86
for an integrated Intel 815E video chipset.

Sound:  "Integrated Intel Audio with Premium Internal Speaker. Not on
566MHz or 667MHz models."

Feh.  What is more commonly called the "AC'97" CODEC, or "ICH2".

Ethernet:  "Integrated Intel PRO/100 VM Network connection."

Groan.  Intel plays chip-du-jour with this design.  Oh well.  With 
reasonable luck, the eepro100 driver will work.  If not, get Intel's 
patent-encumbered e100 one.

Somewhat more informatively, at the top of the page, the motherboard
is identified as an Intel 815E.  Specs are here:
http://developer.intel.com/design/intarch/devkits/273412.htm

So, in short, you shouldn't have signficant problems with any current
distribution.  Don't expect high-end performance, especially from the 
graphics.  If you want fast video, put in an AGP card, such as an ATI
Radeon.

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