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<TITLE>LON-CAPA Hardware Compatibility</TITLE>
<H1>LON-CAPA Hardware Compatibility</H1>
<P>
Scott Harrison 
</P>
<P>
Last updated: 10/23/2000
</P>
<H3>Hardware Requirements</H3>
<P>
There are 4 hardware requirements for the current LON-CAPA system.
<UL>
<LI>i586 (or greater) intel architecture computer
<LI>ethernet card
<LI>static IP connection
<LI>4 gigabytes (or greater) hard drive space
<LI>CD-ROM
<LI>64 megabytes (or greater) of RAM
<LI>all hardware (monitors, ethernet cards, CD-ROMs, motherboard) must
be compatible with RedHat Linux 6.2.  A vendor compatibility list is at
<A HREF="http://www.redhat.com/support/hardware/intel/62/rh6.2-hcl-i.ld.html">
http://www.redhat.com/support/hardware/intel/62/rh6.2-hcl-i.ld.html</A>.
</UL>
</P>
<P>
</P>
<H3>Frequently Asked Questions</H3>
<P>
<OL>
<LI><B>Why can't I run the LON-CAPA system on a Sun Microsystem, 
MacOS-X, Windows-NT, or a LINUX-based system other than RedHat 6.2?</B>
<BR>The short answer is you can run LON-CAPA on most any type of 
computer, but you shouldn't.  The software system of LON-CAPA has
been designed with security and performance in mind.  Unless you are
prepared to understand the configuration details of the LON-CAPA network
layer and security issues specific to your operating system and machine
architecture, you will not be able to run LON-CAPA.  In the long-term,
alternate scenarios of running the LON-CAPA system will add significant
administrative overhead in terms of LON-CAPA software upgrades.
<LI><B>What about firewall configurations?</B>
<BR>Firewall configurations are doable, but not recommended.
This requires detailed understanding of the LON-CAPA network layer, reduces
network connectivity, and may require reconfiguration upon new software
releases
<LI><B>What about load-balancing hardware configurations?</B>
<BR>The good news is that LON-CAPA supports its own load-balancing
of web-delivered content.  The only relevant hardware configuration
is a static IP address and ethernet connection.  LON-CAPA takes care
of the rest.  Load-balancing should not be implemented with
other hardware/software configurations since this would alter the logic
by which LON-CAPA distributes and disseminates resources. 
<LI><B>What about backup tape drives and CD-ROM burners?</B>
<BR>There currently is no defined system of backing up LON-CAPA resources.
It is, however, both easily doable and highly recommended.  Every machine's
/home/httpd/html/res directory should be periodically saved in entirety.
Additionally, you may wish to save other machine-specific configuration
files such as /etc/httpd/conf/access.conf (for a description of these
files, go to <A HREF="http://install.lon-capa.org/3.1/loncapafiles/loncapafiles.html">
http://install.lon-capa.org/3.1/loncapafiles/loncapafiles.html)</A>.  As far as HOW you
save this, via a tape-drive or CD-ROM, that is your currently your
judgement call.  For more information on backing up Linux-based systems,
read <A HREF="http://www.medstv.unimelb.edu.au/~pierre/backup/Backup-HOWTO.html">
http://www.medstv.unimelb.edu.au/~pierre/backup/Backup-HOWTO.html</A>.
</OL>
</P>
<H3>Notes</H3>
<P>
A monitor and other peripherals are not necessary for anything but
the installation process.  Their inclusion with your computer system
is dependent on what level of convenience you think they provide.
</P>
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