2.1. Supported Hardware
| Chapter 2. System Requirements |

## 2.1. Supported Hardware

Ubuntu does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the Linux kernel and the GNU tool-sets. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the Linux kernel, libc, gcc, etc. have been ported, and for which an Ubuntu port exists, can run Ubuntu.

Rather than attempting to describe all the different hardware configurations which are supported for S/390, this section contains general information and pointers to where additional information can be found.

### 2.1.1. Supported Architectures

Ubuntu 16.04 supports six major architectures and several variations of each architecture known as “flavors”. One other architecture (IBM/Motorola PowerPC) has an unofficial port.

Architecture | Ubuntu Designation | Subarchitecture | Flavor
--- | --- | --- | ---
Intel x86-based | i386 |  |
AMD64 & Intel 64 | amd64 |  |
ARM with hardware FPU | armhf | multiplatform | generic
multiplatform for LPAE-capable systems | generic-lpae
64bit ARM | arm64 |  |
IBM/Motorola PowerPC | powerpc | PowerMac | pmac
Power Systems | ppc64el | IBM POWER8 or newer machines |
64bit IBM S/390 | s390x | IPL from VM-reader and DASD | generic

### 2.1.2. zSeries and System z machine types

S/390 support software is included from the kernel 4.2 development stream. The most current information about IBM's Linux support can be found at the Linux on System z® page on developerWorks.

### 2.1.3. PAV and HyperPAV

PAV and HyperPAV are supported transparently, multipathing is not needed to take advantage of these storage system features. Be sure to configure the devices during DASD device selection. The alias devices will not be offered neither for formatting, partitioning nor direct use.

### 2.1.4. Multiple Processors

Multiprocessor support — also called “symmetric multiprocessing” or SMP — is available for this architecture. Having multiple processors in a computer was originally only an issue for high-end server systems but has become common in recent years nearly everywhere with the introduction of so called “multi-core” processors. These contain two or more processor units, called “cores”, in one physical chip.

The standard Ubuntu 16.04 kernel image has been compiled with SMP support. It is also usable on non-SMP systems without problems.

### 2.1.5. Network Connectivity Hardware

Almost any network interface card (NIC) supported by the Linux kernel should also be supported by the installation system; drivers should normally be loaded automatically.

The list of supported network devices is:

- Channel to Channel (CTC) and ESCON connection (real or emulated)

- OSA-2 Token Ring/Ethernet and OSA-Express Fast Ethernet (non-QDIO)

- OSA-Express in QDIO mode, HiperSockets and Guest-LANs

### 2.1.6. Peripherals and Other Hardware

Package installations from XPRAM and tape are not supported by this system. All packages that you want to install need to be available on a DASD or over the network using NFS, HTTP or FTP.

Chapter 2. System Requirements |  | 2.2. Installation Media