Ubuntu does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the Linux kernel and the GNU tool-sets. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the Linux kernel, libc, gcc, etc. have been ported, and for which an Ubuntu port exists, can run Ubuntu.
Rather than attempting to describe all the different hardware configurations which are supported for SPARC, this section contains general information and pointers to where additional information can be found.
Ubuntu 8.10 supports three major architectures and several variations of each architecture known as “flavors”. Three other architectures (HP PA-RISC, Intel ia64, and IBM/Motorola PowerPC) have unofficial ports.
| Architecture | Ubuntu Designation | Subarchitecture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel x86-based | i386 | ||
| AMD64 & Intel EM64T | amd64 | ||
| HP PA-RISC | hppa | PA-RISC 1.1 | 32 |
| PA-RISC 2.0 | 64 | ||
| Intel IA-64 | ia64 | ||
| IBM/Motorola PowerPC | powerpc | CHRP | chrp |
| PowerMac | pmac | ||
| Sun SPARC | sparc | sun4u | sparc64 |
| sun4v |
Sparc-based hardware is divided into a number of different subarchitectures, identified by one of the following names: sun4, sun4c, sun4d, sun4m, sun4u or sun4v. The following list describes what machines they include and what level of support may be expected for each of them.
- sun4, sun4c, sun4d, sun4m
-
None of these 32-bit sparc subarchitectures (sparc32) is supported. For a complete list of machines belonging to these subarchitectures, please consult the Wikipedia SPARCstation page.
The last Debian release to support sparc32 was Etch, but even then only for sun4m systems. Support for the other 32-bits subarchitectures had already been discontinued after earlier releases.
- sun4u
-
This subarchitecture includes all 64-bit machines (sparc64) based on the UltraSparc processor and its clones. Most of the machines are well supported, even though for some you may experience problems booting from CD due to firmware or bootloader bugs (this problem may be worked around by using netbooting). Use the sparc64 or sparc64-smp kernel in UP and SMP configurations respectively.
- sun4v
-
This is the newest addition to the Sparc family, which includes machines based on the Niagara multi-core CPUs. At the moment such CPUs are only available in T1000 and T2000 servers by Sun, and are well supported. Use the sparc64-smp kernel.
Note that Fujitsu's SPARC64 CPUs used in PRIMEPOWER family of servers are not supported due to lack of support in the Linux kernel.
Ubuntu's support for graphical interfaces is determined by the underlying support found in X.Org's X11 system. Most AGP, PCI and PCIe video cards work under X.Org. Details on supported graphics buses, cards, monitors, and pointing devices can be found at http://xorg.freedesktop.org/. Ubuntu 8.10 ships with X.Org version 7.3.
Most graphics options commonly found on Sparc-based machines are supported.
X.org graphics drivers are available for sunbw2, suncg14, suncg3, suncg6,
sunleo and suntcx framebuffers, Creator3D and Elite3D cards (sunffb driver),
PGX24/PGX64 ATI-based video cards (ati driver), and PermediaII-based cards
(glint driver). To use an Elite3D card with X.org you additionally need to
install the afbinit package, and read the documentation
included with it on how to activate the card.
It is not uncommon for a Sparc machine to have two graphics cards in a default configuration. In such a case there is a possibility that the Linux kernel will not direct its output to the card initially used by the firmware. The lack of output on the graphical console may then be mistaken for a hang (usually the last message seen on console is 'Booting Linux...'). One possible solution is to physically remove one of the video cards; another option is to disable one of the cards using a kernel boot parameter. Also, if graphical output is not required or desired, serial console may be used as an alternative. On some systems use of serial console can be activated automatically by disconnecting the keyboard before booting the system.
