How to configure PXE boot in Linux?
To set up PXE boot in a Linux system, follow these steps:
- To set up and configure a DHCP server, you first need to install and configure the DHCP server software, such as isc-dhcp-server, to assign IP addresses and other network configuration information to clients.
- Installing and configuring a TFTP server: Next, it is necessary to install and configure a TFTP server to provide boot files and other necessary files to the client machines. Software like tftpd-hpa can be used to complete this step.
- Download the bootloader: Download the bootloader from the official website of the Linux distribution, usually in the form of a compressed package containing the bootloader and other necessary files.
- Configure PXE boot files: Unzip the downloaded boot files, edit the configuration of the boot files, such as menu.lst or pxelinux.cfg/default, and set the operating system and other boot options to boot.
- Place the boot file in the TFTP directory: Copy the edited boot file and any other necessary files to the root directory of the TFTP server.
- Start the DHCP and TFTP servers and ensure that they are functioning properly.
- Enable network boot on the client machine: Enable the network boot option in the BIOS settings of the client machine and set the network boot as the first boot option.
After completing the above steps, the client machine will boot up via the network to retrieve the configured boot file from the PXE server and boot the operating system.
