Network Boot (F12)

[garethEds]

Morning,

 

Time for one of my random questions that are generated from strange thoughts during the day.

 

Are there any F12 boot managers out there that would give me the following options:

 

1. Boot into our MDT

2. Boot into current OS

3. Boot virtual Windows 10 from our Hyper V server

 

So when my classroom PC boots up it gives me those options? Not sure how I get a machine to boot a virtual 10 but that's a different question.

 

Gareth

[JoHimself]

I'm not 100% sure that what you're asking for is possible. I one implemented Citrix Provisioning Services on a network which already had WDS installed. We had to configure the DHCP server to point PXE clients to the PVS servers as opposed to the WDS.

 

Option 2 on your list is surely possible if you just don't press anything. Even if the BIOS is set to network boot first if nothing is pressed it should just boot the local OS.

 

Regarding booting into Windows 10 across the network; are you talking about running the OS in Hyper-V or will the OS run using the local hardware?

[Oaktech]

Your last point sounds like you want to stream the OS, like you would an App-V application? That's not possible yet - but it could be soon. Is a Streaming OS in Microsoft's Future? | Network World

[cpjitservices]

I remember years ago (I cant remember much if it now) where I built A WDS server.. I then modified the boot loader so that you could have a custom 'F12' page. I think it was making a boot loader in Linux then copying files from that to the wds server. I could even boot to an existing Linux environment which would boot straight into A Windows RDP session, all form the F12 boot menu. I had to edit / replace the boot file son the WDS server to enablea custom menu. I could also select to Image the Machine, or boot normal OS if need be.

 

Look here: https://thommck.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/deep-dive-combining-windows-deployment-services-pxelinux-for-the-ultimate-network-boot/

Edited October 13, 2015 by cpjitservices

[garethEds]

I'm not 100% sure that what you're asking for is possible. I one implemented Citrix Provisioning Services on a network which already had WDS installed. We had to configure the DHCP server to point PXE clients to the PVS servers as opposed to the WDS.

 

This was the first worry. We have MDT which boots from WDS first.

 

Option 2 on your list is surely possible if you just don't press anything. Even if the BIOS is set to network boot first if nothing is pressed it should just boot the local OS.

 

Yes - I should have thought of that. I suppose a timer would be handy here. If nothing happens after 20 seconds then continue with the OS boot.

 

Regarding booting into Windows 10 across the network; are you talking about running the OS in Hyper-V or will the OS run using the local hardware?

 

As @Oaktech notes below I do indeed mean streaming the OS across the network - I guess that is out of the question. I always thought you could do it

 

GJE

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Your last point sounds like you want to stream the OS, like you would an App-V application? That's not possible yet - but it could be soon. Is a Streaming OS in Microsoft's Future? | Network World

 

Brilliant. I always thought you could do it.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

I remember years ago (I cant remember much if it now) where I built A WDS server.. I then modified the boot loader so that you could have a custom 'F12' page. I think it was making a boot loader in Linux then copying files from that to the wds server. I could even boot to an existing Linux environment which would boot straight into A Windows RDP session, all form the F12 boot menu. I had to edit / replace the boot file son the WDS server to enablea custom menu. I could also select to Image the Machine, or boot normal OS if need be.

 

Look here: https://thommck.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/deep-dive-combining-windows-deployment-services-pxelinux-for-the-ultimate-network-boot/

 

Now then - this is what I'm sure I have read before. Thanks for posting it. I will take a look.

 

GJE

[sted]

im not so sure streaming an os across the network is out of the question. Just depends how you define it. If you can network boot to some thin client os could it not connect to a vdi server running multiple windows 10 vms and then server one to the pc? (bear in mind my knowledge of vdi is limited to I watched a tech demo once)