Re: [TCLUG:14414] Ghost for Linux

[Callum Lerwick <lerwick@tcfreenet.org>]

> personaly, I don't think ghost for linux would be usefull, I think things
> could be done easier, and more efficently with existing tools, such as
> cpio. or bpbatch (for network installs)

Place I worked installed Win95/98 using ghost. All machines sold were
kept as identical as possible, (Intel hardware as much as possible.
Whee...) a basic install of 98 was created, then written to a ghost
image on a HD. After a new machine is built, the HD is plugged in place
of the CDROM, and the image ghosted from the install HD to the target.
Nice and fast, but with only one HD to go around... Plus flashing to the
latest BIOS and setting up the cmos I'm sure could be a bit more
automated with some cooperation from Intel...

Now what I was thinking is a Linux based installer that booted off the
net. Just plug a new machine into the net, the intel NICs we used
supported netboots. Now if you could boot a Linux kernel off the net,
come up with a utility to upgrade to the latest BIOS then use the nvram
driver to automate set up CMOS, then partiton the HD and infect it with
Win98 from a disk image of some sort, all running off netboot/nfs that'd
be very handy... 

Using Linux to install Windows is a bit ironic. Heh...