Hello, You (lschultz@x2.alliance.net) wrote: > I'm attempting to use the netboot package to allow me to boot an > HP 466DX diskless workstation. I'm told that this is part of HP's Windows > Client line. I apologize for not having more information about the system, > but I bought it from a used computer store thinking it would be a fun toy. > The diskless computer itself is a 486DX2/66 with 4M RAM soldered on the MB > with an onboard NE2100 network controller and Cirrus Logic GD5430 video > chip. It appears to already contain a bootprom, since after doing it's > POST testing it flips to a screen which reads: > > TCP/IP BOOT-PROM 1.51, HPWC 1.52M > (c) Copyright 1989,1994 Schasiepen GmbH, Dirk Koppen EDV-Beratungs-GmbH That's a commercially available TCP/IP bootrom from a German manufacturer. > I'm hoping there is a way to get this thing to boot. The machine is > _completely_ diskless, I have no way to get anything onto this machine other > than the netboot (ie, no floppies, no nothing). >From what you told us about this machine it looks like you will not be able to change that bootrom as it seems to be included into the BIOS. Unfortunately, you can't directly use a Linux kernel nor can you use mknbi-linux. The Koeppen bootrom expects a completely different layout of the boot image file than netboot or etherboot (the two freely available alternatives to the Koeppen product). However, there exists a remote boot mini-HOWTO which describes how to use this commercial bootrom with Linux. IMHO this approach is not as clean as the one the free products use because it requires patching the Linux kernel source tree, but most likely it will be your only chance. Maybe you can find out if you can remove your installed Koeppen bootrom and if it's possible to replace it by the one contained in neboot or etherboot. Then you will be able to simply use mknbi-linux for booting Linux. gero. -- You can't get very far in this world without your dossier being there first. - Arthur Miller -- Gero Kuhlmann, Hannover 0511/6497525 (Voice) gero@gkminix.han.de
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