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 IA-64, this section contains general information and pointers to where additional information can be found.
Ubuntu 10.10 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 | ||
| ARM | armel | Marvell Dove | dove |
| Freescale i.MX51 | imx51 | ||
| TI OMAP | omap | ||
| Versatile | versatile | ||
| HP PA-RISC | hppa | PA-RISC 1.1 | 32 |
| PA-RISC 2.0 | 64 | ||
| Intel IA-64 | ia64 | ||
| IBM/Motorola PowerPC | powerpc | PowerMac | pmac |
| Sun SPARC | sparc | sun4u | sparc64 |
| sun4v |
The IA-64 architecture only supports Intel Itanium processors and not the much more common 64-bit processors from the EM64T family (including e.g. the Pentium D and the Core2 Duo). Those systems are supported by the amd64 architecture or, if you prefer a 32-bit userland, the i386 architecture.
Multiprocessor support — also called “symmetric multiprocessing” or SMP — is available for this architecture. However, the standard Ubuntu 10.10 kernel image does not support SMP. This should not prevent installation, since the standard, non-SMP kernel should boot on SMP systems; the kernel will simply use the first CPU.
In order to take advantage of multiple processors, you'll have to replace the standard Ubuntu kernel. You can find a discussion of how to do this in Section 8.6, “Compiling a New Kernel”. At this time (kernel version 2.6.35) the way you enable SMP is to select “SMP support” in the “General setup” section of the kernel config.
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 10.10 ships with X.Org version 7.5.
Almost any network interface card (NIC) supported by the Linux kernel should also be supported by the installation system; modular drivers should normally be loaded automatically.
Support for braille displays is determined by the underlying support
found in brltty. Most displays work under
brltty, connected via either a serial port, USB
or bluetooth. Details on supported braille devices can be found on the
brltty website.
Debian GNU/Linux 10.10 ships with brltty version
4.1.