[HOWTO]: Dual-boot Knoppix with Windows NT/2000/XP

[j.drake]

OK, I'm going have to raise hell at work and beat up some Klingons for that BIOS password and play with PXE. I'm sick trying to work around all their security!!!!

MAMA MIA!!! That sounds like just the ticket!!!

ClarkConnect has a Linux-based package (based on RedHat 9) that includes a DHCP server, that's a free download for non-commercial use.

http://www.clarkconnect.com/info/index.html

JD

[A. Jorge Garcia]

AJG, you're talking about your PC lab, right? IIRC, you have them networked - couldn't you just set up their BIOSes to boot Linux from a server? Or do the Klingons have control over your server too?

I tried to do this recently, j.drake, but the knoppix terminal server won't work off the hdinstalled server! I did beat the klingons senseless afterall to get the BIOS password and setup PXE (using the Dell F12 boot option). Poor klingons, I hurt them for nothing....

Regards,

[A. Jorge Garcia]

>>
You can even prevent unauthorized use of a GAG floppy, you can give each os in the GAG menu a separate password.
<<

Paul, I just used lilo in the mbr without any bad side effects for once. Anyway, I'm wondering if there's a way to password protect the linux boot option in lilo? In other words, my client PCs need to boot the WimXP partition by default from hda2. My students would have to choose linux from hda5 at boot-up from the lilo menu. Can that option be password protected as you suggest in gag?

To all: I ask this as I'm thinking of using knoppix-installer to install my clients as knoppix servers. The problem with that is that a user would get root access this way simply by rebooting the machine. If said user had malicious intent.... Now, I'm not concerned with my students doing this, but the lab is used in WimXP by some other somewhat unsavory students....

BTW, the reason I'd like knoppix servers for the client is that my users can then setup printers easily. My debian servers have a problem printing (whales...). So I'll have them boot to knoppix, do their work, print as needed and then just save (backup) their work via ftp to the single debian server where each student has his/her own account and /home dir.

I'm going to try this to finally have no boot disks, data disks or CDs in class anymore. When I started using KNOPPIX in class about a year ago, I had all 3 disks for each student. Then I switched to the poor man's dual boot and got rid of the CDs. Then I switched to the FastDOSBootFloppies and got rid of the data disks as there was room on this new boot disk for saving data. Now I'm using knoppix-installer to get rid of boot disks too! BTW, I can't get ssh or X -query to work right so I'm thinking ftp is my best bet.

TIA,

[j.drake]

AJ, to network boot using PXE, according to your LinuxWorld article, sounds like you need a DHCP server and TFTP, for the most part.

See if these liinks help (IOW, I don't know what the H I'm talking about, but here's some sh*t I got off of Google).

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...998&highlight=
http://homepage.hispeed.ch/py430/kno...x-netboot.html
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...2698&view=next

Oh, and perhaps most promising, http://www.tprthai.net/knoppix.htm , which had the following to say:

Terminal Server

One of the recent enhancements to Knoppix is a feature that allows it to operate as a "terminal server". This will allow "thin clients" (such as diskless workstations and/or workstations that can boot from their network card) to boot from the same copy of Knoppix that is already running.

To turn on this feature, go to: Knoppix > Services > Start Knoppix Terminal Server. This will install DHCP, TFTP, and NFS servers for you and configure them according to settings that you will be prompted for. These include network card settings (if it's not already set up), DHCP IP ranges, client side NIC drivers to support, whether to deny remote root access, IP masquerading, DNS caching, proxy servers, and command line options to be sent to the clients when they remote boot Knoppix.

Once the terminal server has been activated, all you need to do is boot from a computer that has Intel's PXE boot feature (make sure PXE is the first boot priority in the CMOS settings) or from an Etherboot type boot floppy. For more information on how to create such floppies, visit Marty Connors' Rom-O-Matic website at http://www.rom-o-matic.net.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, it takes 1:45+ minutes to network boot (as opposed to 3+ minutes for a CD boot). Not bad.

Then, there's: http://lists.ethernal.org/cantlug-0212/msg00457.html , which I don't have a clue in the world of understanding, but maybe you will.

I think you're going in the right direction with the boot from server stuff - I'm just betting that there's a command syntax glitch somewhere, but WTH do I know?

[A. Jorge Garcia]

To turn on this feature, go to: Knoppix > Services > Start Knoppix Terminal Server. This will install DHCP, TFTP, and NFS servers for you and configure them according to settings that you will be prompted for. These include network card settings (if it's not already set up), DHCP IP ranges, client side NIC drivers to support, whether to deny remote root access, IP masquerading, DNS caching, proxy servers, and command line options to be sent to the clients when they remote boot Knoppix.

j.drake: As usual, you're right on the money! This is exactly what I was trying to do. However, I was also trying to get into a fully hdinstalled lab. Unfortunately, when hdinstalled, you loose the knoppix scripts that enable these terminal services.

Although, it is tempting to use this instead of a lab full of poor man's dual boots! I could just leave one PC booted as poor man's or via live CD, leave terminal services running and then just have the students use PXE to boot-up their local machines. All you'd need is one CD in any PC on the LAN and you've got a knoppix network! My kids could still use ftp to save their work on one hdinstalled server. Just one CD and one hdinstall and 25 students need 0 disks! And to upgrade to a new knoppix lab, just burn one new CD. This definitely has potential! If I had known this earlier this school year when I was setting up my new lab, I wouldn't have done 25 poor man installs, not to mention all the knoppix-installers I'm in the process of doing....

MMM, sounds yummy!

BTW, does ClusterKnoppix do this by default?

Regards,

[A. Jorge Garcia]

OK, I couldn't get PXE to recognize the Knoppix Terminal Server....

This is what I did:
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...t=380&start=15

Regards,

[A. Jorge Garcia]

I'm finally happy with my lab setup. But, I've got to get Knoppix Terminal Server working someday. Just think of it: whenever there's a new ISO just burn one CD and all your clients have been upgraded!!!

Regards,

[j.drake]

I'm glad it worked out for you. I can't help but believe that you're only one stupid step away from getting KTS to work - perhaps one stupid character in one stupid command line.

Oh well, just think - when you finally DO get the KTS up and running, you'll be the resident PXE/KTS guru of gurus on this forum, and perhaps the world!!

[A. Jorge Garcia]

OOO, Global Guru would suit me, don't ya think?

Thanx,

[riko]

After writing the Knoppix iso-file a few times to obtain a flawless installation disk (or the files are very fragile or my writer has had it's best time ... probably the second) I followed your installation script and it worked perfect. ! So Thnx a lot : i voted a profound "Yes" to the poll .

One tiny detail : formatting the floppy with mkfs.msdos resulted in an unreadable floppy under windows, instead I used a floppy formatted under Windows (FAT offcourse) which resolved the problem.

installation completed with :

Windows XP professional &
Knoppix 3.3 r.20031103

(One Physical HD , 3 Primary Partitions)

on a

Medion MD 9783 Notebook
* Intel P IV 2.00 Ghz
* Ati Mobility Radeon M6
* and a bunch of common stuff further ...

Thnx. again & CheerZ

riko.