Howto - High Performance Diskless Desktops using NFS Caching
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Audience
3. Install pilot machine
3.1: Setting up an test machine
3.2: Setting up an diskless directory on NFS
3.3: Compile a kernel
4. Configure
4.1: Configure Pxelinux,Tftp,Dhcp
4.2: Editing fstab
5. Test
5.1: Test first diskless desktop
6. Optimise
6.1: Creating swap
6.2: Fs-caching
6.3: Kernel parameters tuning
6.4: Optimizing start-up scripts
7. Replicate the diskless machines
7.1: Replicate onto other directories
8. Benchmarks
8.1: Benchmarks and performance testing:
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Diskless desktops give better manageability and central control. Read this link for some reasons to use diskless servers, arguments equally valid for diskless desktops.
1. Introduction
However diskless desktops often suffer from performance issues, and if they number more than about 20, they are also prone to network congestion and NFS server load.
This tutorial will help you setup high performance diskless desktops employing NFS-caching, a feature of kernel 2.6.30 onwards. FS-cache allows NFS resident files to be cached locally on a USB stick or hard disk transparently to the user. For more info on fs caching visit this link
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