Diskless workstation running WS 3 and kernel patch

[mhautreu insa-rouen fr]

Hello, I have some troubles regarding diskless workstation creation.

I first try to make my own kernel using 2.4.25 kernel from kernel.org.
However, due to non-NPTL-compliance, I was unable to use it with WS 3? So
I decided to deactivate NPTL libraries ( mv /lib/nptl /lib/nptl.old) and
at first sight it was successfull. But when I use some applications like
openoffice, they stopped because of a ?memory fault?. This problem is due
to NPTL support of these applications.

So I try to use redhat-config-netboot utility in order to make my diskless
workstations. I meet the problems that were described in this mailing list
in march. busybox is not installed in the WS 3 image that I use to create
the ?root? directory and the disklessrc script of the initrd.img crashes.
I solve this problem adding busybox by hand to the initrd. After that I
had to cope with some PXE configuration problems but finally, the diskless
run properly and the applications don?t crash anymore.

I find that  redhat-config-netboot utility for diskless workstation
doesn?t scale with the solution I have to set up in my company. First of
all, the boot process is complicated, we have to load an initrd, to check
for hardware and to load modules. The kernel is huge and it?s not a good
point for a diskless utilisation. Furthermore, I didn?t notice any
autoconfiguration of the hardware for the diskless that can boot from one
?root image?, so I would have to make one ?root? for each type of computer
I want to use ( is it right or wrong? If anyone succeed in doing this
please let me know how?). On top of that, RedHat hotline doesn?t seem to
support diskless?

That the reason why I think I will make my own kernel and I would like to
know if I just have to add nptl patch or if, for WS 3 applications
compatibility, I have to patch the kernel with the other patch used by
taroon kernel?

Thanks

MAT