RE: Dual Booting PXES and Windows XP on the HD

On Tue, 2003-12-02 at 04:30, Ben Reuter wrote:
    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'.
Actually this menu is provided as part of the main PXES distribution.
Take a look at the /tftpboot/pxes/grub directory.
With this menu you ca select what image to boot, add a password (not
tested), and edit parameters.
    
    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).
I didn't understand why your DHCP is updating the TFTP record in the
DNS.
In ISC Bind if you set more than one A record for a name those records
are rotated (in round robin) by default.

    
    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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