Linux/Windows PXE based Installs

tomwatts · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2003 Posts: 24

Hi there. I'm looking to use my linux server as a method to host network based installations of *both* windows and linux. I'm pretty sure this is possible using grub, and I think I have the linux side of things down. However, I have no idea how to go about getting windows from CD to PXE. Anyone have tips or experience in this?

adaptr · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 10:49 am Post subject:

Perhaps this link will help: http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~cet/wiul/

I doubt that GRUB can do anything with PXE booting - that's really the job of the NIC.

It either supports it or it doesn't.
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tomwatts · n00b Joined: 25 Dec 2003 Posts: 24

I have no doubt about the hardware side of things, PXE is supported.

Every howto I have seen on here is based on running diskless clients, which is not what i want to do. I have seen them use grub as a PXE based bootloader, with a menu offering boot images. My problem is getting the windows installation files into a state where they can be distributed this way, and the setting up of grub/pxelinux/whatever to boot properly.

sanity · n00b Joined: 19 May 2002 Posts: 39 Location: Iowa

adaptr, you're right, the NIC must support PXE booting. However, once you can get it to boot a PXE image, it only makes sense for it to boot the GRUB PXE image. You need a bootloader anyhow, and GRUB supports booting from the network with PXE and TFTP.
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