Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!mailrus!ncar!gatech!psuvax1!psuvm!uh2 From: UH2@PSUVM.BITNET (Lee Sailer) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Diskless NeXT's?? Message-ID: <89222.100550UH2@PSUVM> Date: 10 Aug 89 14:05:50 GMT References: <1989Aug8.192101.3060@ee.rochester.edu> Distribution: na Organization: Penn State University - Center for Academic Computing Lines: 39 In article <1989Aug8.192101.3060@ee.rochester.edu>, jal@ee.rochester.edu (John Lefor) says: > >Thus the question - is it possible to defeat the optical disk for >purposes of system boot without completely disabling the optical? >If this is not possible now, would NeXT consider such an option i nthe >near future. > I don't have a NeXT, so this is just an idea: To boot from the floptical, a user has to have the "system" on it, right? To build a lab of NeXTs (booting from a file server) but at the same time stop hordes of students from booting from their own flopties, a partial (very partial!) solution would be to not give students the "system". 1. The average student -- wouldn't take the time to figure out that he or she could copy the relevant system files from the server and construct a bootable disk. 2. The dedicated hacker -- could construct a bootable flopty, or simply obtain one elsewhere, but is by this time mature enough not to be malicious. 3. The malicious hacker -- will figure out a way to beat the system, anyway. In short, the thrust of this simple, though only parital solution is to throw a few organizational hurdles in front of the unauthorized system booter that will stop the ignorant meddler, plus throw a heavy dose of socialization at those who will eventually acquire the technical skills so that by the time they figure out how to be an unathorized booter they know better. Tangent--these same students could, at most schools, easily steal any and all faculty mail (paper--from faculty mail boxes). They don't. Because, at least in part, of socialization. We need the same community rules with regard to tampering with computer systems. lee