Install a minimal 64-bit OS in all cases, OLPC laptops notwithstanding!
Read the partition scheme below.
FAQ.IIAB.IO documents OS implementation trends, among these recommended choices:
The following OS's are theoretically possible, but may require extensive babysitting to get right: * Ubuntu 19.04 Disco Dingo released 2019-04-18 * Install Tips: #1586 * Debian 10 "Buster" pre-releases (quasi-daily ISO, weekly ISO) * Install Tips: #1387 * Debian "Sid" for developers * Ubermix 4.x based on Ubuntu 18.04 * Create a USB stick (USB drive >= 4GB will suffice initially) to install Ubermix 4.x. Download the latest from http://ubermix.org/files.html and follow the instructions at http://ubermix.org/download.html * Read the "Customization Overview" section here: http://ubermix.org/customization.html. This is important information to understand. * Use your Ubermix USB install stick to do an ADVANCED install of Ubermix 4.x on your designated computer (turn off UEFI in its BIOS if possible) following the instructions under "Installing on your System" here: http://ubermix.org/download.html * You need to shrink the /home partition to make room for content to be stored in /library. Change partition sizes by selecting Option 2 ("Advanced image") to set a larger size for the Default System partition (/dev/ext2) and/or larger size for the User Changes partition (/dev/ext3). You will be prompted to manually enter in partition sizes. * e.g. for an 80GB hard drive, consider 12GB (default) for the Default System partition and 50GB for the User Changes partition (IF /library IIAB content will be stored in the User Changes partition, wiped during factory reset reverts). You can adjust the partition sizes as necessary based on your hard drive size and content size needs. * e.g. consider reversing this: 50GB for the Default System partition and 12GB for the User Changes partition (IF /library IIAB content will be stored in the Default System partition, to protect it from factory reset reverts) * Ubermix will install in ~5 or so minutes. * Once Ubermix is installed and you are logged in, confirm the partitions are as you expect by opening up the Terminal and entering "df -h". Proceed if all is as expected. * Turn off aufs (UnionFS). Follow steps #2-6 under the "Rebuilding the Base Image" section here: http://ubermix.org/customization.html * Congratulations, you are now ready to install IIAB. * Install curl, by manually running: sudo apt install curl * Run IIAB's 1-line installer: http://d.iiab.io * Turn aufs (UnionFS) back on. * Consider building a USB stick to install everything at once onto other laptops/desktops, reading "Rebuilding the Base Image" in http://www.ubermix.org/customization.html ("5. Expert Options", then "1. Update the image on the key using this machine as a model") * CentOS 7.6 LTS * Ubuntu 16.04 LTS * Debian 8.11 "Jessie" LTS * Fedora 18 (32-bit) for legacy support of One Laptop per Child's (OLPC) XO laptops
Contact us if you can help, testing would be greatly appreciated!
Theoretically IIAB should run on any machine that can run Ubuntu, Debian or close derivatives (like Raspbian, Ubermix, etc). CentOS 7 and Fedora are not nearly as well supported, as of February 2019 (#1434).
In practice, IIAB has been tested on the platforms and configurations below. For more detail, see "What hardware should I use?" within FAQ.IIAB.IO
Mini PC's also include MSI and Zotac etc, typically configured with 4 to 8 GB RAM and a 1TB internal hard disk, or 200+ GB SSD. Most models have a minimum of four USB ports and some have an internal Wi-Fi adapter.
OLPC laptops with an SD card of 32, 64, or 128 GB and a subset of the content found on machines with more storage or with an external hard drive.
1 GB RAM, typically with a microSD card of 32, 64, or 128 GB. Four USB ports allow the addition of Ethernet dongles, a Wi-Fi adapter, and possibly additional storage.
(After building your Internet-in-a-Box microSD inside a Raspberry Pi 3 or 3 B+, also consider testing it within the amazing/tiny 512MB Raspberry Pi Zero W, available for as little as $3.14 at Micro Center stores in the USA.)
Virtual machines with varying configurations, especially Debian and CentOS 7, are often used for testing or proof-of-concept.
A number of users have successfully deployed IIAB on late model desktop and laptop computers.
Disable UEFI in your computer's BIOS if possible!
It's critical to avoid a large /home partition, so there's room to add content (in /library). Pay close attention while installing your OS (Ubuntu, Debian etc). You should remove (or dramatically shrink) this /home partition, if your Linux distro insists on creating one.
On a 1TB disk, we recommend the following 2-to-4 partitions, such as: (traditionally we use standard partitioning, but now increasingly LVM partitioning is also possible) * /boot - 500 MB * swap - 2 GB (optional partition, set this to your RAM size, or create a swap file if you prefer) * / - 50 GB * /library - the remainder (optional partition, can protect your content during major upgrades)
On smaller disks and SD cards we strongly recommend: 1) reducing (or altogether eliminating) the swap partition 2) avoiding a separate partition for /library — far better to keep your content directory (/library) within the main partition!
Each of the above devices may have one or more network adapters. These may be internal Ethernet, internal or external Wi-Fi, or Ethernet dongles. The role the server is able to play in the network will depend on what adapters and connections it has.