Setting Up and Starting the Remoteboot Service

Before you can use the Remoteboot service, you must install a network adapter containing an RPL ROM chip on each client computer you plan to boot remotely. These adapters are available directly from network adapter manufacturers or from independent vendors. For more information about network adapters and RPL ROMs, contact your solution provider. A list of supported network adapters is provided in the next section of this chapter.

To set up the Remoteboot service (summary)

1. Install Windows NT Server on a computer that will be the remoteboot server.

There are three special considerations for the Remoteboot service:

• The server's computer name must not have spaces in it.
• It is strongly recommended that you install remoteboot files on a disk partition formatted with NT File System (NTFS) so that permissions are correctly set. Users will be able to read and write their own files in the remoteboot directory but not write to shared files or system configuration files. Also, the File Allocation Table (FAT) file system does not support more than approximately 100 remoteboot clients.
• Install the Data Link Control (DLC) and NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) protocols and ensure that clients can communicate with the server using these protocols (arrange proper routing, bridging, etc.).

2. Install the Remoteboot service on the remoteboot server.

Or, convert an existing Microsoft LAN Manager for OS/2 remoteboot installation to run on Windows NT Server, and then install the Remoteboot service.

Note

Windows NT Server does not support remote booting of OS/2 clients, Windows for Workgroups clients, Windows NT Workstation clients, or Windows NT Server clients.

3. Install MS-DOS and/or Windows 3.1 operating system files on the remoteboot server.

If you are converting from LAN Manager remoteboot, this may not be necessary.

4. If you will have Windows 95 remoteboot clients, install Windows 95 real-mode (also identified as MS-DOS 7.0) files on the remoteboot server.

5. Start the Remoteboot service.

6. Check the installation for errors, including checking the Event Viewer log.

7. Create profiles (these define the working environment shared by one or more clients).

8. If you will have Windows 95 remoteboot clients, install a Server-Based Setup (SBS) server.

This can be the same computer as the remoteboot server or it can be a separate server on the network. The SBS server must run the NetBEUI protocol.

9. If you will have Windows 95 remoteboot clients, create a location for machine directories.

This can be on the same computer as the remoteboot server or SBS server, or it can be on a separate server on the network. The server containing machine directories must run the NetBEUI protocol.

This section provides step-by-step instructions for these actions. For instructions on managing remoteboot clients, see "Managing Remoteboot Clients" later in this chapter.