Adapting an openSUSE installation to new hardware

English Hardware
1

So, let’s say someone has the latest version of openSUSE on a machine from the mid 00’s: It has a single-core 1.2 GHZ processor, 512 MB of DDR2 memory, an AGP video card with 128 MB of VRAM, and pretty much old hardware. Then they buy a new computer with the latest tech: A quad-core CPU on a different socket, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a powerful PCI-E video card, new motherboard chipset architecture, etc. However, the user doesn’t feel like re-installing the operating system from scratch. So he either moves the hard drive of the old computer into the new one or clones the partition using a disk cloning tool, then powers on the new PC.

My question is if openSUSE will still be able to boot, and automatically recognize all of the new hardware. Having bigger values for frequencies and amount of memory shouldn’t be a problem, but the installation existed on a totally different architecture (chipset, sockets and more). When the system boots again, it comes across technologies it never seen before or was configured for. Unless Linux is that awesome and automatically aware of everything, it will likely be stuck at boot time with a console. But maybe there’s some tool you can access from the recovery console to re-detect and configure all hardware.

When I’ll upgrade my computer (not too soon) it won’t be anything as extreme as my example (my current PC was made of the latest tech 3 years ago). Still, I will be getting the latest hardware again… which means a new chipset and CPU design, possibly a new video card architecture, and likely DDR4 memory instead of DDR3 (not sure if DDR4 is already a common standard at this day). I know I’m lazy but I don’t wish to setup my system from scratch right after I get a new machine. So how can I make my openSUSE install adapt to all the new hardware and boot like nothing happened?

2

You won’t know, until you try. Unless your hardware requires proprietary drivers, the chances are that the needed drivers are already installed but just not used on the old hardware.

On the other hand, I think it a bad idea. A new install is not that difficult. Your old system will be 32bit, probably using the default kernel that can only address 2G of memory.

I recently took the hard drive from a Dell Inspiron 530 (2008 vintage), and installed it in a Dell Inspiron 660 purchased this year. It booted. In fact, I’m using that system right now to type this post. However, the hardware differences are smaller than what you are describing.

3

On 2013-08-13, MirceaKitsune <MirceaKitsune@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:
> So, let’s say someone has the latest version of openSUSE on a machine
> from the mid 00’s: It has a single-core 1.2 GHZ processor, 512 MB of
> DDR2 memory, an AGP video card with 128 MB of VRAM, and pretty much old
> hardware. Then they buy a new computer with the latest tech: A quad-core
> CPU on a different socket, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a powerful PCI-E video
> card, new motherboard chipset architecture, etc.

Unless there are proprietary driver issues, the old install should still work but I think it’s a really a bad idea. You
haven’t specified the original CPU, but my guess is that it’s 32-bit and you’re therefore running an openSUSE 32-bit
installation which would be poor option for your new hardware.

> I know I’m lazy but I don’t wish to setup
> my system from scratch right after I get a new machine. So how can I
> make my openSUSE install adapt to all the new hardware and boot like
> nothing happened?

Linux is not for the lazy. You should keep updating it or at least be aware of the latest security updates. Since I
install openSUSE on more than one box and keep it updated, I make sure the blank hard drive->everything (including
software with customised settings) procedures takes no longer than an hour. Here’s a few tips on making this feasible:

  1. Keep a separate home partition (although I usually blank it for version updates nowadays).
  2. Keep a blank partition purely for data symlinked from ~/.
  3. Script routine backup procedures so there’s a copy of your data on other media (e.g. external hard drive/NAS RAID).
  4. Script your repository additions and routine software installations (e.g. make).
  5. Script your symlink creations and ~/.*rc configurations.

If you haven’t created such scripts, you can do so over the course of your next installation which will make future
installations much quicker.

4

On 2013-08-13 12:06, MirceaKitsune wrote:

> My question is if openSUSE will still be able to boot, and
> automatically recognize all of the new hardware.

A lot of it, yes. You have to reconfigure specifics, like video and
audio, network card, etc. I have done it.

Video is automatic if supported by kernel; if you are using proprietary
drivers you have to remove them and/or reinstall if necessary. The rest
you just need to go into yast and reconfigure that section.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4, with Evergreen, x86_64 “Celadon” (Minas Tirith))

5

Only proprietary driver I use is fglrx, which I can manually re-install at any time so it’s not a problem. My example was a bit more extreme than what’s actually the case with my machines… I already have x64 Linux and an OS architecture change would only be needed decades from now when we’ll enter the x128 era :slight_smile: I also keep everything up to date and have the latest official packages, so that’s not a problem.

