PXE is done by adding a boot ROM to a network card allowing it to get on the
network, get an IP address from a DHCP server and tftp the files need to
install an OS from some server. This really isn't very different from the
way a SCSI adapter BIOS allows booting from a SCSI drive.
With networking between guests and the host this would add a nice ability to
boot a "blank" virtual machine and install an OS right off of a "server"
which could be another virtual machine, or the host.
>From: "Colin Davidson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>To: "Plex86" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [plex86] Networking
>Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 08:51:03 -0800
>
>
>Aaron Lehmann wrote:
>
> > Not to mention that an emulation of a more modern card would support
>transfer rates far in exess of 10mb/s.
>
>Uuh... The hardware sets the speed limit. An emulation of a fast card that
>ultimately goes through a slow card will be slow. An emulation of a slow
>card that ultimately goes through a fast card could be fast (at least on
>Windows), depending on the efficiency of the emulating code, of course.
>
>I do think that ultimately we'd be better of with our own "virtual" LAN
>card
>for which we write a driver (not much to it on Windows). It could cut out a
>whole layer of code, making for that much better performance. Of course, it
>wouldn't know anything about the PXE capabilities that Ohso mentions, but I
>don't really see how that would work under plex86, anyway. Anyway, no
>reason
>not to have several approaches, so that users can choose the best one for
>their circumstances. Choice is a *good thing*.
>
>Once I get the (windows?) double-headed video running, I'll be taking a
>look
>at an NDIS driver for a virtual LAN card.
>
>While I'm here, sorry about the earlier double posting - the date roll-over
>was late on the mailing list and I thought the first one had lost itself in
>netland.
>
>Cheers, Colin
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