Dawn Light

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System is:

• Asus TUSI-M motherboard with SiS 630ET AGPset with integrated SiS300 AGP graphics controller
• Celeron 1400 MHz processor
• Also have S3 375 ViRGE/DX Graphics controller on it

It will be solely dedicated to controlling a Rain8net irrigation valves control module (driver issue also needs to be addressed).

I will probably be using this software (which is for windows - another issue).

In order to maximize irrigation time accuracy, system resources should be available all the time.

Please keep in mind that I am new to Linux!

Here is my thread about the driver issue (can use help there also).
Here is the thread about the software issue (also).

Appreciate it!

IBall

Do you need a GUI desktop? If not, don't use one. If you do, then go with a light weight one like XFCE.

I would try to find native Linux drivers, and also a native Linux control program. Perhaps try to find one with a web interface, but I am not familiar with any of this.

Good distros for reliability and light-weight include Debian and Slackware.

--Ian

Dawn Light

I don't know. Do I? I have no problem entering some commands once in a while. Does the absence of a GUI desktop negate the use of GUI applications? The irrigation software will have a GUI.

Here is my thread about the driver issue (can use help there also).

GTrax

For industrial control, you need rock-solid stability, the expectation that the PC may not be re-booted for 2 years or more, and an industrial strength distro that has the capability of being set up with only the applications you need. This excludes all the derivative distros that offer splashy media-oriented setups, and office type goodies.

If your control application, and the interface to the real world controlling valves, contactors, etc. can be launched from the command line, you may not even need a GUI screen, but many find some sort of graphical screen very convenient, even if the monitor is switched off for much of the time.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) is in that class. It is a bit staid and conservative, without all the movies and eye candy. The paid version comes with Novell support. Widely used for industrial measurement.

Similar words for Red Hat. Fedora is the community/development hotbed for Red Hat. Red Hat used to be the industry norm, though it has lost ground to the others in recent years.

Debian Sarge, but with the 2.6 kernel option, is also in that class.
Sarge is the last word in stability, to the point that new releases happen only about yearly, and still stay with the 2.4 kernel. Built systems are expected to run for years, often attended only remotely via network access. Debian is more of a struggle to install than some. Debian Sid is the (so called "unstable") has more recent software choices, and Debian "Etch", the "testing" distro, should not be considered.

Slackware is a stable granddaddy, much respected, but the heart of it is the work of one man, Patrick Volkering. The Vector Linux variant of this has a fast, lightweight desktop. Slackware would be up to it (many servers use it).

Mepis 6.0 or 6.5. Mepis uses the Ubuntu engine, which in turn is a fork of Debian. Ubuntu installation is absurdly simple, and the distro is supported, and stable, but software versions are locked to the installed version, making the use of other drivers and repositories difficult. That said, I have industrial control tool LabView running in Mepis 6.0

Gentoo is all compiled, user choice configured, and absolutely the power users tool. The time it takes, and the depth of knowledge, makes this one something to stay away from if you are new to Linux. I mention it because it is easily in the quality class for stability etc.

From all the above, and given that you are new to Linux, I would suggest a supported SUSE SLED pack, and take care not to choose everything installed. You don't need it to be a mailserver, or have a huge suite of Office applications. As with all the good distros, you have a choice of desktops, like KDE or XFCE, etc.

Dawn Light

I am new to linux and don't yet know how stuff work so I figured you wonderful people here could help me with this rather simple question!

I plan to run this system:

• Asus TUSI-M motherboard (Linux-Tested.com) with SiS 630ET AGPset with integrated SiS300 AGP graphics controller
• Celeron 1400 MHz processor
• Also have S3 375 ViRGE/DX Graphics controller on it if needed
• 320 MB physical memory (can get some more if needed)

It will be solely dedicated to sending commands to a Rain8net irrigation valves controller module through an RS-232 serial port using this software.

There is also a tool for one-time preconfiguration of the module (also via the RS-323)

The plan is to run the two in WINE.

In order to maximize irrigation time accuracy, maximum system resources should be available to the software.

I was recommended to use SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop for this purpose.

• Which packages should I include in the installation (it's okay if I'll have to type in some commands once in a while - keeping it minimal is a priority)?
• Are there any specific configurations I should make?
• Any particular partition structure/file system?
• Is there anything else I should know?
• Any suggestions?

Please keep in mind that I am new to Linux and never installed or configured one BUT I am not afraid of googleing stuff up and reading until I get it!

I thank you very much and I appreciate it!

mjolnir

I don't have any familiarity with any of the equipment or software but I am interested in linux and automation. This isn't meant as a criticism but your proposed setup seems like overkill to me. The sprinkler software will run on win98, so why not dedicate an old(read cheap) piece of equipment to the project. You could take a cheap laptop, dual boot windows and linux if wanted, and do away with the complexity of wine, unless of course, you have already seen a working setup.

Dawn Light

I emotionally want Linux. I feel the energies that are involved. It's about freedom and diversity and not just functionality. I am willing to invest in this for that reason. Bless you.

mjolnir

Great reason, "freedom and diversity", good luck.

Stuart36

Try a distro like Zenwalk, it looks great and runs like a dream even on an older computer...lots of other choices too DSL isnt bad idea either.

michaelk

I also have a Rain8 controller which is connected to my Dell desktop PC (500 mHz 256 MB Ram) which runs Trustix version 2.2. I bought a smarthome PowerLinc II model 1132B which interfaces to the computer via the serial port. I wrote a simple c program that can send x10 commands. A shell script runs from cron turns on whatever zone I want at the desired time/day. If your connected to the internet you can sync time via ntpd. I still use the windows program to configure the controller.

In my googling I found a powerlinc daemon that basically configures each house/unit code as a device. There are lots of other linux home control stuff out there too.

Trustix is CLI only and in my case it would not matter what distribution I was running. There are also a few X10 computer interfaces to choose from. I picked the powerlinc because it appeared to be the eaisest to use with linux.