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I'm new to Linux. I am new to forums. I am not even sure I'm posting this thread in the right place. I did read the posting rules, etc and think I'm in the right place. I recently "inherited" 2 legacy HP ProLiant ML570 g2 rack servers that I would like to repurpose as desktop PC's, if possible? These machines have 4 2.5GHz Intel Xeon processors, 8GB of RAM, GUI capabilities, PS/2 keyboard/mouse inputs and SCSI CD ROM drives. I believe these machines have 32bit architectures. Whichever operating system I install has to be less than 700mb in size because of the CD ROM limitations I think. Any suggestions as to where to begin would greatly be appreciated. Thanks.
The specifications of those machines, particularly the 8GB RAM, will be more than adequate for any contemporary Linux distro. Anything with 3MB of RAM is usually fine for even the heaviest-weighted GUI (the GUI is normally the most important variable as regards memory usage).
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Whichever operating system I install has to be less than 700mb in size because of the CD ROM limitations I think.
That would apply to the size of the installation media, not to the size of the installed distro itself. If the machine can handle DVD media, you can install anything, as some distros no longer limit their installation *.iso files to CD size. If the machine can boot from USB, same goes.
There are many threads here at LQ about "what distro should I start with?" I suggest using the LQ Search to look at some of them. You will find almost as many opinions as posters, as we all have our favorites.
I tend to recommend Mint (I prefer the MATE desktop) or Mageia for new users, but I started with Slackware and I am glad I did. Slackware will not hold your hand, but it will teach you about Linux. But that's just me.
I would suggest this: Narrow your choices to three or four distros, then try them in Live mode (that means you boot the distro from optical media or USB without installing it--it just runs in RAM). Then install the one you feel most comfortable with. Note: Slackware does not offer Live Mode. It is what it is.
Before recommending a distribution, it's best to know what you're planning to use it for. There are many specialized distributions for different uses - say, audio/video editing, scientific applications, ham radio, podcasting, penetration testing, gaming, etc.
For a general purpose desktop (doing a little bit of everything), Linux Mint is a popular choice for newcomers. It is based on Ubuntu and Debian, but adds some extras that make it easier to use for those unfamiliar with Linux. Applications on Mint are generally quite old, though, as they are considered "stable" - but often missing new features.
Fedora is another big one, and is more "leading edge" than Mint. However, to get the "newbie extras", I'd recommend Korora instead. Korora is to Fedora as Mint is to Ubuntu/Debian.
The specifications of those machines, particularly the 8GB RAM, will be more than adequate for any contemporary Linux distro. Anything with 3MB of RAM is usually fine for even the heaviest-weighted GUI (the GUI is normally the most important variable as regards memory usage).
That would apply to the size of the installation media, not to the size of the installed distro itself. If the machine can handle DVD media, you can install anything, as some distros no longer limit their installation *.iso files to CD size. If the machine can boot from USB, same goes.
There are many threads here at LQ about "what distro should I start with?" I suggest using the LQ Search to look at some of them. You will find almost as many opinions as posters, as we all have our favorites.
I tend to recommend Mint (I prefer the MATE desktop) or Mageia for new users, but I started with Slackware and I am glad I did. Slackware will not hold your hand, but it will teach you about Linux. But that's just me.
I would suggest this: Narrow your choices to three or four distros, then try them in Live mode (that means you boot the distro from optical media or USB without installing it--it just runs in RAM). Then install the one you feel most comfortable with. Note: Slackware does not offer Live Mode. It is what it is.
And welcome to LQ.
These machines do have 2 USB ports but no option to boot from USB in the BIOS. The motherboards have 1 IDE input connection but don't "recognize" an IDE DVD-ROM drive (as of yet). So at this point I believe I am limited to CD or Floppy for OS installation which doesn't allow for live mode, correct?
These machines do have 2 USB ports but no option to boot from USB in the BIOS. The motherboards have 1 IDE input connection but don't "recognize" an IDE DVD-ROM drive (as of yet). So at this point I believe I am limited to CD or Floppy for OS installation which doesn't allow for live mode, correct?
A couple of ideas:
1.) Most IDE CD/DVD drives have a jumper to select Master, Slave, or Cable Select. You may have to experiment with this to get the drive(s) recognized.
2.) You can pull the hard drive (temporarily) and put it in another machine to do the install. Then return it to the original machine and boot. Might be an interesting exercise with SCSI drives, but there are cheap SCSI<->IDE and SCSI<->USB adapters out there. Alternatively, scrap the SCSI drives and just use the IDE bus for the HD.
OP: you are going to be trying live-cd images if you take the above advice. Nearly all Live-CD images have an option either at boot, or in the menu options under Linux, to install to the hard drive. If they need software that is not available on the CD to get a full version install, they "phone home" and pull what they need from the repo systems over the network. You can easily get a 20G (with sources) OS install from a 430Meg image.
In other words, you media problem is not really a problem. Worry less and play more! ;-)
If I understood better what your goals and usage cases are I would make pointed recommendations, but without let me just say that there are really no BAD choices. I like Mint, moved from VSIDO to SPARKY on the laptop I am using to enter this, but enjoy trying new releases often. I spend more of my day in (non-desktop) server versions, so getting to 'play' with one that is inefficient and 'pretty' is always fun.
If you want an installer that fits on a CD, you still have a choice: Salix, AntiX, the minime version of PCLinuxOS (from Softpedia), Bodhi, Exe, Semplice. You can also get others on a CD which does a net install, downloading what it needs as it goes along: e.g. Manjaro and OpenSUSE.
Thank you all for your prompt responses. I also "inherited" a stack of 10 HP ProLiant DL360 G4's rack servers with dual Xeon 3.6GHz cpu's. I would like to make one of these machines (the best one) into an "ultimate" desktop PC with the ability use a torrent client and be a media center and use it with at least 3 monitors via HDMI. I would like to use a few of the other machines as servers to store media files.
I just tried installing Ubuntu mini.iso and got this message: "This kernel requires an X86-64 CPU, but only detected an i686 CPU. Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU."
Last edited by NewYorkGiant; 03-14-2016 at 04:39 PM.
Reason: additional info-tried Ubuntu mini
stay away from ubuntu and salix that will only hold you back in progress
debian, slackware, centos, arch, are my choices for you
burn bootable cd with any of them (i suggest debian) read and follow all steps.
Salix is a terrific distro for those new to Slackware and those with experience. It does include a few in house programs to assist the user, however, one is free to do all the "power user" things as well.
If you want to use Linux and not necessarily learn it, then Ubuntu, or Mageia are good choices. If you want to play with, use and learn Linux, then Fedora, Slackware/Salix, Debian and Arch are good. CentOS/RHEL for servers, can be used for desktop/workstation with added 3rd party repos.
Many distros offer the option to download a multiple CD installer (or a slimmed-down CD installer) or a single DVD installer. The Debian single-CD "netinstall" works quite nicely in my experience, as long as you have a working internet connection.
The only way to know whether the distro you fancy does so is to visit their installer download page.
I just tried installing Ubuntu mini.iso and got this message: "This kernel requires an X86-64 CPU, but only detected an i686 CPU. Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU."
Then use the 32 bit mini iso instead. The computer you are booting it on is not 64bit then. Be sure and md5sum check the mini iso. I've done mini iso ubuntu installs. You need a ethernet connection cable hooked up for the install process to work properly. They are easy to do .
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Which distro should I try?