Anyway that sounds like good news. I was worried it wouldn’t work because the install might be configured and optimized for one type of chipset and ports, and starting it up on another setup could confuse the OS entirely. Last time I fully upgraded (I had Windows XP back then) I just plugged in the old hard drive and everything worked like nothing happened. But some years ago, when I was switching from an AGP to PCI-E video card and also a radically different CPU architecture, Windows would render a corrupt loading screen and the computer would jam a few seconds later, so I had to do a complete reinstall.

6

On 2013-08-13 16:36, MirceaKitsune wrote:
>
> Only proprietary driver I use is fglrx, which I can manually re-install
> at any time so it’s not a problem. My example was a bit more extreme
> than what’s actually the case with my machines… I already have x64
> Linux and an OS architecture change would only be needed decades from
> now when we’ll enter the x128 era :slight_smile:

:slight_smile:

The upgrade from 32 to 64 bit is not easy nor supported, but many people
have done it (me too).

> Anyway that sounds like good news. I was worried it wouldn’t work
> because the install might be configured and optimized for one type of
> chipset and ports, and starting it up on another setup could confuse the
> OS entirely.

Linux hardware config is mostly done at boot, on the fly. The typical
exceptions are video and sound, and even those attempt autoconfig
nowdays. Displays, for instance, have a protocol to tell the video card
what resolutions they support.

There may be kernel modules with specific manual configs, of course, and
these have to be tended to.

More times than not the system just boots - but there are exceptions;
you just need to try.

Just consider live CDs: they just work.

> video card and also a radically different CPU architecture, Windows
> would render a corrupt loading screen and the computer would jam a few
> seconds later, so I had to do a complete reinstall.

Windows has a harder time. Mind, it can be intentional, because when you
upgrade the HD, for example, W7 says the license is invalid.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4, with Evergreen, x86_64 “Celadon” (Minas Tirith))

7

On 08/13/2013 10:18 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
>
> Windows has a harder time. Mind, it can be intentional, because when you
> upgrade the HD, for example, W7 says the license is invalid.

It is much easier when you do not care if the user is running an
illegally-cloned copy of the OS.

8

On 2013-08-13 19:58, Larry Finger wrote:
> On 08/13/2013 10:18 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
>>
>> Windows has a harder time. Mind, it can be intentional, because when you
>> upgrade the HD, for example, W7 says the license is invalid.
>
> It is much easier when you do not care if the user is running an
> illegally-cloned copy of the OS.

Why would that be? :-o

My hard disk broke down and had to be replaced. I cloned the partitions
to a new one, replaced, Linux worked, Windows did not. Totally legal and
above board. I have the holographic sticker to prove it.

I said upgrading the hard disk, not cloning to another computer - which
would be also legal if the first one is then “destroyed”.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4, with Evergreen, x86_64 “Celadon” (Minas Tirith))

9

On 08/13/2013 02:24 PM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
> On 2013-08-13 19:58, Larry Finger wrote:
>> On 08/13/2013 10:18 AM, Carlos E. R. wrote:
>>>
>>> Windows has a harder time. Mind, it can be intentional, because when you
>>> upgrade the HD, for example, W7 says the license is invalid.
>>
>> It is much easier when you do not care if the user is running an
>> illegally-cloned copy of the OS.
>
> Why would that be? :-o
>
> My hard disk broke down and had to be replaced. I cloned the partitions
> to a new one, replaced, Linux worked, Windows did not. Totally legal and
> above board. I have the holographic sticker to prove it.
>
> I said upgrading the hard disk, not cloning to another computer - which
> would be also legal if the first one is then “destroyed”.

How do they know it is just a new hard drive? You might be cloning the OS onto a
second, or more, box with the same CPU, same motherboard, and the same amount of
RAM. In that case, the copy would be illegal according to their license. In
addition, I’m not sure if moving Windows to a new computer is legal, even if the
old one is destroyed. Fortunately, I no longer have a copy of that product
around, but I think I remember that language from the old days.

Of course Linux is legal in most ways you obtain it. I say “most” because I have
not examined the license for some of the server releases with long-term support.

10

On Tue, 13 Aug 2013 23:14:16 +0000, Larry Finger wrote:

> In addition, I’m not sure if moving Windows to a new computer is legal,
> even if the old one is destroyed.

It depends on the specific license, but usually you just have to go
through a re-activation process.

Some of the OEM licenses don’t allow it to be moved, IIRC, but even then,
an upgrade to the hard drive or replacement of a faulty motherboard isn’t
a hinderance - just a reactivation (again).

I think there’s perhaps a limited number of re-activations, though.

Jim

–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C