Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ub!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!vax1.cc.lehigh.edu!lehi3b15!jearly
From: jearly@lehi3b15.csee.Lehigh.EDU (John Early)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Network workstations
Message-ID: <1036@lehi3b15.csee.Lehigh.EDU>
Date: 11 Aug 90 23:38:13 GMT
References: <11833.540.forumexp@mts.rpi.edu> <6716.26c1bd60@vax1.tcd.ie> <405@rwsys.lonestar.org>
Organization: CSEE Dept. Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Lines: 48
In-reply-to: jim@rwsys.lonestar.org's message of 10 Aug 90 23:36:17 GMT

In article <405@rwsys.lonestar.org> jim@rwsys.lonestar.org (James Wyatt KA5VJL                .) writes:

>   In article <6716.26c1bd60@vax1.tcd.ie> jagrogan@vax1.tcd.ie writes:
>   >It is certainly worth taking a look at Novell. ...
>   >... The workstations then need only have a floppy drive so as to
>   >boot them up. There is no need to have hard disks on the workstations.
>
>   Well, most Ethernet (and many ARCNET) cards allow a boot-prom to be installed.
>   This means you can remove (or not buy) floppy drives/controller, install the
>   boot prom, tell the server about them (and install DOS), and boot without the
>   floppy at all. It will save power (and thus heat), prevent employees from
>   installing unwanted/untested software, prevent the removal of sensitive data
>   by floppy (they can still print it), and maybe save some money. The proms are
>   about twenty to fifty dollars U.S. and are EASY to install. They boot MUCH
>   faster and don't wear-out like floppies can. We use them in educational
>   networks where we can boot 100 workstations in the time 10 booted with
>   floppies. This strongly limits what the students can do to 'crack' the
>   network and prevents the theft of courseware.
>   ----
>   James Wyatt (KA5VJL) - Standard disclaimer applies...          (H)214-579-0425
>	     {texbell.swbt.com,letni.lawnet.com}!rwsys.lonestar.org!jim
>  {sys1.tandy.com!sneaky.UUCP,merch.tandy.com}!/                 (W)817-390-2864

I work for Lehigh university, which has about 200 Zenith 148's on various
public-site LANs, and wee came to the following conclusions Re boot proms:
  They add cost (around $35)
  They take time to install (It took me over an hour to install 8087's at one
    of our small sites, 16 machines--time for boot proms would be about the
    same.  Keep in mind that new chips must be installed with any software
    upgrade, whereas with floppies one only need cut a new boot disk)
  They are faster, and save the expense of providing boot floppies.

As far as security with boot proms, since our LANs are on a backbone network
and users can FTP software in and out of the file server scratch space anyway,
we saw no advantage to removing the floppy drives, and the disadvantage of
a lot more user hastle.
Our newest site has 50 IBM PS/2 model 55sx machines w/30 meg hard drives.
The hard drives are the boot device.  For security the file server erases
all files off the local hard disk with every login.

Hope this helps,
John.

----------------------------------------
John Early                             |
jearly@lehi3b15.csee.lehigh.edu        |  I was just a child then;
JPE1@Lehigh.Bitnet                     |  now I'm only a man.  [pf]
LUJPE@VAX1.cc.lehigh.edu               |