Install OS without CD drive, how?

[robisc]

OK I have a PC that is to be a file server, I am going to install either Redhat or Debian on it, the problem is it has no CD drive, what options do I have? I was thinking of taking the HDD out and installing it into another box as a slave drive, then putting the ISO files onto it then reinstalling it back into the server, now how would i go about installing the OS from the ISO? Also this machine has no floppy drive, so i don't know about a net install, maybe a LAN install but I have never done that either. Since I have the images (ISOs) would this work and if so how?

 

[Dreadogg]

Originally posted by: robisc
OK I have a PC that is to be a file server, I am going to install either Redhat or Debian on it, the problem is it has no CD drive, what options do I have? I was thinking of taking the HDD out and installing it into another box as a slave drive, then putting the ISO files onto it then reinstalling it back into the server, now how would i go about installing the OS from the ISO? Also this machine has no floppy drive, so i don't know about a net install, maybe a LAN install but I have never done that either. Since I have the images (ISOs) would this work and if so how?

no offence but seems like it would be easier to just take the cd-rom out of the box that you were gonna use to put the images on the drive, unless the pc has no extra ide channel.

 

[robisc]

no offence but seems like it would be easier to just take the cd-rom out of the box that you were gonna use to put the images on the drive, unless the pc has no extra ide channel.

You hit the nail on the head, this box only has one IDE Channel.

 

[NokiaDude]

You mean you can't hook up the CD drive and HDD on the same IDE channel and on the same ribbion? UNLESS, there isn't another power connector. :Q:Q

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

I've had older boards that had only 1 IDE channel, but could still hook 2 devices to that channel. Stick A CD drive in there as slave and have at it as long as booting from CD is supported in the BIOS. Wouldn't be hard to stick a floppy drive in there temporrarily if you needed to.

 

[lorlabnew]

robisc,

give a try to network installation; make yourself boot floppies from your ISO disk with rawrite; you'll need boot & modules (for your network adapter) disks. Then, depending from where you'll install, you'll need to setup either ftp or NFS export on the other box... this should work UNLESS there is no NIC present in your PC

 

[lowtech1]

Debian booting from floppy disks and installing using the network.

 

[Dreadogg]

Also this machine has no floppy drive

 

[lowtech1]

Originally posted by: Dreadogg

Also this machine has no floppy drive

Oops!
Borrow a floppy/cdrom drive from another machine duh!

 

[lorlabnew]

Originally posted by: Dreadogg

Also this machine has no floppy drive

Ditch your computer without CDROM, with single IDE channel only, and no FDD...
Go to Salvation Army store or similar, and buy first Pentium I class (or better) PC you'll see there for under $50; you'll most likely get all the parts you need, quite possibly a PC usable as file server straight away....

 

[hevnsnt]

slave the drive, it is your only chance at this point

 

[Nothinman]

If the box supports PXE network booting that might be an option. I've booted both my Sun boxes from the network to do Debian installs because they don't have floppies, I have no idea how hard it'll be on Intel hardware though.