NFS, TFTP, PXE (Persistent Storage) protocols
NFS, TFTP, PXE (Persistent Storage) protocols
I was curious about the difficulty of configuring a diskless deployment setup. It involves devices that can access and modify server data via network protocols like DHCP, TFTP, NFS, PXE, etc. I plan to use a Raspberry Pi B+ as the server and my laptop as the client. I also want to know if installing network-friendly packages would make setting up user-specific configurations easier. Additionally, I considered using this approach for IPMI management, which would help protect data in case of theft—since it would be diskless, have no power, and reduce infection risks from compromised management units.
You significantly misjudge the time needed to process all disk operations over the network for a complete operating system. The Pi's networking is quite slow due to Ethernet sharing the same bus as USB ports. A better approach would be to use a PXE boot server that provides bootable images (such as WinPE or a Linux variant) and run it from RAM, ensuring at least 8GB of memory for more substantial OSes. I’d advise abandoning this plan entirely and opting for a device like the Lenovo T61, which is less vulnerable to theft because its core components are protected. Built-in anti-theft features are a good consideration.
HP previously explored a comparable approach with thin client laptops, though their market performance wasn't as strong.