For a recent SLED (SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) rollout, I created a PXE Boot server. PXE (or Pre-eXecution Environment) Booting is where a machine BIOS uses DHCP and TFTP information to boot into an environment independent of the media on the server
To create a PXE Boot Server you need four things:
Creating a properly configured DHCP server.
So, the first thing that needs to be done is to create a properly configured DHCP server for PXE booting. This is normally not too hard, however for PXE booting, you need to make sure that in addition to the normal IP information you also send the PXE boot information to the workstation as well. To do this using a Netware DHCP server, following the steps below:
On a Linux DHCP server you need to add three options to the dhcpd.conf file (either through YaST or manually). I recently found myself in a position where I needed to setup a PXEBoot Server on a client site where use of DHCP was forbidden. Fun! So in order to solve this problem I needed to create a DHCP server that would only respond to PXE requests but not normal DHCP requests. Below is the dhcpd.conf file I used:
# Custom dhcpd.conf file
#
# This configuration will only respond to PXE requests
default-lease-time 14400;
max-lease-time 7200;
ddns-update-style none;
ddns-updates off;
allow booting;
option domain-name "domain.name";
option domain-name-servers 192.168.99.40, 192.168.99.41;
option routers 192.168.0.1;
# Define rules to identify DHCP Requests from PXE devices
class "pxe" {
match if substring(option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 9) = "PXEClient";
}
subnet 192.168.0.0 netmask 255.255.0.0 {
pool {
default-lease-time 180; # no long lease time required for booting
max-lease-time 360; # booted system does its own dhcp request
server-name "repository.domain.name";
next-server repository.; # in case your local DNS only handles
# unqualified domains keep trailing '.'
filename "pxelinux.0";
allow members of "pxe"; # only allow pxe class
range 192.168.99.30 192.168.99.39;
}
}
Creating a properly configured TFTP server.
Once you have a DHCP server that is providing the PXE Boot information, you need to insure that the specified server is responding to TFTP (Trivial FTP) requests. Setting up a TFTP server on SLES10 is almost too simple!
yast2 -i tftp
yast2 tftp-server
/tftpboot. The default is /srv/ftp.
Setting up a PXELINUX install properly.
PXELinux is a package include in the SYSLinux suite. (The web documentation can be found at http://syslinux.zytor.com/.) PXELINUX is a SYSLINUX derivative, for booting Linux off a network server, using a network ROM conforming to the Intel PXE specification. The process of installing SYSLinux and configuring it to work with the TFTP server we setup above is detailed below:
yast2 -i syslinux
cp /usr/share/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /tftpboot
cp /(path to SLED10 media)/boot/i386/loader/linux /tftpboot/sled10.linux cp /(path to SLED10 media)/boot/i386/loader/initrd /tftpboot/sled10.initrd cp /(path to SLED10 media)/boot/i386/loader/memtest /tftpboot/memtest
mkdir /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg
cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/isolinux.cfg /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
cp /(path to media)/boot/i386/loader/message /tftpboot/boot.msg
The isolinux.cfg and message files were copied over so we can use them as a template, but since we have renamed some of the files while they were copied across it is necessary to modify these new files.
gedit /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default /tftpboot/boot.msg &
When editing the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default be sure to make the following changes:
message filename boot.msg
linux filename sled10.linux
initrd filename sled10.initrd
However if you change or add any of the labels within the default file, be sure to modify the boot.msg file as well.
The benefit of renaming the files allows you to copy additional kernels and make then available for booting. For instance, I created a PXE Boot server that allowed booting of the SLED and SLES installation programs (even thought they really aren't that different), Windows OS installations as well as a DSL (Damn Small Linux) distribution. The DSL distribution allows administrators to boot a machine directly into DSL much as they would with a Live CD. Allowing them to perform maintenance on the machine without booting the physical hard drive. How I created my machine was:
linux and initrd files from the SLES10 installation media.
linux24 and minirt24.gz from the current dsl initrd.iso (This version has Knoppix pre-loaded into the minirt24.gz file). While there are many mirrors which can be found at http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/download.html I downloaded my iso from http://ftp.belnet.be/packages/damnsmalllinux/current/dsl-3.4-initrd.iso
default and boot.msg files using the documentation found at http://syslinux.zytor.com/faq.php.
