[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] How does a diskless PC boot

herder@myab.se (Jan Herder) (03/23/91)

I wan't to know how a diskless PC is booting DOS. Is it done by booting
from the server via proms on the network card or is anyone using DOS in prom. 
If it's done from the server how is the licence problem with DOS solved?

Thanks in advance.
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mstr@vipunen.hut.fi (Markus Strand) (03/23/91)

In article <1991Mar22.165232.23110@myab.se> herder@myab.se (Jan Herder) writes:
>I wan't to know how a diskless PC is booting DOS. Is it done by booting
>from the server via proms on the network card or is anyone using DOS in prom. 
>If it's done from the server how is the licence problem with DOS solved?

They boot from proms on the network card. DOS is actually not so big.

If they would use a DOS on the server, what would they do if the
server is runnig U*IX or some other OS? 


Markus Strand
mstr@vipunen.hut.fi

ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) (03/28/91)

>If they would use a DOS on the server, what would they do if the
>server is runnig U*IX or some other OS? 

Well even if they did DOS files on the server are still 
executable by the client. Even Novell servers don't run 
DOS! I suppose ther MIGHT be a way for a special ROM BIOS
to do the initial pre-DOS boot, which executes the DOS 
files on the server.
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cliff@demon.co.uk (Cliff Stanford) (03/31/91)

In article <1991Mar22.165232.23110@myab.se> herder@myab.se (Jan Herder) writes:
>I wan't to know how a diskless PC is booting DOS. Is it done by booting
>from the server via proms on the network card or is anyone using DOS in prom. 

	That's certainly how Apricot do it.  Their diskless workstations
will remote boot via a Dos, Novell or Unix server.  They see one or two
"soft-disks" as drives A: and B: which are really files on the server.

>If it's done from the server how is the licence problem with DOS solved?

	MsDos is shipped with every machine.  Thus no licensing
problems.
		Cliff.

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