Some questions regarding booting from drives other than harddrives

NetRAVEN5000 · 03-19-2006, 03:14 PM

I'm considering setting up a computer as a file server. I was wondering two things:

1. How would I set up my server so that I can boot from a network share? I know this is possible, I just don't know how. You know what I mean? Like set up Linux on a server and then have all the other PCs on the network boot from that partition?

2. How do you make a KNOPPIX-like LiveCD? I'm not just talking about any LiveCD, I want the compression that KNOPPIX uses to let it cram so much into a single CD-ROM. I like KNOPPIX, but I don't like having to change my settings every time I use it.

DrEwMoNeY · 03-19-2006, 04:42 PM

Not sure about #1, I thought there was an option in Knoppix to save a configuration file (save settings) to your hard drive.

mcmillan · 03-19-2006, 05:23 PM

Basically have the same answer asn DrEwMoNeY. I'm pretty sure there's an option to save settings with knoppix. If not I know there is with Kanotix and I think Mepis too, both of which are based off of knoppix.

NetRAVEN5000 · 03-19-2006, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmillan

Basically have the same answer asn DrEwMoNeY. I'm pretty sure there's an option to save settings with knoppix. If not I know there is with Kanotix and I think Mepis too, both of which are based off of knoppix.

Thanks, but that's really not what I want. What I want to know is how to take my Linux setup, already set up with all the software I want/need and all my settings, and make it into a LiveCD I can take with me and run from any computer if I need to do diagnostics on it or something. I don't usually use KNOPPIX at all, only when something bad happens to a PC or I'm having trouble and want to see if it's just Windows or it's my hardware.

And mainly I'd like to know how to do the first one on the list.

EDIT:I think I see why I might be throwing you off. The LiveCD has nothing to do with me making the server, it has to do with me diagnosing the server and the other PCs in my house when something goes wrong.

DrEwMoNeY · 03-19-2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

How do you make a KNOPPIX-like LiveCD? I'm not just talking about any LiveCD, I want the compression that KNOPPIX uses to let it cram so much into a single CD-ROM. I like KNOPPIX, but I don't like having to change my settings every time I use it.

Sorry, you only mentioned changing settings. If you want to customize the software on the CD, try SLAX. Check out the modules section. It will give you a good idea of what you can add to your CD. More is getting added every day.

http://slax.linux-live.org/modules.php

michaelk · 03-19-2006, 07:06 PM

1. Are you talking about a diskless workstation?
http://www.ltsp.org/

NetRAVEN5000 · 03-19-2006, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

1. Are you talking about a diskless workstation?
http://www.ltsp.org/

Yeah. Kind of.

More accurately what I want is something not necessarily "diskless" but at least a system I can boot from through the network when one of my PCs breaks or something. Programs won't run on the server, but the server's shared partition will serve as the client's root partition.