Even if you consider yourself an expert at Linux (reflect deeply before you make such an assertion), the iPAQ port is not something to be installed lightly.

I've been fiddling with an iPAQ for a couple of weeks now, and was hoping to install the NetBSD port, or failing that, Linux. But these installs are complicated, risky, and very difficult to back out of.

To play it safe, in addition to the standard iPAQ, in order to successfully backup/restore the original FLASH image, you will need an iPAQ serial cable or serial cradle and a 'compatible' 16Mb or larger CF card. If you have the 'dual PCMCIA' sleeve, you need to buy a CF or single PCMCIA sleeve- the dual sleeve will NOT work to restore the original flash image.

There's much more to the install, many, many intricate steps to avoid blowing away the bootloader and turning your iPAQ into an expensive paperweight.