[WBEL-users] Remote Control of Dual Boot Options

Sun, 21 Dec 2003 12:26:36 -0700

I'm sure there are better ways to do this but one option is to
install windows on one partition and Linux on another and toggle
the active partition to boot the OS of your choice.

Another option might be to install grub on a FAT partition and
have it boot then load the OS of your choice. You could then edit
the grub.conf file from Windows or Linux as both support FAT
filesystems.

Stanley Miller

-----Original Message-----
From: whitebox-users-admin@beau.org
[mailto:whitebox-users-admin@beau.org]On Behalf Of TASIS IT
Office
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 02:23
To: whitebox-users@beau.org
Subject: [WBEL-users] Remote Control of Dual Boot Options

Hello,

I am looking for a way to switch machines between Windows and
Linux -- I
would like to control which it boots.  I would like to ssh (or go
to a
local machine) and tell it which OS to boot next.  I would like
to be
able to do this from both the Linux & windows side.

I have looked at grub, but it doesn't seem to run under windows
and the
windows write access to ext2 filesystems seems a bit flaky, as
does
linux's write access to ntfs.   I was hoping I could do something
simple.

I am starting to think that the only option might be pxe or
network
enabled grub, but I am not too keen on that because, we don't
always
bring a laptop to connect to a server when we visit someone (if
their
computer is having a problem) and I don't want to go back to the
office
to do this.  Also, both of these methods require tftp (this makes
me
nervous with students -- they seem to enjoy pushing the security
of our
systems on occasion).

Does whitebox have any tools that accommodate this?  (or does
anyone
have any other ideas?)

Thanks,

Bill Tihen

PS -- The big picture is:  I work for a small school.   My
assistant and
I run a network with about 180 computers (mostly windows, but
Macs too
and a few linux boxes).  Most of our servers are linux based.
We need
an imaging system that works with our existing servers and both
windows
and macs.  Part image does this.  I am happy to use a Linux boot
CD, but
we can't always get to machines when they are in a faculty
apartment, so
I am building a remote imaging system.  (We already use SSH and
TightVNC
to manage and help people remotely -- although we rarely use
this --
here people prefer human contact.

In any case, the dual booting between windows and Linux is my
only big
stumbling block (and how to automate ssh when imaged systems
might be
confusing as they could all look the same -- although I don't
care much
about that issue).

Is anyone else working on something similar?  I don't know if
this is
considered a part of an enterprise distribution that RHEL is
doing, but
it is helpful to us.  I look forward to ideas.

--
TASIS IT Office <tech@tasis.ch>
TASIS

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