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Chapter Two
 


 

Concepts & Features


2.1
DISKLESS ANGEL is designed with the goal to facilitate taking Windows 9X to run from a ramdisk. As Windows 9X can be taken to run totally in ram, it is also possible to make the computer running diskless, whether it is standalone or networked computer with or without internal hard disk(s).

2.2
To achieve its goal, DISKLESS ANGEL includes 5 separate programmes:

  1. DISKLESS ANGEL Client Configurator – a Configuration Manager for DISKLESS ANGEL Client,

  2. DISKLESS ANGEL Server Configurator – a Configuration Manager for DISKLESS ANGEL Server,

  3. DISKLESS ANGEL Server – a server programme for delivering the system image file of Windows 9X from the server computer to the client computer for booting through network,

  4. WDDRV – a 16 bit DOS ramdisk driver, and

  5. WDDOS.EXE – a 16 bit DOS programme for loading up DISKLESS ANGEL Client to run from a ramdisk created with WDDRV.

In this Chapter, features of DISKLESS ANGEL Client Configurator, WDDRV and WDDOS.EXE will be briefly introduced. The other two programmes will be described in chapters relating to booting Windows 9X through network.

2.3
Basically, running Windows 9X from a ramdisk works by the following steps:

  1. A 16 bit ramdisk is created and a system image of Windows 9X , a DISKLESS ANGEL Client, is copied onto the ramdisk, and

  2. Windows 9X is run from the ramdisk thus copied with the DISKLESS ANGEL Client.

2.4
DISKLESS ANGEL Client Configurator helps to prepare a DISKLESS ANGEL Client. A DISKLESS ANGEL Client is a system image of Windows 9X that can be loaded up to and run from a ramdisk. The system image can be stored as a normal FAT16/32 partition image, within a DISKLESS ANGEL VFS partition, or a normal image file residing on a normal hard disk.

Two methods of loading up from an internal hard disk of a standalone computer the system image of Windows 9X onto a 16 bit ramdisk from which it is run have so far been described. It is described in a simple way without going into the rich features of DISKLESS ANGEL. In the Quick Start, it is loaded from a normal hard disk FAT16/32 partition; in Chapter One, it is loaded from a normal image file residing on a normal hard disk.

Such image file can also be stored on a computer server and retrieved through network for booting up a computer workstation with or without an internal fixed hard disk as later described in other chapters. You will also later be introduced to methods of removing internal fixed hard disk(s) while Windows 9X is running in your computer to make your computer running diskless in a separate chapter.

2.4.1
To help prepare a DISKLESS ANGEL Client, DISKLESS ANGEL Client Configurator, a 32 bit Windows programme, includes the following tools under the Tools Menu:

  1. Virtual Disk Manager – it is used to create and manage 32 bit virtual disk(s) in ram under Windows 9X . The virtual disk thus created can be used to facilitate the preparation of a DISKLESS ANGEL Client. It is also important for storing the Windows Swap File when Windows 9X is running on and from a 16 bit ramdisk. Without storing the Windows Swap File on a 32 bit virtual disk, Windows 9X running on a 16 bit ramdisk crashes easily for some applications

  2. Ramdisk Manager – it is used to manage under Windows 9X the 16 bit ramdisk(s) created by WDDOS.EXE with WDDRV under real-mode DOS

  3. Partition Editor – it is used to create FAT16/32 partitions and DISKLESS ANGEL VFS partition residing on a normal hard disk; as said before a DISKLESS ANGEL Client can be stored as normal FAT16/32 partition or as FAT16/32 partition residing within DISKLESS ANGEL VFS partition.

  4. Image Copier – it is used to copy partition/drive image into an image file or verse versa.

  5. Disk Image Builder – it is used to convert partition/drive image file(s) into a disk image that can be used by a virtual machine emulator such as QEMU or that can be loaded up with MEMDISK either under Syslinux or GRUB for normal running as a ramdisk based operating system. The partition/drive image file(s) can be a DISKLESS ANGEL Client, i.e. a system image of Windows 9X .

  6. Partition Image File Creator – it is used to create blank FAT16/32 partition image files for storing any files or a DISKLESS ANGEL Client.

  7. MBR/BS Manager – This is a Master Boot Record (MBR) and Boot Sector (BS) Manager. It is used to copy valid MBR and FAT16/32 BS from a functional hard disk and install them to another hard disk or to a partition image file or to a disk image file. It is important for preparing bootable hard disk(s) and bootable FAT16/32 partition image file(s) as well bootable disk image file(s).

  8. Image Directory Setter – it sets the default WDDIR directory where DISKLESS ANGEL Client Configurator looks for DISKLESS ANGEL Client image file(s) for operations.

  9. DISKLESS ANGEL Driver Importer – it is used to import the registered WDDRV. After registration, a fully functional WDDRV will be delivered to users and this makes the whole DISKLESS ANGEL package fully functional as well.

  10. Global Options Setter – it sets options and settings for use by the Partition Editor, the Image Copier, Partition Image File Creator as well as Disk Image Builder.