Have students discuss their experiences with non-Intelbased hardware, outlining some of the challenges that they may have faced in using that hardware. Which specific platforms did they use and what OS did the system run? . Have students discuss some of the problems that they may have encountered when attempting to install Linux in the past. What were some of the issues that they came across, and how did they resolve them? In what ways has hardware support in Linux improved in the last few years?

Research online to create a list of Web sites that contain troubleshooting information related to Linux. Good candidate sites to include on these lists are those with busy forums or message boards. Compile the sites into a master list to be distributed to all students. Research online for different RAID hardware solutions offered by different vendors, outlining how price and capabilities differ among different vendor offers. Students should also note whether the vendors products support Linux.