When choosing a distribution, factors such as cost, ease of installation, support and kernel version should be considered. Some add-on packages, such as Web100 (http://www.web100.org/), require a certain version of kernel because it actually modifies the kernel (most packages do not).

Support doesn't necessarily mean a telephone number to call; most of the best support is in the form of FAQs, Web sites, mailing lists and discussion boards. Fedora Core (http://fedora.redhat.com/) is a great package, for example, for building network monitoring devices.

Whether ordering an enterprise package through the mail or downloading and burning ISO images to CDs, the easiest installation is by booting off an install CD. Fortunately, most outcast machines nowadays do have a workable CD drive. It is possible -- albeit more difficult -- to load the operating system by creating boot floppy disks and loading over the network.

Regardless, the machine should be booted with whatever peripherals (such as PC NICs, in the case of a laptop monitor) will be needed, to prevent having to manually add drivers later.

The installation methods are very similar for all distributions. After booting the installation media, graphical and textual installation method options are presented. As mentioned earlier, the text-based installation should be selected if performance and or video compatibility are a concern.