I want to install Ubuntu 14.04 64-bit, but the manufacturer only offers drivers for Windows or DOS but not for Linux/Ubuntu.
Specifically I am interested in LAN drivers for the Asus Sabertooth Z77 board
What should I do?
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The drivers you linked to are for use with Windows. You need not these, and most probably, if you install Ubuntu, the network will work out of the box. Just try to run it from an USB stick and you will know.– PyrophorusSep 1, 2014 at 14:51
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1 Answer
All open hardware drivers will already be included in the Ubuntu kernel as soon as they are available. Usually all mainstream motherboards will just work out of the box without the need to install anything in addition.
This may not yet be so for very brand-new equipment where there simply was not sufficient time to include their drivers in the presently released kernel. In this (rare) cases we may have to install a newer kernel, wait until a kernel supporting the hardware is generally available, or chose another, better supported hardware.
To find out if a given hardware works as expected we should query the web and Ubuntu resources for recent issues. Take care to not read all the many out-dated reports of issues that likely are fixed by now. But if you read many unsolved issues reported within the last months you may want to look for another hardware to be on the safe side.
In case we already have any hardware available for testing we can "Try out Ubuntu" from booting a live session to prove it is supported.
Such a search reveals that both, the Intel Z77 chipset, and the 82579V Intel LAN chip on your Sabertooth Z77 board are very well supported from the standard kernel. You don't have to install drivers.