# Why put an eprom on a network card? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365 "2020-02-22T21:10:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shinnen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@shinnen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shinnen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/1 "2020-02-22T21:10:21Z")
Hi, I’m using an old 3com network card on my system. It has a space for an eprom. Why would one put an eprom on a network card? Thanks, … john ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/2 "2020-02-22T21:29:02Z")
You can use it to install a minimal boot image on the network card that typically has just enough smarts to find the operating system image and root file system somewhere else on the network. See [Etherboot](http://etherboot.sourceforge.net/doc/html/userman/x60.html). This permits one to build systems with no internal storage devices. We used to do this to set up rack-mounted diskless servers for parallel computation clusters. ---
**Author:** ![shinnen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@shinnen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shinnen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/3 "2020-02-23T00:44:17Z")
Hi Kyrie, So, there’s no real advantage to a simple home user who only surfs the web and checks his emails? … john ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/4 "2020-02-23T01:30:39Z")
See also: Often informally called PiXiE Boot. > **[Preboot Execution Environment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environment)** > > In computing, the Preboot eXecution Environment, PXE (most often pronounced as /ˈpɪksiː/ pixie, often called PXE Boot/pixie boot.) specification describes a standardized client–server environment that boots a software assembly, retrieved from a network, on PXE-enabled clients. On the client side it requires only a PXE-capable network interface controller (NIC), and uses a small set of industry-standard network protocols such as DHCP and TFTP. > The concept behind the PXE originated in the early d... ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/5 "2020-02-23T01:33:30Z")
The place where I do some of my work we use this method for reloading/reimaging machines as needed. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/6 "2020-02-23T01:35:58Z")
> [@shinnen](#): > > Hi Kyrie, > So, there’s no real advantage to a simple home user who only surfs the web and checks his emails? > … john Not really, more a commercial environment thing where you have prebuilt custom drive loadouts that are adjusted regularly, that way any machines in need of setup or reloading always get the latest loadout. overkill for a few users, essential when managing hundreds if not thousands of machines. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/7 "2020-02-23T01:49:12Z")
On a modern card there is no need for a PXE eeprom socket, because the ROM required for PXE is so small that it is just included by default. On an old card, there was no such thing as PXE, and an optional EEPROM contained software for a Thin Client. In between came, I guess, EEPROM implementations of PXE, but I don’t remember that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/8 "2020-02-23T01:51:36Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > You can use it to install a minimal boot image on the network card that typically has just enough smarts to find the operating system image and root file system somewhere else on the network. See [Etherboot](http://etherboot.sourceforge.net/doc/html/userman/x60.html). This permits one to build systems with no internal storage devices. We used to do this to set up rack-mounted diskless servers for parallel computation clusters. Interesting. When I was in grad school we had two PDP-11s. One had a ROM with the boot sequence, the other didn’t. You had to toggle in the boot sequence for that one. Not fun, even when you memorized the octal for the sequence. ---
**Author:** ![shinnen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@shinnen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shinnen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/9 "2020-02-23T03:13:47Z")
OK. Thank you all for your guidance. It would seem like a waste of time for me. … john ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-put-an-eprom-on-a-network-card/848365/10 "2020-02-23T20:23:13Z")
> [@shinnen](#): > > OK. Thank you all for your guidance. It would seem like a waste of time for me. > … john No time spent in the pursuit of knowledge is wasted.