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====== Google Summer of Code ideas for Etherboot/gPXE ======

Here are some ideas for projects for prospective students wishing to particpate in Google Summer of Code with the Etherboot Project.

First, you should know that we, the [[http://etherboot.org/|Etherboot Project]], create network booting code, which allows computers to load their operating system from a network.  Our code can be stored in a number of places, including BIOS Flash, EPROMs, floppy, CD, HD, or other bootable media.

The next version of our code will be called "gPXE".  Up to this point, our code has been called "Etherboot", which is also the name of our project. Another piece of software we maintain is "mknbi", which creates files in ".nbi" format, or "Network Bootable Image" format.

Finally, we operate the [[http://rom-o-matic.net/]] website, which dynamically generates Etherboot (soon to also be gPXE) images in a variety of formats.

We have a number of areas we can use help with.  Since our focus is creating network boot code, it is important that if you want to help with coding you be comfortable with low-level programming -- that is, C and possibly some x86 assembler. You should also understand that efficiencies of code size, runtime size, and execution speed are important to us.  Bare-metal programming requires patience and focus, but the sense of control and understanding can be very exhilarating. 

The [[http://rom-o-matic.net/]] site is written in PHP, so if you would like to help with that, you would need to be able to write PHP as well as HTML, and whatever other languages will facilitate web programming.

You can download Etherboot code from our [[http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/etherboot|SourceForge Project Page]].  You may also wish to join the
[[https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-discuss|Etherboot-Discuss]] mailing list, or browse our
[[http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum=etherboot-discuss|Archives]] to see what sorts of things we are doing.

Mentors:  Marty Connor, Michael Brown

Here are some ideas for projects for Google Summer of Code students:

  * Add a device driver for an unsupported network card to Etherboot/gPXE. This will require understanding the network card driver API for gPXE, and implementing the required routines to enable an Ethernet card to be controlled by gPXE.

  * Finish the e1000 gigabit driver update which is in progress.

  * Add PCMCIA network booting support to Etherboot/gPXE.  This would include PCMCIA and Cardbus support, and at least one wireless network driver.

  * Add a command line interface to gPXE to allow interactive network booting and debugging of protocol negotiations and image downloading, as well as setting paramters to be used during booting operations.  Design of command syntax and functionality is an important part of this project.

  * Update [[http://rom-o-matic.net/]] to support gPXE image builds.  Improve the user interface of the site to make navigation easier, and to save configuration choices for future builds.

  * Implement [[http://coraid.com/|AoE]] (ATA over Ethernet) protocol for gPXE.

  * Add secure network booting support for gPXE.  This would involved creating a secure network connection between the network client and server, and/or loading signed binaries.

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Trace: • sanboot • realtek8139roms • staging • romburning • aoe • iscsibootprepfc5
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