Diskless/wireless workstation

Moasat · n00b Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 17

I may be overlooking something simple but I can't seem to find a wireless PCI adapter that will also allow WOL and network booting. I want to set up a wireless diskless workstation. Is this still not possible? I realize it either requires an unencrypted wireless connection or the authentication needs to exist on the wireless card itself. Is this just impossible right now or does anyone know of some hardware I could look at?

Thanks in advance,

Moasat

umbra obscura · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject:

I'm not aware of any WOL capable wireless network cards and I think there are none available because the network card would at least have to keep associated with the access point to receive standard WOL packets. As in WOL mode a network card has to live with very little power I doubt that it is possible at the moment.

Similar situation for a wireless network card with boot roms. Although it would be technically possible (at least in an unencrypted network - or with some nvram even in an encrypted network) there seems to be no market for it.

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:30 pm Post subject:

Moasat,

Look at etherboot. See if it includes any wileless cards now.
You have you boot code on floppy, that that then boots over the network.

Its intended to be used on floppy for testing and fused into a PROM on the NIC for deployment but you can keep using the floppy.
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.