Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 11:04:56 -0500 From: "Doug Reynolds" <mav@wastegate.net> To: "Sue Blake" <sue@welearn.com.au>, "taxman" <taxman@acd.net> Cc: "freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG" <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>, "Wizard of Wor" <wauf@hello.hu> Subject: Re: minimum memory [was: A simple question about FreeBSD] Message-ID: <20030316160619.A83B748463@wastegate.net> In-Reply-To: <20030316071751.B77240@welearn.com.au>
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On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:17:51 +1100, Sue Blake wrote: >On Fri, Mar 14, 2003 at 09:28:14PM -0500, taxman wrote: >> On Friday 14 March 2003 08:23 pm, Wizard of Wor wrote: >> > I was unable to find the minimum requirements on x86 platform. Can I >> > run FreeBSD on mz 486dx2 8Mb laptop smoothly? >> >> The install documentation or the FAQ does have this answer, but yes you should >> be able to run fine on this machine. Just don't try to install X windows, >> unless you set up a *lot* of swap. It also depends a little bit on if there >> is any noncooperative hardware on the machine. Laptops tend to have some of >> that. Best bet is to try it. 4.x will probably work the best for you. > > >This memory question comes up a lot, and I'm not sure how up to date >that part of the documentation is. Has anyone _definitely_ run an >install on a machine with only 8MB in the last couple of years? > >Twice I have failed to install (boot floppy with CD) to machines with >only 8MB RAM. It could have been FreeBSD 4.4, but I think it was >FreeBSD 3.3. I'd love to discover that I'm wrong here. > >Of course the alternative is to put the disk in another machine to do >the install, then it should run OK back in the 8MB machine. As for X, >forget trying it. If it was installed it "would run" but not usably, >no matter how much swap. Without X and with plenty of swap you can do >a lot with your 8MB in text mode if you can get an installation going. >I had a 386 with 8MB running FreeBSD 2.x (without X) that ran much >faster than the NT4 pentium beside it. The 486 CPU should be fine. AFAIK, you need 12meg to install, but only 8 to run. I wouldnt run it will less than 16 or 24. I had 28 megs in a old 486-133, and 4.3-release ran great. --- doug reynolds | the maverick | mav@wastegate.net To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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