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Date:      Sun, 01 Dec 2002 13:22:49 -0800
From:      Tim Kientzle <kientzle@acm.org>
To:        lm <omestre@SDF.LONESTAR.ORG>
Cc:        freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: file handle
Message-ID:  <3DEA7DA9.2050801@acm.org>
References:  <Pine.NEB.4.44.0211291740400.19875-100000@sdf.lonestar.org>

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lm wrote:

>  I have some FreeBSD diskless machines, 4.7 ones, working fine.
>  Now, because i know what variables to set, i do not want bootp anymore.


Why not?

DHCP (I prefer DHCP to bootp):
   * Does not load the network very much
   * Allows you to change boot information from
     a single central server (if your NFS server
     changes, you change one entry on your DHCP server;
     you don't need to change something on every machine)
   * Is stable and well-supported.


>  I guess that freebsd do not think in this situation. Today, HD is not so
> expansive, and a misc solution is fine!


It is quite common to use a local HD together
with network booting:
  * Local swap makes things much faster
  * Local /tmp removes the need to have per-client
    directories on the server for that purpose
  * Many people even copy certain applications from
    the server to the local HD at boot time.
    For example, you might copy /usr/local and
    /usr/lib from the server on every boot.
    This makes boot much slower, but can dramatically
    speed up regular operations, especially if
    you have a very large number of machines.
    (Some Beowulf-style systems do this.)
  * Loading a kernel from local disk is
    usually a bad idea; keeping the kernel on
    the server simplifies future updates.

Remember: systems do not boot very often;
maintenance is more important than speed.

Most people find DHCP very helpful and
don't want to eliminate it.  It keeps your
network information in a single place
which simplifies management of your
network.

Tim Kientzle


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