*BSD News Article 25680


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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
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From: pitts@mimosa.astro.indiana.edu (Jim Pitts)
Subject: Diskless workstation support.
Message-ID: <CJ89nM.L41@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>
Sender: news@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu (USENET News System)
Nntp-Posting-Host: mimosa.astro.indiana.edu
Organization: Indiana University Astronomy Department
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994 21:42:58 GMT
Lines: 24

I have a question that I would be intrested in seeing a discussion on.  Is
it possible for FreeBSD or NetBSD to support a diskless workstation?  The
advantages are obvious if this could be done.  Is this something that might
be possible in the future?  Is it something that is planned?

I realize that it is possible to serve X from FreeBSD.  When we first brought
a FreeBSD machine on-line here in the Astronomy Dept everyone was asking "What
is this new machine on my X-terminal?" ... worked great.

This is not what I am talking about.  What I am talking about is booting your
kernel off of the network device and getting the kernel from the machine
designated as its server.  I am sure most of you know how this works on machines
that support diskless workstations (HP's are the ones I manage.  I am sure
others do this as well.)

I am not asking how to do it -now-.  I am just asking about the feasibility for
it in the future.


-- 
- pitts@mimosa.astro.indiana.edu             ^       | James J. Pitts        -
- Most people are sheep.                    /@\      | IU Physics Dept       -
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