I want to install a DL drive. My supplier has a suitable(?) IDE drive from HP which is not, as usual, supported by them for Linux. How do I access the openSUSE driver base to comfirm without having to buy it and attempt to install? :\
The IDE interface is an international storage device standard that every single hardware vendor complies with. The Linux kernel also complies with this standard. For this reason Linux does not maintain a driver base within the kernel of all known working IDE CD/DVD devices.
In essence when you plug in such a device, Linux will scan to check if it is compliant with the international standard, then load the relevant driver / kernel modules.
It doesnt check to see if a known IDE CD/DVD device such as an HP DVD1135i is present in the system and load a unique driver for it.
So there should be no reason to doubt its compatibility with Linux operating systems.
In reality however, problems can occur and for the most part this can be due to buggy motherboards, (bios/chipset), the drive in question, using a 40 PIN IDE cable, incorrect installation…
Will it work??
99.9% = Yes