Remote Desktop that allows BIOS access

[btspm]

Anyone know of a Remote Desktop/VNC-like program that loads in a way that allows BIOS and boot menu access?

[mciahel]

Hi,

you can't access BIOS remotely. The only exception from that rule may be found in certain business computers.

Another exception would be softwares, that can access BIOS settings within the operation system. Such came with my Toshiba laptop a couple of years ago (but fails to work now, maybe there is some incompatibility with newer Windows XP service packs). So if there are such tools for the computer you want to maintain remotely, then these can be run from VNC like any other piece of software.

Michael

[bhoar]

Two possible solutions:

1) Some server BIOS can be set to use the serial port instead of the console for BIOS setup.

2) Some high-end KVMs have a built in software-based remote-desktop-like console server that allow for remote (e.g. over network, not KVM cables) connections to all of the computers.

-brendan

[btspm]

Thanks for the responses. I suspected as much. Would it be any easier to access a boot manager remotely? I have a download box dual booting ubuntu and winXP (using grub for boot). Or failing that, some way to set the next OS to load on reboot from within either OS (i'm not too familiar with grub yet).

[debro]

I'm not sure about the ubuntu equivalent, but you can use VNC on suse, go to yast & set the preferred primary OS to .. whatever .. and then reboot the machine.

[skelton]

Thanks for the responses. I suspected as much. Would it be any easier to access a boot manager remotely? I have a download box dual booting ubuntu and winXP (using grub for boot). Or failing that, some way to set the next OS to load on reboot from within either OS (i'm not too familiar with grub yet).

It would be very simple to set the default boot drive in Ubuntu
using grub or lilo. ssh is the standard tool for the job. I don't
know enough about Windows to make any suggestions.

The drive boot sector is only 512 bytes. You could keep
a pair of boot sector images on HDD and write the
appropriate image to sector 0 of the HDD before you
reboot.

Something like:

dd bs=512 count=1 if=boot-linux.img of=/dev/xdx

dd bs=512 count=1 if=boot-windoze.img of=/dev/xdx

Make a backup of your original boot sector before you
start experimenting.

Again, you will have to ask the Windows experts how
to do this in Windows.

See the man page for dd, grub and/or lilo.

[Spiros_18]

Yes man there is a way... look this
http://www.intel.com/support/services/rpat/sb/CS-029752.htm

[chef]

It's "virtually" possible, but only with real server boards.

[DiiZzY]

On server boards it's called LOM (Sun), iLO (HP) etc
On motherboards with Intel Q57-chipset (which are no more expensive than your regular board) you can actually use RealVNC and access BIOS among other things.
//Danne

[chef]

On server boards it's called LOM (Sun), iLO (HP) etc
On motherboards with Intel Q57-chipset (which are no more expensive than your regular board) you can actually use RealVNC and access BIOS among other things.
//Danne

Thanks for the info. :flower: