RPL boot from Knoppix Terminal server?

[sunburnt]

I have a PC with a VIA P4X333 chipset, the bios will only net boot
using RPL (Remote Program Load), can Konppix term. server do it?

I've Googled & can't find info on setting up a RPL boot server, so I
don't know what changes to make to Knoppix, IF IT CAN BE DONE.
Saw links for a free Linux RPL damon, but none panned out.

Hate to say it, most likely it's a lost cause, DAMN VIA corp.!
ALL 3 PCs I have are VIA chipsets, where did I go wrong?

What's a good NIC that has PXE boot built into it, for cheap?

[johnb]

This might be of interest, I have a motherboard that has a via rhine chipset it has RPL & PXE available. To change it you need to hit shift & tab right after the bios setup has gone by. On an older monitor(slow to warm-up) you might not see the option.
johnb

[sunburnt]

Shift + Tab menu is: Boot from Network & Boot from Hard Drive.
Same problem another poor soul was complaining about.
VIA may have some bios flash fix for PXE boot, too much trouble!

[sunburnt]

Emailed ECS motherboards about only RPL & NO PXE or Bootp ability.
THEY SAID the MB HAD NO BOOT ABILITY AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!
IDIOTS don't even know their own products, but I've seen that before!
To my knowledge most motherboards with VIA chip sets only support
RPL boot protocol, at least the OLDER ones are that way.
The motherboard maker chooses the BIOS, & it has the boot protocols.
Other M.B. makers with VIA chips or other chipsets may be the same.

Problem fixed by going on eBay & buying 3com nics: "3c905c-txm".
Got 10 used ones for $30, that's $3 each! - $8 new at PriceWatch.com.
I've seen on the web that Intel PRO-100 nics will PXE boot also, but
I don't see a driver for it in the Knoppix3.3 term. server setup, a new
version of Knoppix may have drivers for the Intel nic, I don't know.

[johnb]

Shift + Tab menu is: Boot from Network & Boot from Hard Drive

sunburnt what happens when you try and network boot?
let me know how those pxe nics work-out.

[sunburnt]

Two of my ECS M.B.s with VIA chips, a 1.7g Celeron & a 1.8g Athlon, are older.
Netbooting says: "RPL-ROM-FCC: 1-n" ( count to a number & then HD boot ).
Needless to say Knoppix is looking for a PXE boot request & nothing happens.
The newer ECS VIA M.B. I have, a 2.4g Athlon has "Enable Boot Rom" in the
BIOS selections, & one of them is PXE boot.
It boots to Knoppix term. server fine, BUT the 3com nics are MUCH FASTER!!!
So much for M.B. integrated I/O always being faster than PCI plugin cards.
The 3com nics are super in every way, fast as I had heard they were & also
lower cpu usage, which the newer ECS PC I have shows with its slowness.
The 3coms have a utility for setting boot type ( just press Ctrl. + Alt. & b ).
As I've heard, Intel PRO/100 nics PXE boot & are fast also, but I'm not sure
if Knoppix supports them, you'd think so... IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW!