[NTLUG:Discuss] Best Setup? - Single Server (with OS) - multiple Clients

[David Simmons]

Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the following setup:

Machines all networked.....single 'server' with main copy of
OS...multiple client computers.

Issue:  Have multiple
machines that when I do a system update/change (like moving from LinuxMint
from 2.2 to 3.0) suggests a full reinstall.

While I know I
could have /home on a different partition - I still have to replicate on
each machine involved?!  Did a little searching about PXE - but what
I found was circa 1999....there's gotta be newer stuff?

Only
recent thing I found was http://drbl.sourceforge.net/

Does
anyone locally have such a setup?
Can each 'client' have a different
config?  Where is that stored if no local hardware?  I guess
that could be done with client sign-in, could I have different setups
(with auto-login) based on MAC address?


Thanks in advance
- dave