PLA regiment ensures network security with "diskless computers”

May 18, 2011 Yang Lanchao, Li Jiangtao / PLA Daily – defpro.com

To meet requirements of information security, an armored regiment of the Beijing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) introduced the network operation mode of "diskless computer." Under the mode, the 180-plus computers in the computer rooms of all the companies in the regiment have no hard disks, and they are started and operated via network servers. After the May Day holiday, the regiment passed the security and confidentiality inspection by a security working group from the higher authority.

Speaking of the benefits from "diskless computers," the leaders of the regiment gave a long list including saving cost, fast speed, high degree security, no storage but only operations at the diskless workstation, anti-malicious attack, and strong anti-leak ability.

Walking into the computer room of an armored infantry company, the reporters saw that the files stored by soldiers in one computer can be accessed in any other "diskless computers" and personal files can be encrypted.

"Diskless computers" not only achieved the sharing of network resources, but also realized centralized monitoring and control of virus attacks. Liu Jian, the network administrator, demonstrated "one-key recovery" function -- with just a click, a failed "diskless computer" of a company immediately restarted automatically and restored the original technical conditions.