Re: BDI hardware requirements

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Ray Henry <rehenry@u...> wrote:

>
> John
>
> Sounds like you've made a good start with the dual boot. The
> 700 meg is small but if you remove the Red Hat you can install
> the BDI 2.16 workstation there and still have some space left
> over for putting your favorite Red Hat packages back in.
>
> I'd install the BDI rather than trying to make the existing
> Linux install do the work. It uses a real-time patched kernel
> that you can most easily get from the BDI disk. If you do it
> this way, you will have a working EMC rather than trying to
> piece together a system.

OK, that sounds good. Actually I'd like to try to find a faster
machine for the real CNC work, and dedicate it to RTLinux and EMC.
The dual boot one is only 100MHz. It's really just a chance to
get familiar with Linux, learn the lingo, etc. I realize that the
BDI lives up to it's name, and I don't really have to learn all
the details, but I want to. In years past I was a pretty serious
programmer, but windoze changed all that. I want to get back
into it, and the unix environment, especially RTLinux, seems like
a good way to do it. I like the low level stuff, and in addition
to CNC I have a robotics project that I'd like to play with
someday. So I want to actually understand RTLinux and EMC, not
just use them.

>
> If you decide to install the BDI, use the manual partition
> option. This will save the dos partition that you have
> win95 in. This makes a reasonably good multi os system.
> I've got a couple of them around here somewhere. About the
> only thing I do now on MS is run easycad.

I also use EasyCad, and love it. A windoze program that isn't a
dog, what a novel concept! I also use Excel, PaintShopPro, and
other windoze programs. As I come up to speed on Linux, I'll no
doubt find Linux replacements for many of them. For some, though,
it just makes sense to stick with MS. I use Excel extensively at
work, and wouldn't be allowed to use an alternative there. I'd
rather be really proficient with one spreadsheet then halfway
proficient with two, and constantly looking for commands and
functions that exist in the one I'm not using.

>
> If you decide to try to pull BDI packages into the existing
> Linux, you will need the BDI kernel, all of the EMC packages,
> the RCSLIB package, and the tcl and tk packages. Probably
> several others as well.
>

I'll probably either replace the Redhat on my dual boot system
with BDI, or get a faster machine for BDI and use the dual boot
system for general use. You're right, I shouldn't try to mix
and match.

I have a couple of network cards, maybe I can network the dual
boot machine to a dedicated EMC machine.... Oh, the possibilities!
Too many projects, not enough time! Thanks for the help and
encouragement.

John