discuss: [Proposal] PXE Server HOWTO
Subject:
Re: [Proposal] PXE Server HOWTO
From:
Jason Bechtel ####@####.####
Date:
28 Jan 2002 16:24:33 -0000
Message-Id: <3C557AEA.9060505@iig.uni-freiburg.de>
Nicolas Chauvat wrote:
> We made the document available under the proper license for others to
> contribute. Brieuc (the main author) and I do not have much time to
> improve it, but if someone is willing to...
>
> A lot of precise information is also available from the etherboot, netboot
> and ltsp projects.
>
> One of the goals of the network-boot-HOWTO was to give a clear picture of
> the whole thing, as it is hard at first to find ones way in the ocean of
> acronyms, cryptic utility names and often-heard names : PXE, netboot, NFS,
> grub, lilo, mknbi, kernel, boot-loader, bios, linuxbios, dhcp, bootp,
> ip... what's what ?
I can definitely identify with this feeling. There are certain topics
which rely on many existing projects and inevitably one becomes
overwhelmed. That's why I think that high-level HOWTOs like the
Network-boot-HOWTO are good because the put it all in perspective and
give the reader and overview of the situation.
I admit, however, that I am biased toward the LTSP way of doing things,
as that's how I learned about all of this stuff. So, I'm somewhat torn
between (1) the value of providing the raw understanding of each of the
little parts that make network booking work and how they fit together,
and (2) the value of leading the reader directly to a working
implementation of everything: LTSP.
For most readers the LTSP documentation and resources should be plenty.
They download and install the premade packages and scripts which setup
the daemons and configure the services for them. Then if something goes
wrong, they read the troubleshooting docs or reread the installation
guide and see what went wrong. If all else fails, they join the mailing
list and ask the community.
However, there will always be a need for someone out there to question
the way LTSP does something and then the Network-boot-HOWTO will be in
high demand. I've already heard of several diskless client projects
that did not use the LTSP for various reasons and implemented their own
solution.
So, I suppose both documents deserve to exist. As you said before,
though... They ought to reference each other. If your HOWTO is not
referenced in the LTSP docs, I would send in a suggestion to the list.
Jason
