Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > alt.os.development > #8265

Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs

Show all headers | View raw

"Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> wrote in message 
news:op.x0321kfiyfako5@localhost...
> On Wed, 01 Jul 2015 06:12:00 -0400, James Harris
> <james.harris.1@gmail.com> wrote:
>> "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> wrote in message 
>> news:op.x00llt13yfako5@localhost...
>
>>> Remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs.

...

>>> app -> USB to serial adapter -> serial line -> serial to USB adapter
>>>
>>> http://hackaday.com/2015/06/27/keymouserial-solves-your-raspberry-pi-keyboard-problems/
>>
>> I am not sure how that would help. You would still need to see
>> the screen output to know what keystrokes to use.
>>
>
> I'm not sure if it's bi-directional or not.  That would be more 
> useful.
> Then, it would be just like a serial terminal.

Only if the bare metal machine acted as a serial terminal. Perhaps they 
should. I don't think they do.

...

>>> At a minimum, I would think that at least one machine is needed
>>> to receive bootable images from the internet, copy files to the
>>> test machines' boot drive, boot it, reformat it, reset it if it
>>> hangs, etc.  This, of course, would seem to require some custom
>>> hardware too.
>>
>> Why would you need to "receive" bootable images from the internet?
>
> E.g., hypothetical, James, Alex, Rod set up a test center of 
> computers.
> I.e., one of them is near the center but not living there, and the 
> other
> two are far away.  Ben, Steve, wolfgang, etc of course, are far away 
> too.
> Obviously, you can't use government mail to send and load the floppy.
> What do you do?

So you are thinking of us getting remote access to a farm of test 
machines?

>> Would you not make the bootable images yourself?
>
> s/not/"" ... ?
>
> Of course, I would make my own images.  So would you, Alex, Ben, 
> Steve,
> wolfgang, whomever ...
>
>> Any why would you need custom hardware? Perhaps you are thinking
>> of doing something more than I had in mind.
>
> "Any why"? ...  "[Anyway], why" or just "Why" here?

Sorry. I think that should have been "And why".

> How would you intend to have a remote computer boot an image
> and reset itself in preparation of another?  How do you intend
> to reset it if it has hung, if you can't push the power button?
> I.e., it probably requires some custom hardware, but I [or we]
> would like to minimize that as much as possible to keep costs low.
>
>> I think I posted details of my PXE solution before.
>
> Sorry, I don't recall.  PXE could possibly be used with remote USB
> keyboard and mouse. So, doesn't PXE have the issue of seeing the
> screen too? ...

Yes. I didn't know what you were trying to achieve.

>>> Another option would be a machine which "ping-pong" boots.  It
>>> would still need some hardware to reset the machine if it hangs,
>>> but otherwise would be self-contained.  The BIOS would boot a
>>> modern OS first, like Linux, download an image to boot, write
>>> the image to a drive, re-boot and boot the downloaded image.
>>> The downloaded image would need to re-boot to return to Linux.
>>> IIRC, there is a daisy-chain booting effect on Int 18h or 19h
>>> for modern BIOSes, but not older BIOSes.
>>
>> You may be thinking of booting machines in remote locations but
>> you still need to see the screen output, AFIACS.
>
> s/AFIACS/AFAICS
>
> There are options, but they all require extra hardware, AFAICT.
>
> 0) terminal software, but that would require USB or serial to
> Ethernet hardware if the computers are on the internet, i.e., not
> serial only
>
> 1) telnet, but the booted OS would need to support Ethernet which
> is unlikely for some disk images, e.g., DOS or simple bootsector
>
> 2) video hardware to capture and view the screen remotely, perhaps
> via IPKVM or video chat, e.g., Skype, or webpage that updates with
> image of screen, or a method to send text screen data back to host,
> or the test OS must redirect the screen text to disk image to be
> copied out
>
> I.e., I'm not sure how to fully control a remote PC remotely
> without additional hardware of some sort.

To "fully control" would need hardware, if only for power switching, but 
for the software part:

3) A hypervisor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervisor.

4) A boot manager.

Perhaps either could be used to load images from a remote user.

> A web interface would be "cool."  I.e., you go to a webpage, upload
> an image, e.g., like Dropbox, Rapidshare, Filedriopper, etc, tell
> the machine to boot the image, interact with command line via text
> box.  There are already online Linux machines set up this way, but
> you can't upload your own bootable image and execute it.

Understood. Yes, that would be good.

James

Back to alt.os.development | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> - 2015-06-29 19:16 -0400
  Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2015-07-01 11:12 +0100
    Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> - 2015-07-01 16:25 -0400
      Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Alexei A. Frounze" <alexfrunews@gmail.com> - 2015-07-01 21:29 -0700
        Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> - 2015-07-02 18:24 -0400
          Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2015-07-03 08:39 +0100
            Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> - 2015-07-03 04:09 -0400
              Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2015-07-03 10:31 +0100
      Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "James Harris" <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2015-07-02 07:15 +0100
      Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "s_dubrovich@yahoo.com" <s_dubrovich@yahoo.com> - 2015-07-04 08:58 -0700
        Re: remote OS install and boot issues for test PCs "Rod Pemberton" <boo@fasdfrewar.cdm> - 2015-07-05 02:27 -0400

csiph-web