Pxe Network Installations; Setting Up The Network Server; Pxe Boot Configuration - Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 4 System Administration Manual

Chapter 3.

PXE Network Installations

Red Hat Enterprise Linux allows for installation over a network using the NFS, FTP, or HTTP
protocols. A network installation can be started from a boot CD-ROM, a bootable flash memory drive,
or by using the askmethod boot option with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1. Alternatively, if the
system to be installed contains a network interface card (NIC) with Pre-Execution Environment (PXE)
support, it can be configured to boot from files on another networked system rather than local media
such as a CD-ROM.
For a PXE network installation, the client's NIC with PXE support sends out a broadcast request for
DHCP information. The DHCP server provides the client with an IP address, other network information
such as name server, the IP address or hostname of the tftp server (which provides the files
necessary to start the installation program), and the location of the files on the tftp server. This is
possible because of PXELINUX, which is part of the syslinux package.
The following steps must be performed to prepare for a PXE installation:
1. Configure the network (NFS, FTP, HTTP) server to export the installation tree.
2. Configure the files on the tftp server necessary for PXE booting.
3. Configure which hosts are allowed to boot from the PXE configuration.
4. Start the tftp service.
5. Configure DHCP.
6. Boot the client, and start the installation.

3.1. Setting up the Network Server

First, configure an NFS, FTP, or HTTP server to export the entire installation tree for the version
and variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux to be installed. Refer to the section Preparing for a Network
Installation in the Installation Guide for detailed instructions.

3.2. PXE Boot Configuration

The next step is to copy the files necessary to start the installation to the tftp server so they can
be found when the client requests them. The tftp server is usually the same server as the network
server exporting the installation tree.
To copy these files, run the Network Booting Tool on the NFS, FTP, or HTTP server. A separate
PXE server is not necessary.
Section 3.2.1, "Command Line
For the command line version of these instructions, refer to
Configuration".
To use the graphical version of the Network Booting Tool, you must be running the X Window
System, have root privileges, and have the system-config-netboot RPM package installed.
To start the Network Booting Tool from the desktop, go to Applications (the main menu on the
panel) => System Settings => Server Settings => Network Booting Service. Or, type the command
system-config-netboot at a shell prompt (for example, in an XTerm or a GNOME terminal).
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