Choose the computer

Two types of computer

BiblioViva runs on a computer with a 64-bit Linux system. This guide describes two cases.

Old PC with Linux

This is the first solution to consider: an old PC of the school, no longer suited to daily work, is often enough and requires no purchases. It uses more power and makes more noise than a Raspberry Pi.

• A 64-bit processor (see below how to check it) and at least 2 GB of memory.
• Operating system: Debian or Ubuntu, installed on the PC. Other distributions, such as Fedora, are possible for whoever knows Linux: see the technical page Deployment notes (technical).
• The computer's name, in this guide, is biblioviva: with the local network it is the name by which the computer is reached (biblioviva.local). The guide says at which step to set it.

A PC with Windows

This guide does not describe the installation on a PC with Windows. Whoever has only a computer with Windows can install Linux in its place, if the PC is dedicated to BiblioViva, or use a Raspberry Pi (described below).

Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi is a small computer, the size of a wallet, that makes no noise and uses little power. It is an alternative to the old PC, to be bought on purpose.

• Model: Raspberry Pi 4 or Raspberry Pi 5, with at least 2 GB of memory.
• A 32 GB microSD card, on which the operating system is written.
• Operating system: Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit, written on the card with the Raspberry Pi Imager program.

The complete list of what is needed is in Requirements.

Dedicated computer or desk computer

BiblioViva can run on a dedicated computer, which nobody uses for anything else, or on the same computer used at the loans desk. The dedicated computer is the recommended choice.

With a dedicated computer, the desk computer is any computer with a browser, like every other device of the school.

Performance profiles

BiblioViva adapts its use of memory and disk to the computer it runs on. The adaptation is a profile, which the installation proposes by itself according to the computer and which can be changed later from the administration. There are four profiles.

A more modest profile is always safe: BiblioViva works, a little more slowly in heavy operations, such as printing many sheets or the backup. A profile too ambitious for the computer can instead slow it down. When in doubt, choose small. The expected case is a library of up to 10 000 books and 1 000 patrons.

The values of each profile are in the technical page Performance and in the Configuration reference, both in English.

Check that an old PC is 64-bit

An old PC works only if its processor is 64-bit. Almost all PCs that are not too old are; the check removes every doubt.

• If the PC still has Windows: open the system settings, at the entry with the information about the computer, and read the "System type". It must say an "x64-based processor" [VERIFY: menu entry and text in English of Windows 10 and 11]. The operating system can be 32-bit even on a 64-bit processor: the processor counts, because Linux replaces the system.

• If the PC already has Linux or starts from a USB stick with Linux: open the terminal and type the following command.

  uname -m
  

  The answer x86_64 means a 64-bit processor; i686 or i386 mean a 32-bit processor, not suitable.

The step Prepare the computer says how to install the operating system.

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