I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box? -- The past: Smart users in front of dumb terminals
I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box?
You could actually try your luck with 8.0 - I had an old first-gen Pentium with only 32M of RAM (a lot less than the official minimum for install) and no CD drive. Get yourself a copy of Tom's Root Boot (www.toms.net IIRC) and boot with that first so you can partition the drive, and give it a sizeable swap partition. Then, floppy boot the SuSE installer, and activate the swap as soon as YaST allows you to - the installer will then work. Packages on the SuSE CD's are i386 built (not i586 like on Mandrake) and so should work nicely on a 486. Of course, this is IMHO (I've not done it with a 486 - but I'd love to know how you get on) and YMMV. Hey, if it doesn't work, you've not lost anything apart from time, but you will probably have had some fun... :) -- James Ogley, Unix Systems Administrator, Pinnacle Insurance Plc james.ogley@pinnacle.co.uk www.pinnacle.co.uk +44 (0) 20 8731 3619 Using Free Software since 1994, running GNU/Linux (SuSE 8.0) Updated GNOME RPMs for SuSE Linux: www.usr-local-bin.org ********************************************************************** CONFIDENTIALITY.This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and may also be privileged. If you are not the named recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to another person, use it for any purpose, or store or copy the information in any medium. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of Pinnacle Insurance plc. If you have received this email in error please immediately notify the Pinnacle Helpdesk on +44 (0) 20 8207 9555. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com **********************************************************************
On Thursday 05 September 2002 9:12 am, you wrote:
I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box?
You could actually try your luck with 8.0 - I had an old first-gen Pentium with only 32M of RAM (a lot less than the official minimum for install) and no CD drive.
Actually my box is a 486DX-133 with 32MB. No hard disk at the moment but I might be able scrounge an old one from somewhere. Perhaps with enough swap and a customised set of minimal packages, 8.0 will do the job. Gotta be worth a try. :o) -- The past: Smart users in front of dumb terminals
I would hope any linux distro would have no problem running on a 486. I do it
with FreeBSD and OpenBSD all the time! (I only use linux for my desktops,
everything else is *BSD). If the machine won't support running X for the
installer, use text mode (press F2 at the initial boot screen). Don't install
X, because on a 486, it will slow the machine way down, and more importantly,
you should never run X on a webserver, or any other type of server, for that
matter.
airyk
Quoting Derek Fountain
I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver.
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I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box?
My advice : Use Suse 7.3 ! Drop all Yast2 packages, use only Yast, you will need 700MB for a basic instalation with just you need . If your motherboard is is one of a "end life" 486 with dual IDE on board, you can use 2 HDs ( one alone in the first conector and one another alone in the second conector ), in the first you make a root partition ( / ), 200MB is more then you need, and in the second make 2 partitions, one for swap with something about 40 MB and the /usr with at least 500 MB . My personal gateway/firewall and "victim" machine is exatly is !! ;- ) 486 DX4 100 with 64 os RAM !! ;- ) Fábio Rabelo
I am currently running an simular install with 7.3. I have an 500 MB hard disk, which limits how big the web pages are, but I use md_perl and php. The exact machine is AMD 486 dx4 120 with 32M memory and 500 MB WD HD. You have to do updates and the like by hand because the automated tools require too much space, but it has run for years and years and is very stable. Austin Morgan On Thu, Sep 05, 2002 at 08:31:18AM -0300, Fábio Rabelo wrote:
I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box?
My advice : Use Suse 7.3 ! Drop all Yast2 packages, use only Yast, you will need 700MB for a basic instalation with just you need . If your motherboard is is one of a "end life" 486 with dual IDE on board, you can use 2 HDs ( one alone in the first conector and one another alone in the second conector ), in the first you make a root partition ( / ), 200MB is more
then you need, and in the second make 2 partitions, one for swap with something about 40 MB and the /usr with at least 500 MB . My personal gateway/firewall and "victim" machine is exatly is !! ;- ) 486 DX4 100 with 64 os RAM !! ;- )
Fábio Rabelo
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On Thu, 05 Sep 2002 08:31:18 -0300
Fábio Rabelo
I have an old 486 box collecting dust, and I thought I might turn it into a webserver. I'd like it to be secure and have modern(ish) facilities like mod_perl and php. Is there a version of SuSE which is still currently supported (for Apache security updates) which will run on such an old box?
My advice : Use Suse 7.3 !
7.2 has been the best suse release my $.02
participants (6)
-
airyk＠toadmail.com -
Austin Morgan -
Derek Fountain -
Fábio Rabelo -
James Ogley -
Landy Roman