>>> Have you considered using PXE to network boot your systems? you can >>> have various configurations set up based on mac addresses to address >>> different hardware issues. I recommend trying out SystemRescueCD to >>> experiment with PXE booting for the client and server. >> >> That sounds like exactly what I need. So, I could set up a Gentoo >> server and a bunch of completely diskless clients which would all PXE >> boot from the server? Would the clients basically each control a >> different virtual terminal on the server? > > Each machine can pull a copy of the master boot image to make updates > a lot simpler. The SystemRescueCD PXE boot mechanism just pushes out a > copy of the CD to all the machines to boot them. to update the boot > image just update the files in one location to update all machines. > the machines act as separate fully functioning machine. Check out > http://www.sysresccd.org/Sysresccd-manual-en_PXE_network_booting to > see how to setup the PXE boot environment.
I think I get it now and it sounds great, exactly what I'm looking for. Everything can be done in RAM, no disks required? Can PXE boot be done wirelessly? Maybe only if the wireless is onboard? I tried to Google this but the info returned is terribly outdated for some reason. Do you think SystemRescueCD is the best boot image for clients that only need a browser? What sort of machine would work well as a client? Should I just put together a bunch of motherboards with onboard video and ethernet, CPUs, RAM, PSUs, and small cases? Is there a prebuilt system that works well for this? Maybe an ARM-15 system as "Tampa Bay" James referenced, although I think that isn't released yet. - Grant
