Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1-6:
Two USB Mass
Storage devices:
a pen drive and
an external hard
drive
he majority of USB Mass Storage devices can be read by the Pi, whether or not they have
existing content. In order for the Pi to be able to access these devices, their drives must be
mounted
—a process you will learn in Chapter 2, “Linux System Administration”. For now, it's
enough to connect the drives to the Pi in readiness.
Connecting the Network
While the majority of these setup instructions are equally applicable to both the Raspberry Pi
Model A and the Model B, networking is a special exception. To keep the component count—
and therefore the cost—as low as possible, the Model A doesn't feature any onboard net-
working. hankfully, that doesn't mean you can't network the Model A; only that you'll need
some additional equipment to do so.
Networking the Model A
To give the Model A the same networking capabilities as its more expensive Model B coun-
terpart, you'll need a USB-connected Ethernet adapter. This connects to a free USB port on
the Raspberry Pi or a connected hub and provides a wired Ethernet connection with an
RJ45 connector, the same as is available on the Model B.
A 10/100 USB Ethernet adapter—with the numbers referring to its two-speed mode, 10 Mb/s
and 100 Mb/s—can be purchased from online retailers for very little money. When buying an
Ethernet adapter, be sure to check that Linux is listed as a supported operating system. A few
models only work with Microsoft Windows, and are incompatible with the Raspberry Pi.
Don't be tempted to go for a gigabit-class adapter, which will be referred to as a 10/100/1000
USB Ethernet adapter. Standard USB ports, as used on the Raspberry Pi, can't cope with the
speed of a gigabit Ethernet connection, and you'll see no beneit to the more expensive adapter.
