fit-PC1, fit-PC Slim Users Forum

alex · Joined: 05 Sep 2007 Posts: 2

I got the Fit-PC for a VPN router project, and needed iptables to work. After getting errors about a missing ip_tables module, having to either install the module, or recompile the kernel, besides a kindof clunky networking (ip, dhcpd and routing) setup within KDE, I decided to install CentOS 4 (a RedHat Enterprise Linux clone) from a USB CD-Rom drive with Gnome. Everything seems to be working just fine. This little PC is amazing!

Oman · Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 6

Ok, I've been fighting with this thing for a week now. I can't get ANY linux distro installed. I am actually trying to get an Asterisk system up and I want to use CentOS. Which version of CentOS did you get installed? Everything I try ends up blowing up in Anaconda when it is trying to locate the packages to install.

The machine came with the 2 distros installed and I fired them both up to make sure that the box was working. The thing is that I don't want X or any other crud running because there will be just enough CPU and memory to run a few lines with Asterisk.

Oman

imrambi · Joined: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 67

Whats your install medium?

I've never setup Asterisk, but there is a good Gentoo howto here

Also, good instructions on how to get Gentoo on the Fit can be found at here.

The directions for the usb pen should be universal, so you should be able to put a different distro on the pen.
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Oman · Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 6

After a whole lot of trial and error, here are my test results:

1) The current versions of FreeBSD will not install. The latest version will not operate on the system properly even if moved onto the disk (using the installer on a different PC). I was able to hack the kernel and bootloader a bit but it wasn't stable. In other words pfSense and like FreeBSD net appliances are a no-go until this gets resolved.

2) CentOS (and thus Redhat) 4 and 5 will not install. The install kernel has issues with the fit-PC. You can install CentOS 4.x on another PC and move it to the fit. CentOS 5 does not seem to want to run at all once installed (strangely enough the LiveCD works, but I've tried several kernels and they all cause a BIOS unsupported opcode error.)

Everything I wanted to possibly use the fit-PC for uses either FreeBSD or CentOS. The old Trixbox 4.2 version uses CentOS 4.5 so I was able to get that working by installing to another PC and moving the HD image over. This isn't the best solution but at least I don't have a $300.00 brick.

If I have read all the forum posts correctly it looks like both the CentOS and FreeBSD issues could possibly be resolved via the fit-PC BIOS.

Jon

Kang · Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

yogev_ezra · Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 143

CentOS 4.7 (i586 kernel) installed flawlessly on Fit-PC Slim:
http://fit-pc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133

From the same thread I wrote: CentOS 5 (5.0, 5.1, 5.2 and above) will not install under any circumstances without putting the HD into another machine and installing there. The reason: no i586 support anymore in CentOS 5