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Thu Oct 26 22:01:32 2000 UTC (23 years, 6 months ago) by harris41
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CVS tags: version_0_6_2, version_0_6, version_0_5_1, version_0_5, version_0_4, stable_2002_spring, stable_2002_july, stable_2002_april, stable_2001_fall, STABLE, HEAD
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    1: <HTML>
    2: <TITLE>LON-CAPA Hardware Compatibility</TITLE>
    3: <H1>LON-CAPA Hardware Compatibility</H1>
    4: <P>
    5: Scott Harrison 
    6: </P>
    7: <P>
    8: Last updated: 10/23/2000
    9: </P>
   10: <H3>Hardware Requirements</H3>
   11: <P>
   12: There are 4 hardware requirements for the current LON-CAPA system.
   13: <UL>
   14: <LI>i586 (or greater) intel architecture computer
   15: <LI>ethernet card
   16: <LI>static IP connection
   17: <LI>4 gigabytes (or greater) hard drive space
   18: <LI>CD-ROM
   19: <LI>64 megabytes (or greater) of RAM
   20: <LI>all hardware (monitors, ethernet cards, CD-ROMs, motherboard) must
   21: be compatible with RedHat Linux 6.2.  A vendor compatibility list is at
   22: <A HREF="http://www.redhat.com/support/hardware/intel/62/rh6.2-hcl-i.ld.html">
   23: http://www.redhat.com/support/hardware/intel/62/rh6.2-hcl-i.ld.html</A>.
   24: </UL>
   25: </P>
   26: <P>
   27: </P>
   28: <H3>Frequently Asked Questions</H3>
   29: <P>
   30: <OL>
   31: <LI><B>Why can't I run the LON-CAPA system on a Sun Microsystem, 
   32: MacOS-X, Windows-NT, or a LINUX-based system other than RedHat 6.2?</B>
   33: <BR>The short answer is you can run LON-CAPA on most any type of 
   34: computer, but you shouldn't.  The software system of LON-CAPA has
   35: been designed with security and performance in mind.  Unless you are
   36: prepared to understand the configuration details of the LON-CAPA network
   37: layer and security issues specific to your operating system and machine
   38: architecture, you will not be able to run LON-CAPA.  In the long-term,
   39: alternate scenarios of running the LON-CAPA system will add significant
   40: administrative overhead in terms of LON-CAPA software upgrades.
   41: <LI><B>What about firewall configurations?</B>
   42: <BR>Firewall configurations are doable, but not recommended.
   43: This requires detailed understanding of the LON-CAPA network layer, reduces
   44: network connectivity, and may require reconfiguration upon new software
   45: releases
   46: <LI><B>What about load-balancing hardware configurations?</B>
   47: <BR>The good news is that LON-CAPA supports its own load-balancing
   48: of web-delivered content.  The only relevant hardware configuration
   49: is a static IP address and ethernet connection.  LON-CAPA takes care
   50: of the rest.  Load-balancing should not be implemented with
   51: other hardware/software configurations since this would alter the logic
   52: by which LON-CAPA distributes and disseminates resources. 
   53: <LI><B>What about backup tape drives and CD-ROM burners?</B>
   54: <BR>There currently is no defined system of backing up LON-CAPA resources.
   55: It is, however, both easily doable and highly recommended.  Every machine's
   56: /home/httpd/html/res directory should be periodically saved in entirety.
   57: Additionally, you may wish to save other machine-specific configuration
   58: files such as /etc/httpd/conf/access.conf (for a description of these
   59: files, go to <A HREF="http://install.lon-capa.org/3.1/loncapafiles/loncapafiles.html">
   60: http://install.lon-capa.org/3.1/loncapafiles/loncapafiles.html)</A>.  As far as HOW you
   61: save this, via a tape-drive or CD-ROM, that is your currently your
   62: judgement call.  For more information on backing up Linux-based systems,
   63: read <A HREF="http://www.medstv.unimelb.edu.au/~pierre/backup/Backup-HOWTO.html">
   64: http://www.medstv.unimelb.edu.au/~pierre/backup/Backup-HOWTO.html</A>.
   65: </OL>
   66: </P>
   67: <H3>Notes</H3>
   68: <P>
   69: A monitor and other peripherals are not necessary for anything but
   70: the installation process.  Their inclusion with your computer system
   71: is dependent on what level of convenience you think they provide.
   72: </P>
   73: </BODY>
   74: </HTML>
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