7i96S

Hi,
I am brand new to LinuxCNC, currently using FluidNC and looking to switch. I recently bought an EliteDesk 800 G1, and a Mesa 7i96S. I am a little concerned because I have seen some various forums where people say that you need a special (preempt-rt) Kernel to use an Ethernet controller like the 7i96S. Are there any beginners guides that provide a step by step tutorial on doing a fresh install of LinuxCNC with a Mesa 7i96S? Did I make a mistake going with this hardware and is it going to be very complicated to install a compatible version of LinuxCNC?

Easiest way is to download the "LinuxCNC 2.8.4 Debian 10 Buster PREEMPT-RT ISO" from this page: linuxcnc.org/downloads/

This does include everything you need for a full install of Debian and linuxcnc. You can then choose to either install on your hard drive or test directly from a USB memory stick.

More info is available here: linuxcnc.org/docs/stable/html/getting-st...etting-linuxcnc.html

I believe that this is much easier than it looks to get started. Although there's indeed a learning curve the support here is just plain fantastic and you can always ask if you get stuck anywhere during the process.

reynolds087 wrote:

... Did I make a mistake going with this hardware and is it going to be very complicated to install a compatible version of LinuxCNC?
 

 The 7196S is a great choice and many here are using this too. I'm sure you will find plenty of help in this forum when need arise. Also, linuxcnc would run perfectly fine with older (and much cheaper) EliteDesk. I'm running with a 8300 (Ultra slim) and it is plenty enough for LinuxCnc. (Dirt cheap on e-bay too) 

Thanks for all of the quick responses, everyone! That is great to hear. My PC should be arriving in the next few days, and I'm looking forward to getting started with LinuxCNC.