Diskless Windows
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Diskless Windows
Is it possible to run Windows (7) on a diskless (no HDD/SDD) PC, via network boot?
Would be the ideal/cheap way to get rid of the HDD.
Would be the ideal/cheap way to get rid of the HDD.
Re: Diskless Windows
It's quite possible, I've done it and it works fine. The networking back end is a bit involved so unless you know how to configure DHCP, PXE, TFTP and ISCSI (or AOE) then it might be too difficult. DHCP on a normal home consumer router is unlikely to cut it. Everything can be done on a Windows server, but a BSD or Linux server makes things easier.
If you want to give it a try start poking around here: http://etherboot.org/wiki/ They have some guides on configuring boot from SAN.
If you want to give it a try start poking around here: http://etherboot.org/wiki/ They have some guides on configuring boot from SAN.
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Re: Diskless Windows
What Windows did you install on the client?
http://etherboot.org/wiki/howtos only talks about Windows PE, not 7.
http://etherboot.org/wiki/howtos only talks about Windows PE, not 7.
Re: Diskless Windows
Look under the boot from SAN section. I used full Win 7. I've also done XP.Olaf van der Spek wrote:What Windows did you install on the client?
http://etherboot.org/wiki/howtos only talks about Windows PE, not 7.
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Re: Diskless Windows
Older topic, but might be still relevant to some...
I did tinker a while back (around 2010) with diskless Win7. In the end, I found it more trouble then it was worth to me. Meanwhile SSD became quite affordable (at least consumer-grade, MLC ones with capacities large enough to hold the OS and one's favorite game^Wapplication). So I got a compromise solution: a spinning-rust-less Windows installation, which boots off a SSD and a (much larger) remote 'drive' via iSCSI exported by a Linux server (and backed by spinning rust drives). The iSCSI 'drive' increases boot times quite noticeably (iSCSI initiator establishing connection to target?), but once connected, performance is good at ~100MB/s, i.e. about line rate on the available 1Gbps link, for large sequential access (client is a Phenom II monster, server is a feeble HP N40L sporting Ubuntu).
I did tinker a while back (around 2010) with diskless Win7. In the end, I found it more trouble then it was worth to me. Meanwhile SSD became quite affordable (at least consumer-grade, MLC ones with capacities large enough to hold the OS and one's favorite game^Wapplication). So I got a compromise solution: a spinning-rust-less Windows installation, which boots off a SSD and a (much larger) remote 'drive' via iSCSI exported by a Linux server (and backed by spinning rust drives). The iSCSI 'drive' increases boot times quite noticeably (iSCSI initiator establishing connection to target?), but once connected, performance is good at ~100MB/s, i.e. about line rate on the available 1Gbps link, for large sequential access (client is a Phenom II monster, server is a feeble HP N40L sporting Ubuntu).
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- Posts: 434
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Re: Diskless Windows
I've got a 256 gbyte Samsung 830 SSD now.
Wouldn't it be simpler to use SMB instead of iSCSI to access the remote storage?
Wouldn't it be simpler to use SMB instead of iSCSI to access the remote storage?
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Re: Diskless Windows
SMB devices are not available for use as boot media. You need to use iSCSI as a result since they are recognized as a direct attached SCSI drive, even though they are coming over the network.Olaf van der Spek wrote:Wouldn't it be simpler to use SMB instead of iSCSI to access the remote storage?
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Re: Diskless Windows
I know, it's a response to leisetreter who used a SSD + iSCSI remote storage