Below are my custom files:
/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default
# Custom default file for PXELinux default harddisk implicit 1 #gfxboot bootlogo display boot.msg f1 boot.msg f2 f2.msg f3 f3.msg f4 f4.msg f5 f5.msg f6 f6.msg prompt 1 timeout 400 # Boot to the local disk label harddisk localboot 0x80 # Boot the SLED10 Desktop Linux install program label desktop kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts instmode=http label sled10 kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLED10sp1-DVD autoyast=http://repository.opw.ie/autoyast/linux.xml label sled10ip kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLED10sp1-DVD autoyast=http://repository.opw.ie/autoyast/linux.xml hostip=19.200.99.60/16 nameserver=19.200.99.40 gateway=19.200.1.0 label sled10dual kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLED10sp1-DVD autoyast=http://repository.opw.ie/autoyast/dualboot.xml label sled10ipdual kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLED10sp1-DVD autoyast=http://repository.opw.ie/autoyast/dualboot.xml hostip=19.200.99.60/16 nameserver=19.200.99.40 gateway=19.200.1.0 label noacpi kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts acpi=off label nolapic kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts nolapic label failsafe kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent showopts apm=off acpi=off mce=off barrier=off ide=nodma idewait=50 i8042.nomux psmouse.proto=bare irqpoll pci=nommconf label sled10rescue kernel sled10.linux append initrd=sled10.initrd splash=silent rescue=1 showopts # Boot the SLES10 Server Linux install program label server kernel sles10.linux append initrd=sles10.initrd splash=silent showopts instmode=http label sles10 kernel sles10.linux append initrd=sles10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLES10sp1-DVD label sles10ip kernel sles10.linux append initrd=sles10.initrd splash=silent showopts install=http://repository.opw.ie/SLES10sp1-DVD hostip=19.200.99.60/16 nameserver=19.200.99.40 gateway=19.200.1.0 label sles10rescue kernel sles10.linux append initrd=sles10.initrd splash=silent rescue=1 showopts # Boot Damn Small Linux label dsl kernel dsl.linux24 append ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 initrd=dsl.minirt24.gz nomce noapic quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix # Boot unattended Windows Install - Linux Boot Disk label windows kernel unattended.bzImage # Add options (z_user=..., z_path=..., etc.) to this line. append initrd=unattended.initrd z_path==//repository.opw.ie/Windows # Boot unattended Windows Install - Dos Boot Disk label dos kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/undis3c.imz keeppxe label undis3c kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/undis3c.imz keeppxe label b44 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/b44.imz label b57 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/b57.imz label dc21x4 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/dc21x4.imz label dp83815 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/dp83815.imz label e100b kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/e100b.imz label e1000 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/e1000.imz label elpc575 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/elpc575.imz label el556 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/el556.imz label el90x kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/el90x.imz label el94x kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/el94x.imz label fetnd kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/fetnd.imz label ngrpci kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/ngrpci.imz label pcntnd kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/pcntnd.imz label rtsnd kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/rtsnd.imz label rtgbnd kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/rtgbnd.imz label sis900 kernel unattended.dos/memdisk append initrd=unattended.dos/sis900.imz # Memory Test label memtest kernel memtest
/tftpboot/boot.msg
09OPW PXE Installations:07
0aAvailable Options:07
harddisk - Boot from Harddisk (this is default)
desktop - Boot the standard desktop linux install
sled10 - OPW Desktop Installation
sled10ip - OPW Desktop Installation (19.200.99.60)
sled10dual - Dualboot Desktop Installation
sled10ipdual - Dualboot Desktop Installation (19.200.99.60)
server - Boot the standard server linux install
sles10 - OPW Server Installation
sles10ip - OPW Server Installation (19.200.99.60)
dsl - DSL Live Distribution (will not affect current installation)
windows - Install Windows Operating Systems (z_path=//myserver/myshare)
dos - Install Windows Operating Systems using DOS Boot Disk
memtest - Memory Test
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
/tftpboot/f2.msg (provides information on how to modify the SLE installation kernel)
09SuSE Linux Enterprise07
