1. The document discusses the hardware and software requirements for setting up an institutional repository, noting that repositories can run on a variety of server types from basic to high-powered and require reasonably good server hardware, storage, and memory. 2. It provides examples of specific hardware configurations used by some repositories, including servers from HP, Sun, and Dell with various processors, RAM amounts, and storage capacities. 3. The document states that the repository software installed and resulting user interface are what primarily determine a repository's functionality and appearance to users, giving the example of DSpace which is written in Java and can run on various platforms.