[aclug-L] Re: Possible meeting topic--What makes a computer

[Jonathan Hall <flimzy@xxxxxxxxxx>]

What exactly is your question?  Booting a PC from the network is not 
really really fundamentally any different than booting it from local 
media. 

The minimum required to boot a "PC" (by which I mean any "IBM-PC" 
compatible computer) is probably about 256kb of RAM (maybe less, if you 
can find a DOS network driver that will fit in 128kb or 64kb of RAM), an 
8088 or 8086 CPU, and a NIC with a boot ROM.  With that, you could do a 
DOS netboot from a TFTP server, and get a C:> prompt.

If you're talking about something more "modern"... If you want to boot 
Linux on a PC, you need about 8mb of RAM, same as when booting from a 
hard drive.


Michael Holmes wrote:
> Group;
>
> I was sitting here in my office.  I know sun Microsystems is dabbling with
> this, but here it goes anyway.  What is the minimum required to boot a pc?
> What is the server supplied the operating system, the hard drive contains
> just the kenel image and boot loader and probably a /home directory.
> Everything else resides on the server and the "modules" are loaded into
> memory as needed.  What's everyone's thoughts? Does anybody know if there is
> already a group working on this task? (other than sun)  As  a company goes,
> you not only could be an ISP, but, you could lease or rent an operating
> system to users.
>
> Michael Holmes
>
> 708 West 46th St. South
>
> Wichita, KS 67217
>
> (316)522-3637(h)
>
> (316)619-7339(c)
>
>  
>
>
>
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