0aSuSE Linux Enterprise 10 accept the following options:07
kernel can be {desktop | sled10 | server | sles10}
desktop is the basic desktop kernel without options
sled10 is desktop with install and autoyast options already set
server is the basic server kernel without options
sles10 is server with install and autoyast options already set
kernel hostip=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/yy IP Address and Mask
kernel netmask=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Mask if not specified above
kernel gateway=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Default Route
kernel nameserver=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Domain Name Server
kernel insmod= Additional Kernel modules to load
kernel install=http://server/folder Network Repository
kernel instmode=http Installation Mode if install is missing
kernel autoyast=http://server/xml Autoyast control file
noacpi or nolapic based on the desktop kernel
failsafe (Almost) no hardware-detection
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
/tftpboot/f3.msg (Just a slightly modified version of the unattended DOS f2 file)
09Additional DOS Network Drivers07
0aThese are additional network drivers that you can choose:07
undis3c Universial DOS driver
b44 Broadcom BCM440x family
b57 Broadcom BCM57xx "Tigon3" family
dc21x4 DEC/Intel 2104x/2114x "Tulip" family
dp83815 Natsemi 83815 "MacPHYTER" family (e.g., Netgear FA311/FA312)
e100b Intel Pro/100 family of PCI and CardBus adapters
e1000 Intel Pro/1000 family of gigabit adapters
elpc575 3com 3c575 family of CardBus adapters
el556 3com 3c556 family of mini-PCI adapters
el90x 3com 3c59x/3c90x family of PCI and CardBus adapters
el94x 3com 3c94x/3c2000 family of gigabit adapters
fetnd VIA VT86C100A/6102/6105 "Rhine" family (e.g., D-Link DFE-530TX)
ngrpci Netgear FA310
pcntnd AMD PCNet family (also VMWare)
rtsnd Realtek RTL8139 family (e.g., D-Link DFE-530TX+)
rtgbnd Realtek RTL8169/8110S Gigabit family
sis900 SiS 900 family
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
/tftpboot/f4.msg (Just a renamed version of the unattended DOS f3 file)
09General DOS Information07
This is a system for fully automating the installation of Windows 2000,
Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.
Features include:
* Automated install of OS, hotfixes, and applications
* Full documentation and source code
* Support for floppy, CD-ROM, and "nothing but net" installs
* True unattended installation, 0cnot07 disk imaging
* No Windows servers required; use your Unix servers instead
* No Unix servers required; use your Windows servers after all
* Completely free
When you are finished setting up Unattended, you will be able to boot
any PC from a floppy, from a CD-ROM, or directly from the network,
answer a few questions, and come back an hour or two later to a
fully-installed Windows workstation.
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
/tftpboot/f5.msg (Just a renamed version of the DSL f2 file)
09DSL Options07
0aDSL accepts the following boot time options:07
fb1280x1024 | fb1024x768 | fb800x600 Framebuffer mode (for notebooks)
dsl vga=normal Safest video mode (see F6 for more)
dsl xsetup Prompt user for X setup
dsl noicons If booting to X use plain desktop
dsl mydsl={hda1|sda1} Restore myDSL apps (default to cdrom)
dsl base Skip myDSL load only the base system
dsl norestore Turn off the automatic restore
dsl restore={hda1|sda1|floppy} Specify saved configuration location
dsl toram Load CD into RAM and run (128+ MB)
dsl tohd=/dev/hda1 Copy CD to HD partition and run
dsl fromhd=/dev/hda1 Boot from previously copied CD-Image
dsl {ssh|lpd|cron|fuse|nfs|syslog|monkey|ftp} Start various daemons at boot
dsl lang=us (cs da de es fr nl it pl ru sk ...) Choose Language/Keyboard
dsl no{scsi|pcmcia|usb|agp|swap|apm|apic|mce|ddc} Disable HW-detection
dsl dma Turn on DMA accel. for all drives
dsl 2 Runlevel 2, Textmode only
failsafe (Almost) no hardware-detection
expert Interactive startup/setup
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
/tftpboot/f6.msg (Just a renamed version of the DSL f3 file)
09DSL Options07
0aDSL accepts the following boot time vga options:07
Color 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
256 8 bit 769 771 773 775
32000 15 bit 784 787 790 793
65000 16 bit 785 788 791 794
16.7M 24 bit 786 789 792 795
dsl vga=7xx 7xx from table above
dsl secure Prompt for root and dsl passwords
dsl protect Password encrypted backup
dsl host=xxxx Set hostname to xxxx
dsl minimal Starts X with Minimal theme
dsl desktop={fluxbox|jwm} Starts with fluxbox or Joe's WM
dsl waitusb Waits for slow USB devices
dsl legacy Boots without unionfs
dsl dosswapfile{=hda1} Scan or Specify dosswapfile
dsl checkfs fscks unmounted filesystems
lowram Starts X, Minimal, noicons, nousb, noscsi, noideraid, etc.
install No X, CLI installation menu for hard drive, frugal, floppy.
05[F1-Main] [F2-SuSE Options] [F3/F4-DOS Options] [F5/F6-DSL Options]07
References: