1. Minimum Requirements
The minimum system to run EMC2 and Ubuntu may vary depending on the exact usage. Stepper systems in general require faster threads to generate step pulses than servo systems. Using the Live-CD you can test the software before committing a computer. Keep in mind that the Latency Test numbers are more important than the processor speed for software step generation. More information on the Latency Test is in Section ( [sub:Latency-Test]).
Additional information is on the EMC Wiki site:
EMC2 and Ubuntu should run reasonably well on a computer with the following minimum hardware specification. These numbers are not the absolute minimum but will give reasonable performance for most stepper systems.
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700 MHz x86 processor (1.2 GHz x86 processor recommended)
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384 MB of RAM (512 MB up to 1 GB recommended)
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4 GB hard disk
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Graphics card capable of at least 800x600 resolution, which is not using the NVidia or ATI fglrx proprietary drivers, and which is not an onboard video chipset that shares main memory with the CPU
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A network or Internet connection (not strictly needed, but very useful for updates and for communicating with the EMC community)
2. Problematic Hardware
2.1. Laptops
Laptops are not generally suited to real time software step generation. Again a Latency Test run for an extended time will give you the info you need to determine suitability.
2.2. Video Cards
If your installation pops up with 800 x 600 screen resolution then most likely Ubuntu does not recognize your video card or monitor. Onboard video many times causes bad real time performance.