Linux+ Unit 02

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Planning for installation Unit objectives  Describe central processing units, physical memory, disk drives, mainboards, and peripheral devices  Obtain the hardware and software information

Topic A

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 Topic A: Understanding hardware  Topic B: Gathering pre-installation information

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Major components of a PC      

Central processing unit (CPU) Physical memory Disk drive Mainboard and peripheral components Video adapter card Keyboard and mouse

Functions of CPUs

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 Manipulate data  Perform arithmetical computations  Direct the functions of other hardware devices

CPUs: Cache  Level 1 (L1) – Cache stored in the processor itself

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 Level 2 (L2) – A separate computer chip that is connected to the processor via a high-speed link

CPUs: Multiple processors  Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) – Each processor shares tasks and memory space

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 Asymmetric multiprocessing (ASMP) – Each processor is given a certain role or set of tasks to complete independent of the other processors

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Exercise A-1

Discussing central processing units

Physical memory  Storage area for information  Two main categories:

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– Random access memory (RAM) – Read-only memory (ROM)

RAM types  Dynamic RAM (DRAM) – Single in-line memory modules (SIMM) – Dual in-line memory modules (DIMM)

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 Static RAM (SRAM)

Read-only memory (ROM)

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 ROM is physical memory that can be read, but not written to  Used to store the firmware used by hardware devices

ROM variants

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 Programmable read-only memory (PROM)  Erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) – Complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor

 Electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)

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Exercise A-2

Understanding physical memory

Disk drive devices

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 Hard disk  Floppy disk  CD-ROM

HDD controller cards  Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) – Also known as Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA)

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 Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

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IDE HDD configurations

Partitions  Partitions – Divide a hard disk into smaller areas

 Filesystems

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– A format that holds data within the partitions

continued

Partitions, continued  Primary partitions – Divisions of a drive’s space

 Extended partitions

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– A partition that can be subdivided into logical drives

 Master boot record (MBR) – Area outside of a partition

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Partitioning scheme: primary master

Other information storage devices  Removable media – Can be removed and transferred to other machines

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 Floppy disks  Zip disks

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Exercise A-3

Using disk drives

Buses  Bus – Pathway from one hardware device to another

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 Types – Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) – Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) – Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP)

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Mainboard components

Peripheral components  PS/2 ports – Connects keyboards and mice

 Serial ports

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– Connects many different peripherals – Also called a COM port

 Parallel port – Connects printers – Also called an LPT port

USB and FireWire  Universal Serial Bus (USB) port

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– Uses keyboards, mice, printers, scanners, cameras, and so on. – Can be attached while the computer is running  Called hot-swappable

 FireWire (IEEE1394) – Hot-swappable variant of USB

PCMCIA ports  Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)

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– Supports peripherals built into small, enclosed cards – Hot-swappable

Device settings  Interrupt Request Line (IRQ) – Specifies a unique channel from a device to the CPU

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 Input/Output (IO) address – Small working area of RAM where the CPU can pass information to and receive information from a device

 Plug-and-Play (PnP) – OS and peripheral devices that can automatically assign the correct IRQ, I/O address, and DMA settings without user intervention

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Exercise A-4

Discussing mainboards and peripheral components

Video adapter cards and monitors  Video adapter cards – Commonly called video cards – Provide a graphical display when connected to a monitor

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 Resolution – Number of pixels that can be displayed

 Color depth – Number of colors that can be displayed

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Memory requirements

Refresh rate

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 Rate at which the display is refreshed  Measured in hertz (Hz)  Two types: – Hsync (horizontal refresh) – Vsync (vertical refresh)

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Exercise A-5

Discussing video adapter cards and monitors

Topic B

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 Topic A: Understanding hardware  Topic B: Gathering pre-installation information

Red Hat 9.0 hardware requirements

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 Each hardware component should be checked against a Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

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Pre-installation checklist

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Windows System Information tool

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Windows Device Manager

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Windows Display applet

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System POST

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BIOS setup utility

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System network configuration     

Hostname IP address Netmask Gateway DNS servers

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Common Linux packages

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Exercise B-1

Creating a pre-installation checklist

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Chapter summary  Described types of central processing units, physical memory, disk drives, mainboards, and peripheral devices  Obtained the hardware as well as software information necessary to install Linux