RE: Dual Booting PXES and Windows XP on the HD

I can think of a number of theoretical solutions, I haven't tested any of
them:

1) Use PXE boot and a PXE menu - boot from a PXE server where it can offer a
menu of different PXE images, including a PXE reference to boot from the
local hard drive. Set PXE/Network boot first, HDD second. I understand you
can have these password protected (clear text) and if required you could set
different default options at different times. Also I think WOL packets can
send PXE boot arguments so you can boot a lab to a certain image in the
morning. Try searching etherboot documentation for 'menu'.

For your application, you do not have to boot from your default RIS server,
you can pass in different options in DHCP. Alternatively if you are willing
to play with the RIS server (backup first!) you could attempt to replace the
default image with a menu image that gives two or three options:
  a. Boot local HD
  b. Boot X windows (PXES)
  c. Remote Install (RIS system - password protected)


2) Use a local boot loader like LILO or NTLDR. It can point to a local PXES
image on the hard drive or a 16k Etherboot image to remote boot.
Disadvantage: may not be easy to modify local hard drives, if you put the
PXES image on the local drive it's harder to update it but reduces network
reliance and traffic.

You can serve PXES off any TFTP or PXE server - we have a TFTP farm with
round robin DNS, the problem is our DHCP server only updates DNS every 20
minutes or so, so the servers swap every 20 minutes.... (fortunately load is
not high).

Using LILO/NTLDR and a PXES image on a ~20MB partition would leave your RIS
server untouched.

I'm not sure about using NTLDR, but for LILO see the howto at
http://pxes.sourceforge.net/howtos/syslinuxhdboothowto.html

Ben.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Lee Sanders
Sent: Tuesday, 2 December 2003 5:10 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [pxes-devel] Dual Booting PXES and Windows XP on the HD


Greetings unto the List,

I work for a University maintaining labs used by students. We currently
have Windows XP on all workstations with booting from the floppy/CD-ROM
disabled.

We would like to enable students to be able to dual boot each
workstation with either PXES Linux (x client) or Windows XP (local HD)
depending on their needs.

What we need is a way to enable PXE'S as a boot option in the Windows
NTLDR, ie the boot.ini file. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how
I can accomplish this ?

Thanks in Advance
Lee Sanders
Systems Engineer

Additional Info:
PXES is currently working via a Microsoft Remote Installation Services
(RIS) server quite happily, RIS is a TFTP server used for remote
installs of Windows. Unfortunately RIS wipes the computer account each
time you invoke it so booting PXES via this method stuffs Windows domain
logins. This is why we need another method of booting, off the local HD
would be ideal.

Another TFTP/dhcp server is not an option. RIS is used for our primary
operating system, windows, and is not replaceable. I am trying to get
Linux in through the side door. The managers are supportive of PXES as
long as it doesn't interfere with the existing setup.

I have looked at a couple of the other X client/rdesktop boot disks,
PXES is by far the most mature, complete and easiest to use. Great job
guys.



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