Actually you CAN run a Linux diskless(floppy drive required) setup
with a generic nic, cpu, power supply and a memory stick.
It is the FreeSCOLinux.
Here is the link.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/dan.mckay/fscoseti.htm
If you don't already have a Linux system running it does REQUIRE you
to download and install on a Windows system "winima**.exe", the ** are
the version numbers. That will make and install on a floppy disk a
bootable version of the SCOLinux and the Seti stuff. It takes awhile
for a non Linux person to figure it out but it can be done. I did!
I got the nic's for $5.00 US over the net with free shipping! They are
10/100 ones and I only bought 4 of them.

On Sun, 09 Nov 2003 17:54:08 GMT, stevezinn@comcast.net (STZ) wrote:

Hi,
I am running currently 16 minimal processors (1.3GHz CPU, 64
megRAM,diskless).  I prefer win95 server based.  I doubt if you could
run any other windoz OS with only 64 Meg and still have room for a
ramdisk.
If you would like to take a look, goto
http:\\mywebpages\.comcast.net\stevezinn\seti_main.htm

On Sun, 18 May 2003 06:26:28 GMT, "rcm" <rcm711@hotmail.com> wrote:

I am interested in setting up a very very small SETI farm.  2-4 PCs, PII 450
to PIII800.  My main PC is running Win 98 SE with SetiSpy, SetiDriver and
CLI 3.03.  I have another running the same right now.

I am interested in running an efficient farm.  How do I set it up.  The PC's
will run a minimum setup, 1 gb hard drive, floppy, 1-2 mb video card, 10 mbs
NIC, 64 or 128 mb RAM.  I have a 4 port KVM switch to share the keyboard,
monitor and mouse. I have all these parts and PCs are tested and up and
ready to run.  I will tweak each machine hardware wise after I get them up
and running SETI.

I know the electrical power consumption will make getting a AMD 2 gHz
machine look more efficient but I just want to mess around with this.

My question is what is the most efficient OS to use.  I have Win 95 B and
Win 98 SE legal copies (well not legal to multi install but ...)  Not
interested in Win 2k or XP as the machines I plan to use with run SETI only.
I don't have the hardware anyway to run them.

Should I go Linux?  I don't know Linux at all.  Is there a simple Linux to
install to just run SETI efficiently?

Any web sites to hand hold me through Linux running SETI?