hard drive head parking in linux

[Jerry James Haumberger <jerryjh@imt.net>]

>> is this already an automatic feature of the 
>> later hard drives... 

>Yes, AFAIK this is an automatic eature of all IDE drives.

Good.  If I listen closely to this 486 DX2 system, I can
hear the gentle "plunk" sound as the IDE drive heads move
into or out of position.  For example, I suspect that when I
hear this sound shortly after activating the screen (when it
has been blanked by the screen saver under BasicLinux) and do
something on the keyboard, the HD heads that were lifted off
from above the hard drive surface during the quiet period are
moving back closer into their normal active position -- just
scarcely above the hard disk surface.

>It's not a big issue (it will be a very rare bird that
>runs Linux on an old XT HD).  If you want to protect the
>HD, just reset to DOS and run the park utility before 
>powering down.

These older machines do just fine with DOS and the Internet
without the need for something more complex, like Linux.  I
keep pretty close to software/hardware combinations that were
usual for the active period of each of my classic machines.  The
Linux console-only installation on this 486 DX2 is altogether
"normal", in my opinion, right along with its dual relationship
alongside PC DOS 7.  I don't think it would have been a peculiar
combination back in the early 1990's (this machine has a late
1991 BIOS).  Around 1994, let's say, this would have been a
very powerful and expensive machine, but not unattainable for
those who could afford it, nor strange.

All in all, though, I believe that Linux is easier on and kinder
to old hardware; and for serious professional use of classic
machines, folks should consider using Linux to prolong the
productivity of such hardware -- and they should preferably
begin with the most basic of distributions, such as your
BasicLinux, with no less than the minimum hardware requirements
you've mentioned.

Jerry... on a 486 DX2-50MHz with 8MB RAM in BasicLinux 1.7
and Midnight Commander at the lab of Classic Systems, Ltd.


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