Remotely installing CentOS using RIL or VNC Viewer Plus

idata · ‎10-04-2011

Hello again.

I now have a working VNC session to my computer. The goal is to have a very slimmed down hardware platform - no CD etc, plus I want to be able to reinstall OS remotely.

VNC Viewer Plus seems to be having difficulty mounting a CD image, but I found the Intel Remote ISO Launcher - which appears to work.

But, when I kick off an install, the CD can boot, but the moment it asks where are is the source of the install (i.e. the RPMs) it states it cannot find a CDROM and prompts to load additional driver.

Is there an additionaly driver? My assumption was that the mounting image over network should have been pretty seamless?

Thanks

Nick

idata · ‎10-05-2011

I have figured this out, so for others who face the same issue.

IDER doesn't quite live up to some of the hype. Unlike the remote control which is 100% hardware - no requirements on the OS. IDE redirection to remotley mount a CD is.

When you boot the system, the BIOS understands about redirected CDs so can boot the system. But the redirected CD does not appear as a standard IDE interface to any host OS. So when teh OS takes over from teh BIOS and needs to understand about the CD (for example during an install) it needs a driver.

Windows has had a driver for some time, but it apparently didn't reach the main stream kernel until 2.6.38 - and then the distributer of any distrib needs to ensure it is enabled.

Very few Linux distributions at the moment have this support built in.

My answer is to buy a cheap USB key, have a linux boot enviroment installed on that and keep it with it.

A little disappointing:)