1 - 3 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 7.1.8 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Lab 7.1.8: Using the HCL
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Objective
Upon completion of this lab, the student will be able to identify and analyze the
compatibility of system hardware to the corresponding operating system.
Equipment
• Internet access
Scenario
A server needs a Network Operating System (NOS) that best supports the existing
hardware. The manager would like the NOS to be Windows 2000, Linux Red Hat, or
Linux Caldera.
Procedures
There are four pieces of hardware that must be compatible with the NOS. Compatibility
will be determined by using the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) on the Web site of
each NOS.
Step 1
Open three internet browser windows.
Step 2
Enter the following URLs into each of the browser windows:
• Windows 2000 Server.
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/howtobuy/upgrading/compat/
default.asp Once connected, click on the Hardware Devices tab to start the
search Linux Red Hat.
http://hardware.redhat.com/

• Once connected, click on Hardware Compatibility List to start the
search.Linux Caldera.
http://www.caldera.com/support/hardware/

• Once connected, click on OpenLinux eSERVER 2.3 to start the search.

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Step 7
Reinstall the CD-ROM driver. Click the Action button in the Device Manager. Click Scan
for Hardware Changes. What happens?
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Is the CD-ROM drive still shown in the Device Manager?
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Reflection
How can using the Hardware Compatibility List be beneficial to an administrator who is
3 - 3 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 7.1.8 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc.
troubleshooting the devices connected to the server?
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