Author Topic: ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?  (Read 5752 times)

Levasai

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ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?
« on: June 24, 2017, 10:21:45 pm »
Hi all,

In the advend of ArcaOS I'm looking for some suggestions about recommended or supported/tested hardware.
Since OS/2 1.3 we all know: OS/2 doesnt run on any hardware. Each new version had new pitfalls to avoid. from "Memory Adressing upside down", over "Storage device driver" and "RAM-Memory / HDD-Partition Limitiations at install", until ACPI/UEFI-Bios problems - this list was always longer than the lists of Windows  or Linux. 

So its more astonishing, that there seems no recommend hardware list.
the ArcaOS Wiki says: "Arca Noae is continuously working to keep a current Hardware Compatibility List."

Can I (or we - the customers) please get a glimpse of the list? Or should only the users test new hardware like a surprise menu?

Greetings
Andy

Remy

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Levasai

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Re: ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2017, 01:32:23 am »
Okay, this is a succsessfull "educated guess" whats working. Thanks for sharing your results and experience. We all need more of this.
But this is the part with "trial and error" or "buy something and test it".

Reading the changelogs and update infos shows no evolutional leaps to eCs 2.2.
(like "hey! we have rewritten and ported the memory managment to be able to adress flat 45 bit!", which would be a leap, that puts ArcaOS years ahead of Linux or windows :D)
So my "educated guess" is: what works under ecs 2.2, that works under ArcaOs?
That leads me to three long-known possible pitfalls:
*UEFI (how to decipher the advertisment BS in the docs of todays mainboards to decide, if this mainboard has enough legacy support or just a crippled "my mouse works in  UEFI-GUI too!"),
*USB and storage driver support  (e.g.: are Lars' USB-drivers now USB3-aware or has the board at least USB2-Ports?).
This is a point, I haven'd reread yet. ->Notice to me: read the funny manual!
 *Graphics support: Does panorama or SNAP supports an actual graphics card in_wide_mode? My last test with intel CPU-integrated graphics was a desaster, so i do not expect this to work.
 
I know, the usual answer could be something like this: "Order at Amazon and send it back, if its not working." but hey! its not fair.

I'm sure, ArcaNoae have installed ArcaOs at least on some machines. Maybe they can tell us about it?
I remember Eugenes supported HW list on ecomstaion.ru. I also remember Martins start of a hardware-wiki here. But both are not broad enough to be a HW buyers guide.

Dave Yeo

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Re: ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2017, 02:26:38 am »
No USB3 support yet. Need working legacy mode in UEFI based motherboards. Panorama generally supports wide screen mode, I have to force it here with an older ATI or builtin Intel graphics card (actually it works during install and then screws up sometimes) with the Panoutil utility, much better then snap. Most wired network cards work. Audio is iffy, can always resort to USB audio with Lars drivers. Only up to 2 TB hard drives supported and they need to have the right geometry and a MBR. Memory above 3.5 GBs is only useful as a ramdisk, FAT, FAT32 or HPFS

OS4User

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Re: ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2017, 08:51:50 am »
Memory above 3.5 GBs is only useful as a ramdisk, FAT, FAT32 or HPFS

Some recent motherboards map to first 4G region only 2G of physical memory in spite of the fact that there are much more of installed memory present. (I saw it on some mobo with Intel B85 and B150 chipsets).

Other other models of mobo map 3G - 3.5G. Of course, it is better to have as much as possible phys mem in first 4G region. OS/2, being a 32bits system, can use only phys mem in first 4G for regular purposes.

There hasn't been done any deep research how chipsets influence the mem mapping in first 4G (may be B85 and B150 map more phys mem on some other models of mobo).

 

Levasai

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Re: ArcaOS Hardware recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2017, 10:11:29 am »
This are exactly the same reqs like ecs 2.2.
BTW: the Upper Border of max useable RAM for 32bit systems like OS/2 is 4GB. From this line, there have to cut off some RAM for the I/O space, shown at the upper end of this 4GB. This RAM is still there but cannot adressed.
The amount of RAM cutted off depends on the I/O-settings. If you can, set every HW I/O-pace as high as possible ("stuff it in the upper corner"). This means also: reserve as least graphics memory as you can / need in the BIOS settings.
e.g. a resolution of 1280x1024 pixel with 24bit color depth needs 3.9 MB RAM.
Because we use VESA modes, there is no processing and therefore no additional RAM neccessary for the graphics card.
The bios setting is somehow called "video aperture size" or similar.

If  this machine use other OSses, that can uses the processing power of the graphics card, this settings slows them down (mostly in games). so you have to compromise.
How much RAM is used depends of the mainboard chipset, the graphics card, the graphics card firmware and the mainboard bios config settings. Some mainboard manufacturer like Asus, Gigabyte and Biostar give you as much control as the bios can give you, other manufacturer cripple the bios down to no settings whatsonever. (e.g. in case of Asrock, its company politics: "if you want this, buy our more expensive ASUS-Boards")
 
I dont know, if  OS/2 can deal with the PAE extention to move some I/O space abvove the 4GB border.
hehe, its like the ancient times of MSDOS to free up conventional RAM below 640kb :D