Installing linux/windows through pxe works smoothly for me. But downloading images(especially windows) is a headache. Let alone the time, bandwith usage is horrible.
And p2p tech comes to my mind. But I have no clue how it works or where to start. Anyone knows how to setup p2p local network, and applies that on image transmission?
Any advice, tutorials or experiences will be great.
Thanks in advance.
You are trying to find a solution but I think you should try to know your problem first.
A PXE server must be locally hosted (LAN) containing all the images that you want to serve. Standard PXE initially transfers few files using TFTP and TFTP does not like (among other things) big round-trip-delays like the ones you might experience in WANs (Satellite links) or Internet. Once a PXE installation finishes the TFTP stage it could retrieve part of its components from a WAN/Internet using HTTP/FTP as many Linux distros do i.e. Debian/Ubuntu. Windows on the other hand at this point uses a regular MS share.
Please consider a well designed PXE environment on a Gb network is the fastest way to install windows 7/8 today; if you say that installing windows takes too long for you then you have a problem in your PXE set-up.
i.e. when installing 7/8 there is a TFTP transfer of the file Boot.wim of about 200Mb or even more, that transfer takes too long if you are just using regular TFTP; Microsoft WDS and its descendants (MDT/SCCM) and Serva use the TFTP windowsize option what greatly improve the only bottle neck a PXE windows install might present.
or sometimes a Gb cards can mistakenly negotiate at 100Mb what will definitely impact your speed.
