with ever tightening SLAs i was thinking if we have pc's with harddrive issues we could get the users to pxe boot to a terminal server

our users a fine imaging there own pc's using ris (pxe) so shouldn't be hasstle on that front

I don't want to be using Citrix

has anyone tried anything like this, any ideas

 

it's just what we do - p.c. fails, go out pick it up - bring it back and image it.

You do need to consider a standard (and locked down) desktop environment as well

 

so if a harddrive fails you tell a user to pxe boot and they get to a windows terminal server

I have seen some linux examples but not ms

we have good links the only problem is we have 100mile + round trip to some sites which makes 1 day SLA (time to fix) hard to meet

if we could remotley tell the user to pxe boot to a TS it would buy us some time

Rich

 

http://www.emboot.com/products_simplyRDP.htm

There are free dos rdp clients too.

You could change the boot preference order to boot hdd then pxe.

 

looks good ... im on the look out for them free ones, nhs don't pay for nothing

 

ill drop my mate a mail and see what we used

 

HP are currently pushing a funky solution for using DLs or BLs as virtual PCs - they've just implemented for one of the big corps (can't remember who) - if you have an HP account manager, have a chat with them - it certainly seemed to work well (we recently had this, amongst other things demo'd).

What I really liked was the ability to move a 'running' system to another virtual machine (on a.n.other system) without downtime.

 

Rich,

following on from our PMs 18 months ago - we might be able to help you PXE boot a RAM disk containing whatever OS you desire (or other potential solutions, depending on your actual problems and requirements).

Wouldn't be free though, but there has gotta be a few bob spare in the £12B overspend on NHS IT

Let us know if you are still interested!

mb

 

mate Im having to justifiy a hand full of usb mice at the moment the NHS is not a nice place to be in these times trust me

its like everything though if I can get cheap freeware in, then pull the service due to cost its not IT who are asking for the money which helps

sms
live chat
ms server2k3
mom
soon to be KB
VPN
etc etc etc all came in this way


still good to see whats on the market helps the googles searchs

bloomer if I moved from the NHS I would be on the phone asap but as long as they are still paying me I can't change my game plan

thanks for all the pointers guys

 

Alex,

That sounds like VMware and VMotion.. We use it and its cool, you do need the disks on shared storage.

David

 

It does indeed sound like it, i know HP are pushing VMWare at the moment, mind you so are we Keeps me in a job ! lol

 

Ian, who do you work for?

Was it fujitsu?

 

Nah i work for Basilica

 

ARGH...

Had a run in with them probably still supplying ventura though..

They assembled one of the IBMx335's incorrectly then packaged it with more polysteryene (sp) ***** than I knew what to do with.. should have seen the mess!

David

 

Yep, sorry was having a off day yesterday, could blinkin' remember the product names. And yes, SAN etc... required.

Today ain't much better... but I'll leave it there...

PS. I've had to rule it out cos our SAN team won't let me use the brocade's HP supply and no NAS solution available for our use as yet... oh and it ain't cheap!

 

What us ? We never supply servers wrapped in poly ***** (or bloody well shouldnt be) ! hope you kicked up a stink ! I would have done ! lol

 

Ian,

I did..


Alex...

VMWare 3 supports NAS devices

I also think they have just dropped the ESX licence price

Stuff your san guys, buy a HP MSA1000 or MSA1500

David

 

Also if its for the blades, cant you use a Cisco Switch in it?

 

Yep - I'm just about to order a full spec enclosure withe BL25ps - minus the brocade. With the CISCO switches, so our COMMs group can look after that bit. As for NAS, same group looks after it, and like 'Grolsh' (SP!) - it isn't ready yet - LOL

Still, we'll see... tbh honest the more I use blades the more I dislike them - great space saver - huge pain in the *** - but thats IBM blades.....

 

HP ones are supposed to be ok, not used em yet, but have heard hp are dropping the intel processors from them.

David

 

HP Blades have been fine

 

wow... ian, you still at basilica!

anyway... have you looked into Windows PE?

here's what i am doing....

VMWare ESX to run virtual desktop. users PCs are very bog standard and they connect to the virtual desktop for all their apps, etc. because it is over a WAN, i am using HP RGS as the remote control tool. it is FAST! hardly any delay in the screen refresh over the WAN!

 

drop us a mail to davidwallis@gmail.com and ill forward the client on.

David