thank you for the ideas =)
i switched the cluster over to clusterKnoppix since it really doesn't matter... I was able to get the HD to hold the boot image for the nodes... and I am intrigued by the idea of powering them on in order like you mentioned... what sort of script was it (if you don't mind sharing) that enabled you to do that?
I also am a bit confused about the procedure to shorten boot time... I understand what you are getting at with the creating of a file so the node doesn't try to trim away at the address... is the file name just those 8 characters? thank you again for your help
-david