I am considering building a computer and installing Linux to use for cable Internet access. Does anyone know of any conflicts any of the versions of Linux has with the Motorola SurfBoard SB4100 cable modem? Also, I was considering getting a barebones PC kit. Are there any issues between Linux and certain motherboards, processors, etc.?

Thanks!

Not on the cablemodem. All you need is an ethernet card, or make sure your mother board has one integrated.

Cautions:
Video - if you have to go with integrated vid, get the nforce2. you will a least get 3D from nvidia's drivers. My son's computer has an SiS790 chip, and he only has software 3D. I
ve heard that there is a fix for that, but I have not spent the time.

Sound - most AC'97 based chips work. I've never had a problem, but some have.

Ethernet - The following motherboards with ethernet worked out of the box for me - PC Chips 810LMR/830L and Gigabyte 7VAX.

The most difficult trouble that I have had is getting 3D working on a non-NVidia graphics card.

hope it helps

Get atleast two NICs or ethernet cards. 10 megabits NICs are ok to go to the cable modem. For your LAN or network you probably want 100 or 1000 megabits NICs.

You may want to look into load balancing for extra bandwidth. This only if the ISP supports multiple IP.

I have an ATI Radeon VIVO and I don't have any problems setting up sound and 2D/3D video. Though I only used Mandrake 8.1 and 9.

If you want an easy broad band setup. Use a router. The router will do all the painful configs. It gives you a hardware firewall so it screens out most of the attackers. Its best to have a hardware firewall and software firewall.

For motherboards, I suggest ASUS or Supermicro. They have great stability and speed. If your computer is going to be on 24/7 get near noiseless power supplies and fans that has audible noise level of less than 28 dB. You can use water cooling if you don't want to find those kinds of fans.

Good info! Thanks for the replies. Any other information is appreciated.