Ever wonder why there's an "Onboard Ethernet Controller" option on the boot menu? It's there because PXE allows you to do cool stuff by running an OS sent down from a network server. What cool stuff? How about installing Linux (on 1 machine or 50 at the same time) without making a boot CD/USB Or what about backing up a complete image the computer's hard drive to network storage? Or booting up a lab full of diskless computers that users can't erase/hack/infect? All are loads of fun, but this talk will show you how to setup a server to push a Linux install down to a machine booting from PXE.

Ben White is a professor of Computer Information Systems at a two year college in the University System of Georgia. For the past 16 years, most of his teaching has consisted of showing the clueless where the power button is but he does get to spend a little time with more advanced topics (and students) so he only has a mild personality disorder. He had trouble getting the college to pay for a La-z-boy to replace his office chair so he bought it himself and now amazes visitors by computing from the reclining position. Unlike most computer professionals he is comfortable in the natural world and maintains a garden of rare and unusual plants. In his talk on building your own green home at last year's Outerz0ne, the best piece of advice he gave was "Don't point the sharp end of the tool toward your body".