NetBoot

Most computers come with something called firmware. This is just software written semi-permanently on a chip in the PC. This is the first thing loaded at power-on. Modern versions include a GUI interface to change settings and test hardware. But it’s most important job is to load the main operating system from storage.

The main OS is normally loaded from a local disk, but it can also be loaded over the network. There are usually two goals;

• Provision New Systems
• Thin Clients or Disk-less Workstations

Provisioning New Systems

This saves you from carrying around a boot disk. But most importantly, it allows unattended deployment. You can remotely re-image workstations without a tech on-site. As great as this sounds, it’s not easy and requires solid user management to make it useful. So there hasn’t been wide adoption outside of line-of-business situations. Though it does make updating install sources easier.

Thin or Disk-less Stations

This seems like a good idea, and it works at scale. But the cost of a thin client is usually more than an equivalent PC so it’s mostly limited to line-of-business again. And the cost of storage is so cheap that a technical investment in netboot rarely pays off. But it can work when repurposing old PCs with worn out drives for kiosk use.

Boot Server

Either way, you’ll need a boot server