Can wubi be used to only install gPXE?

Asked by Alkis Georgopoulos

In LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Project), sometimes Windows clients are converted to dual booting thin clients.

If these clients do not support PXE booting, then the users have to install Grub4DOS and load gpxe.krn with it.
gPXE is the successor of the etherboot project: http://www.etherboot.org

A clumsy attempt for that, involving manually installing Grub4DOS and gpxe.krn with a zip file, is here:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuLTSP/grubgpxe#Boot%20from%20a%20Windows%2095/98/Me%20partition

I think wubi could easily support loading gpxe.krn from Grub4DOS, and would make a lot of LTSP admins/teachers happy.

Is this currently possible in some way? Is there anything we can do in order to help make it happen?

Kind regards,
Alkis Georgopoulos

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Agostino Russo
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Best Agostino Russo (ago) said :
#1

I'd assume so, but I will need to investigate the subject further. Please note that I am moving Wubi to use Grub2 in line with the rest of Ubuntu. Probably the best way is to write a blueprint and subscribe myself to it. Not sure how to merge that with current UI, possibly via command line?

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Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg) said :
#2

Thanks, I'll try to write a blueprint for this.

I don't think that inexperienced users (such as teachers) will be able to easily use a command line switch, so a GUI-based method would be preffered... Of course, a command line option is better than no option. :-)

I think maybe putting an "LTSP client" option in the desktop environment combo box would be a non-too-intrusive way to do it. That would align with the "install an LTSP server" option of the Ubuntu alternate CD, and could possibly (in the future) take advantage of the other dialog components like the username/password or even the installation size for a local swap space. I'll try to analyze it more in the blueprint.

Good to hear about the move to grub2.

Kind regards,
Alkis Georgopoulos

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Alkis Georgopoulos (alkisg) said :
#3

Thanks Agostino Russo, that solved my question.