[K12OSN] Re: How to make a Mac default to network boot

[Jim Kronebusch]

> This is really a simple way to do it too.  It doesn't matter 
> if you even have a hard drive in, booting to an OS9 install 
> CD allows you to do it too.  There is probably a way to set 
> it manually in openfirmware, but booting to a CD doesn't take 
> too long.  You can use the same method to set it back to 
> booting to the hard drive too, if you dont' want to zap the 
> PRAM -- just boot from an installer CD again (holding C on 
> startup) and use the startup control panel to pick the hard drive.
> 
> (The holding down option key trick is nice too, although it 
> doesn't set a default.  It doesnt' matter what OS you have 
> installed, or even if you have a hard drive, it just matters 
> if the computer's firmware supports
> it.)

If most of your iMacs are like ours here the CDROMs are most likely shot
or have intermittent luck reading boot CD's.  And if you don't have an
OS on the drive already your hosed for the other way.  This way will
work every time:

Boot with apple+option+o+f again
Type the follwing at the command line:

setenv boot-device enet:192.168.0.254

Hit enter.

setenv auto-boot? true

Hit enter.

reset-all

Hit enter.

The machine should reboot and now automatically boot to ltsp every time
it is powered up.

Tip:  If for some reason your machine will not boot after entering boot
enet:192.168.0.254 with some error that 
it cannot find a boot loader or whatever, try this:

boot enet:192.168.0.254,yaboot

For some reason this is sometimes necessary.

If you just want to boot back to a local HD I believe you can enter
OpenFirmware and just type "boot" to get back to the local OS.
Otherwise the cmd+option+p+r should zap the pram and you'll go back to
square 1.

Hope that helps.


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