DRBL vs Serva

DRBL deploys GNU/Linux from one server to many client machines. Clients can boot through PXE or etherboot in a diskless or systemless environment, so GNU/Linux need not be installed on each client drive. DRBL says clients can use distributed hardware resources while retaining full local-hardware access, and that other installed systems such as Windows remain untouched. Clonezilla is included for partitioning and disk cloning. Commands can change boot modes, copy files, manage user accounts and issue instructions across clients. DRBL uses PXE/etherboot, NFS and NIS for network services and supports network and multicast deployment. The free, open-source software is intended for Linux and self-hosted setups. Its installation guide supports Debian Bullseye and Buster, Ubuntu Jammy and Focal, CentOS 7, Scientific Linux 7.x and RHEL 7.x; other distributions or versions will not work. DRBL Live is available for CD/DVD or USB and hard drives in amd64, i686-pae and i686 formats.

Serva is a Windows application for automated PXE network booting and operating-system installation. Its portable package bundles HTTP, FTP, TFTP, DHCP, proxyDHCP, BINL, DNS, SNTP, and SYSLOG services, plus a TFTP client. It delivers Windows and non-Windows assets to BIOS and UEFI systems, including ARM 32-bit and 64-bit UEFI. ProxyDHCP is intended to provide PXE service without changing existing DHCP infrastructure settings. For Windows deployment, Serva offers a WAIK/ADK-independent alternative to RIS and WDS and includes a Task Sequence Manager for capturing and deploying PC images. It requires no installation and does not save keys in the Windows registry. The free Community edition is for personal, non-commercial use, limits PXE/BINL service to 50 minutes and two PXE clients, and excludes WinPE booting and Task Sequence Manager. Professional costs $92 a year, permits commercial use, supports 50 PXE/BINL clients, and provides unlimited PXE/BINL service time.