A PC with no system at all
A new PC has an empty drive. There is no system to start. So where does it find the first program?
It looks in a list of places, one after the other. A technician can choose which place comes first. That choice decides how the system is installed.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Boot | to start a computer and load its system |
| System requirements | what a computer must have to run a program well |
| Network | computers joined together so they can share data |
| Firmware | the small program built into a computer that starts it up |
| USB drive | a small drive that plugs into a USB port |
| Hot-swappable | able to be plugged in or removed while the computer is on |
| PXE | preboot execution environment: starting a PC from a server over the network |
| Netboot | starting a computer from a system image on a server |
| TFTP | a simple way to send small files, used to send the first boot files |
| Virtual machine | a computer made by software inside another computer |
| Virtualised | run on a computer made by software inside another computer |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can compare ways to install a system and ways to boot, including PXE and Netboot.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Before you install: check the hardware
Check the system requirements first, as in the earlier lesson. Then check the hardware configuration. The computer's firmware has a boot order. You may need to change it, turn on network boot, or check that the drive is seen.
Four ways to install
Network-based: the installer is fetched across the network from a server. Local: the installer is on a disc or a USB drive in the machine. Virtualised: the system is installed into a virtual machine. Cloud-based: the system is created on a provider's servers, and you reach it over the internet.
Installation methods compared
| Method | Where the installer is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Network-based | On a server | Many PCs at once, no visit needed |
| Local (CD or USB) | In the machine | One PC, or no network |
| Virtualised | Inside a virtual machine | Testing, and old systems on new hardware |
| Cloud-based | On a provider's servers | Quick new machines with no hardware to buy |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: install methods
Have a go
Check: install methods
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.