PXE - generic NIC driver?

[David]

goal: load boot image via PXE server that has several utilities available...
historical issue: different NIC drivers

question: is this still an issue? I have created DOS based boot image with
support for specific network cards in the past... but I'm thinking that with
PXE the NIC *is* already communicating on the line in order to get IP
address (DHCP) so is there now some standard in place where one universal
driver can be used for all NICs? Maybe a generic NIC driver that is OS
dependent (obviously) but works for any PXE NIC by comunicating directly
with the PXE ROM? Of course you would still need client redirector software
for your specific network (microsoft, or linux, novell, etc...) but no need
to support specifc NIC cards???

just wondering/hoping? anyone heard of anything like this?

[Simon Gronow]

Check out http://www.netbootdisk.com


We use this in a PXE mode to ghost ghost images from a 2003 server





"David" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:exDYDb$PHHA.780@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> goal: load boot image via PXE server that has several utilities
> available...
> historical issue: different NIC drivers
>
> question: is this still an issue? I have created DOS based boot image with
> support for specific network cards in the past... but I'm thinking that
> with PXE the NIC *is* already communicating on the line in order to get IP
> address (DHCP) so is there now some standard in place where one universal
> driver can be used for all NICs? Maybe a generic NIC driver that is OS
> dependent (obviously) but works for any PXE NIC by comunicating directly
> with the PXE ROM? Of course you would still need client redirector
> software for your specific network (microsoft, or linux, novell, etc...)
> but no need to support specifc NIC cards???
>
> just wondering/hoping? anyone heard of anything like this?
>

[David]

thanks... I'll check this out.

"Simon Gronow" <srg@babcom.net.au> wrote in message
news:el7LTxEQHHA.1552@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Check out http://www.netbootdisk.com
>
>
> We use this in a PXE mode to ghost ghost images from a 2003 server
>
>
>
>
>
> "David" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:exDYDb$PHHA.780@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> goal: load boot image via PXE server that has several utilities
>> available...
>> historical issue: different NIC drivers
>>
>> question: is this still an issue? I have created DOS based boot image
>> with support for specific network cards in the past... but I'm thinking
>> that with PXE the NIC *is* already communicating on the line in order to
>> get IP address (DHCP) so is there now some standard in place where one
>> universal driver can be used for all NICs? Maybe a generic NIC driver
>> that is OS dependent (obviously) but works for any PXE NIC by
>> comunicating directly with the PXE ROM? Of course you would still need
>> client redirector software for your specific network (microsoft, or
>> linux, novell, etc...) but no need to support specifc NIC cards???
>>
>> just wondering/hoping? anyone heard of anything like this?
>>
>
>