On Wed, Dec 26, 2007 at 05:55:06PM +0530, Mukund JB. wrote: > Hi Luciano, > > I thought of PXE just because my up gradations would be easy. Now, I first need things working. So, a little shift in plans. > > I need to follow an authentication procedure using various authentication devices ranging from network, RSA, biometric, smart card, etc by first booting Linux and then boot windows OS. I am currently doing it by booting the complete Linux OS, authenticate the system, do a reboot to windows OS. > > You may ask me why? Because, it is required to not even access the windows image before authenticating the system. > > Problem is by going though the entire Linux booting and authenticating is taking up lot of time. > > I think I have 2 options: > > 1) Resize the Linux Kernel, boot quick, authenticate, reboot. > (NOTE: Only if I can skip the BIOS POST tests during the REBOOT) > > 2) I want something that can do the job Linux is doing now, which can be pretty fast and easy to do (may be a boot loader that can help me authenticate with the devices mentioned above). With full support for the devices and protocols you'll be using, there's not much out there that fits this point. > Can you guys please help me suggesting how can I do this? There are more alternatives: 3) Replace your BIOS with LinuxBIOS. Booting Windows under LinuxBios is not well supported, check <http://linuxbios.org/Booting_Windows_using_LinuxBIOS>. 4) Go the winpe route. For how to boot windows under windows, you'll have to go to other forums, but you could use the winpe for authentication and then keep using the winpe, with access to the standard shell and programs on the harddisk. 5) Add support to boot windows to kexec. This would be harder, but the community will much appreciate it. :) Check the previous link and also <http://linuxbios.org/GSoC>. 6) Use etherboot/gpxe, check <http://www.etherboot.org/wiki/index.php>. 7) Run the windows on the hard-disk under qemu/vmware/kvm/xen. ;) > > I guess your authentication module would be running in real mode and not > in protected mode? If yes, then you can try to make BIOS calls to directly > read / write to hard disk. I'm assuming we're talking about a PC here? > > Is there an existing platform for setting the processor in protected mode with the required Phy-to-virtual tables and giving the control to custom application which can perform the required task? Hm, kexec might do some of that, but I'm not familiar with its internals. -- Luciano Rocha <luciano@xxxxxxxxxxx> Eurotux Informática, S.A. <http://www.eurotux.com/>
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