Thinking about installing Linux

[gamefixer]

Ubantu 12.04 to be exact...

I'm really familiar with the world of Windows, less in the world of OSX and not at all in the world of Linux.

I've got a current machine that mines BTC and Litecoins so I'd like to maintain the same functionality in Linux. Anything that I should be aware of? Will the "out of the box" drivers work for my mobo or do I have to jump through hoops to find them? Its a fairly new ASRock/Intel board if it matters.

I dunno, maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

Experiences?? Thanks all!

[1715091784]

1715091784

[1715091784]

1715091784

[rarkenin]

Mobo would be the least of your worries. You may need to get GPU drivers. The drivers with Ubuntu are generally open-source stand-ins, with minimal functionality and most likely no bitcoin mining. You'll need to use the additional drivers feature of software center(a standalone tool on older Ubuntu versions) to install nvidia-common or fglrx for nVidia and ATI, respectively. Don't forget drivers for any ASICs or FPGAs.

Heat can also be an issue. Ubuntu has spotty fan control, so watch your temps and be ready to reconfigure BIOS to force fans to high if anything goes wrong. Most of the time fans should be fine, or may be forced to full power--noisier but safe, though overheating from moribund fans that are being requested to run at low speeds by the OS is not unheard of.

[gamefixer]

Are all flavors of Linux the same in resect to the fans and whatnot? Would there be a build other than Ubantu that would be a better choice? I've seen screenshots and YouTube vids of people running cg and bfgminer mining with ASIC's, FPGA's and video cards so I dont think finding drivers is going to be too hard.

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to trying a new OS.

[rarkenin]

That I wouldn't know. I only use Ubuntu and its close relatives, Debian and Backtrack.

[gamefixer]

That I wouldn't know. I only use Ubuntu and its close relatives, Debian and Backtrack.

I'll stick with Ubantu then. Thanks again for the reply.

[pedrog]

This will help: http://alternativeto.net/

[seanambers]

Unsure if you just want to try something new, or if you have any other reasons for wanting to change.
I do a bit of work in linux, and i find it just so much more practical to use a virtual machine.
It might seems counter intuitive, but running Ubuntu as a VM gives you the best of both worlds in my experience.
Anyways, thought i'd atleast mention it.

Links :
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
http://virtualboxes.org/images/ubuntu/

Good luck either way

[gamefixer]

I just wanted to try an alternative OS.

So far so good although I cant see to get the correct drivers installed for the AMD R9 270. BFG found the 6 chili's, 1 K16 and 30 or so BE's without a hitch. Its been mining for about 4 hours without one zombie (had lots of zombies on my win7 rig).

I just need to play around with the OS more to get used to it.