Difference between revisions of "Getting Started With Linux"

Revision as of 12:07, 1 January 2013

Installation

32-bit vs. 64-bit

Processors in new computers are "64-bit". This has to do with how the processor processes instructions, so programs that have been compiled for 64-bit processors will not run on old 32-bit processors. However, the new processors are "backward compatible", meaning they can run programs compiled for 32-bit processors. Even though 64-bit processors have been available for several years now, many computers come with a 32-bit version of Microsoft Windows installed. When a 32-bit OS is installed on a 64-bit processor, the computer will only be able to run 32-bit programs, even though the processor is cable of running 64-bit programs. So, there are three parts when considering 32-bit vs. 64-bit

• The computer's processor (hardware)
• The computer's operating system (software)
• The program to run (software)

If any item in this list is 32-bit, then all the items below it are limited to 32-bit. So, in order to run a 64-bit program on your computer, you must have a 64-bit processor AND a 64-bit operating system.

Installing on a Virtual Machine

This is the simplest way to start using Linux without losing anything on your current computer setup. A VirtualBox is a program that emulates a PC (i.e. a virtual machine), which you can then install an operating system on. To Install Linux on a virtual machine, you need to

1. install VirtualBox on your computer
2. create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox
3. install Linux on the new virtual machine

When installing a virtual machine, the computer you install VirtualBox on is called the HOST (this is the actual, physical computer you can put your hands on). The virtual machine you create and install Linux on is called the GUEST. The question of 32-bit vs. 64-bit comes into play here again, but it is slightly more complicated because now we have both the host and guest to consider. The parts involved are

• Host's processor (hardware)
• Host's OS (software)
• VirtualBox Install (software)
• Guest's processor (virtual hardware)
• Guest's OS (software)
• The program to run (software)

Again, if any item in the list is 32-bit, then all items below it will be limited to 32-bit.

Even though 64-bit processors have been available for a while, virtualizing 64-bit processors is fairly new. Not all 64-bit computers will be able to run a 64-bit virtual machine. For this tutorial, we will assume that we want to install a 32-bit version of Linux on a 32-bit virtual machine. This is the most portable setup since both 32-bit and 64-bit computers running 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems and 32-bit or 64-bit version of VirtualBox can all run 32-bit virtual machines.

Installing VirtualBox

For more information on VirtualBox, visit their website at www.virtualbox.org