Build A Cross-Platform Test Network With Samba & GRUB

An anonymous reader writes "This tutorial shows how to combine Samba and GRUB to build a compact, highly adaptable, cross-platform test network, capable of booting and networking a large number of operating systems on a small number of machines. Though Samba and GRUB can manage many different operating systems, this tutorial focuses on Linux and Windows." Reg required on the story.

Comments

Ooooooo...

[Anonymous Coward]

Can I use TCP too? Man, that would kick ass. Imagine using TCP to connect machines on different platforms. Shit, we could even develop a WORLD WIDE NETWORK!

Wow, a really clear grub tutorial

[nich37ways]

For all the good information this tutorial has in it, I am still reading it, the greatest part would have to be the incredibly clear and nicely laid out set of instructions on how to use Grub with different operating systems. Normally I find this information scattered across half a dozen different pages.

Anyone who actually reads it and finds it useful look hard as there is a pdf link for the entire document, as it is only 72k its a lot easier than waiting for IBM's servers to load each page. A nice touch from IBM I think. Makes life over a slow connection a little easier.

Cheers gatesh8r for the l/p

Re:Wow, a really clear grub tutorial

[Malc]

What, you don't like the GRUB Info pages? I couldn't imagine why as it does seem to follow the general rules of Info pages: excessively verbose with a pre-ponderance for discussing product history rather than getting down to the nitty-gritty and describing how to use it. What with it being disorganised, poorly written and suffer from the crappy Info UI, it's classic example of why it needs a man page pointing to. Why are so many GNU programmes documented in Info rather than man these days? I hate it.

Yes, you guessed it. I've had to suffer the GRUB Info pages in the past.

Thin on details, good primer for newbies

[gravis_23]

Better documentation on accomplishing dual booting is available at The Linux Documentation Project's site. Kudos to IBM tho for making an effort. :)

Re:Wow, that's...really not worth reading.

[Blkdeath]

The article focuses mainly on installing multiple OSs with Grub as the boot loader. This information is widely available (and without registration). The section I was interested in was on Samba. Which it doesn't talk about except to say "here's a tutorial, because I don't feel like writing about this stuff."

I found it mostly a vanity piece, really. Much of the advice she gave was quite frankly wrong, silly, or unclear (ie; could have used context).

Examples;

• Hiding Linux partitions from Win'98? Why?
• How is it "tricky" to create a Windows partition with Linux's fdisk? (It's no more/less complicated than creating a Linux Swap partition, FYI).
• Debian is the only Linux with a package management system? ("Everyone except Debian users must unpack the tarball")
• zcat and pipe a tar.gz through tar?
• GRUB can only be installed from floppy?!?
• Disable encrypted network passwords in Windows?
• Explicitly set all NICs to 100TX?

Advice given by self-ascribed "gurus" should be taken with a suitable quantity of NaCL, in my humble opinion.