Chapter 2. Preparing to Install SUSE Linux

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Planning Your SUSE Linux Installation

• System Requirements

It is easier to buy a Linux PC today than it was a few years ago, but manufacturers still don't see the need, even if they are strong Linux proponents (such as IBM and Novell).

So the odds are very good that you will have to install SUSE Linux yourself, especially if you want to use it as your everyday desktop system.

Even if you are not planning to install SUSE Linux on 10 different servers and 47 desktops, changing operating systems is not a matter to be taken lightly. You should give as much consideration to the questions of meeting hardware requirements, dual-boot arrangements, what applications to install, and how your one new SUSE Linux system relates to the other machines on your network as any Chief Information Officer (CIO) would.

If you are approaching this installation with some trepidation, relax!

Although some of the horror stories of the bygone past may have been true, your experience installing SUSE Linux is much more likely to be a pleasant memory down the road. If you have a typical system with reasonably modern hardware, installing should be a snap. To make that even more likely, it is important to plan ahead. This chapter and the next two will help you make an easy transition.

In this chapter, we will think carefully about all the things that you need to consider before installing SUSE Linux.

We will go over the minimum and recommended system requirements for using SUSE Linux and try to help you avoid some of the potential driver-related problems with some peripherals.

Finally, there are the questions of partitioning your hard drive(s), which you should definitely think about before starting to install.

SUSE Linux is very flexible, and can meet most any computing need you have. This chapter is about figuring out what those needs are.