Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
A Note on Storage
As you've probably noticed, the Raspberry Pi doesn't have a traditional hard drive. Instead it uses
a
Secure Digital (SD) memory card
, a solid-state storage system typically used in digital cameras.
Almost any SD card will work with the Raspberry Pi, but because it holds the entire operating
system, it is necessary for the card to be at least 2 GB in capacity to store all the required iles.
SD cards with the operating system preloaded are available from the oficial Raspberry Pi
Store along with numerous other sites on the Internet. If you've purchased one of these, or
received it in a bundle with your Pi, you can simply plug it in to the SD card slot on the bot-
tom side of the left-hand edge. If not, you'll need to install an operating system—known as
lashing
—onto the card before it's ready to go.
Some SD cards work better than others, with some models refusing to work at all with the
Raspberry Pi. For an up-to-date list of SD card models known to work with the Pi, visit the
eLinux Wiki page:
http://www.elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals#SD_cards
Flashing the SD Card
To prepare a blank SD card for use with the Raspberry Pi, you'll need to
lash
an operating
system onto the card. While this is slightly more complicated than simply dragging and drop-
ping iles onto the card, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to complete.
Firstly, you'll need to decide which Linux distribution you would like to use with your
Raspberry Pi. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Don't worry if you change your
mind later and want to try a diferent version of Linux: an SD card can be lashed again with
a new operating system at any point.
he most up-to-date list of Linux releases compatible with the Pi is available from the
Raspberry Pi website at
http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads
.
he Foundation provides
BitTorrent
links for each distribution. hese are small iles that can
be used with BitTorrent software to download the iles from other users. Using these links is
an eicient and fast way to distribute large iles, and keeps the Foundation's download serv-
ers from becoming overloaded.
To use a BitTorrent link, you'll need to have a compatible
client
installed. If you don't already
have a BitTorrent client installed, download one and install it before trying to download the
Raspberry Pi Linux distribution. One client for Windows, OS X and Linux is µTorrent, avail-
able from
http://www.utorrent.com/downloads
.
