Thin Client: New User Guide

4. Client setup

Network loader

A small program that runs as a BIOS extension, can be loaded from a floppy, or you can burn an eprom chip and insert it on your network card for a totally diskless client. It handles the DHCPD query and TFTP loading and then transfers control to the loaded image. It uses TCP/IP protocols.

There are two free implementations of TCP/IP net loaders: Etherboot and Netboot: Etherboot uses built-in drivers while Netboot uses Packet drivers.

• see etherboot-4.2/doc/html/README-2.html,
• I compiled the option to ask local or Network and default to local after 5 seconds
• making a boot rom floppy, floppyload.bin was tricky to find, I copied it into the directory of compiled rom images

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  cat floppyload.bin ne2000.lzrom > /dev/fd0
  

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