Hey Festers - Let's Build a gPXE Build Server for the Installfest
Lisa Kachold
lisakachold at obnosis.com
Wed Dec 29 23:21:26 MST 2010
Also, VM bridging is not conducive to gPXE and besides WHY?
We are using older equipment and we want all the Alan Cox'ian TCP/IP UDP
sweetness that IS gPXE:
*gPXE* (formerly *Etherboot*) is an
open-source<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source> Preboot
Execution Environment<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preboot_Execution_Environment>(PXE)
implementation and bootloader. It can be used to enable computers
without built-in PXE support to boot from the network, or to extend an
existing PXE implementation with support for additional protocols. While
traditional PXE clients use
TFTP<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivial_File_Transfer_Protocol>to
transfer data, gPXE adds the ability to retrieve data through other
protocols like HTTP<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol>,
iSCSI <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISCSI> and ATA over
Ethernet<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATA_over_Ethernet>(AoE), and can
work with
Wi-Fi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi> rather than requiring a wired
connection.
Contents
- 1 PXE implementation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#PXE_implementation>
- 2 Bootloader <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#Bootloader>
- 3 Vitality <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#Vitality>
- 4 See also <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#See_also>
- 5 External links <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#External_links>
- 6 References <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#References>
PXE implementation
gPXE can be loaded by a computer in several ways:
- from media like floppy disk <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk>,
USB flash drive <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive>, or hard
disk <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive>
- as a pseudo Linux kernel <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel>
- as an ELF image<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_and_Linkable_Format>
- from an option ROM <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_ROM> on a
network card or embedded in a system BIOS<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS>
- over a network <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet> as a PXE boot
image
gPXE implements its own PXE stack, using a driver corresponding to the
network card, or a
UNDI<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Network_Device_Interface>driver
if it was loaded by PXE itself. This allows to use a PXE stack even
if the network card has no boot
ROM<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read-only_memory>,
by loading gPXE from a fixed medium.
Bootloader
Although its basic role was to implement a PXE stack, gPXE can be used as a
full-featured network bootloader. It can fetch files from multiple network
protocols [1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_note-Google_TechTalk_-_gPXE-0>,
such as TFTP, NFS<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_File_System_%28protocol%29>,
HTTP[2]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_note-Booting_your_machine_over_HTTP-1>or
FTP <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Transfer_Protocol>, and can boot PXE,
ELF, Linux, FreeBSD <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeBSD>,
multiboot<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiboot_Specification>,
EFI <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensible_Firmware_Interface> and Windows
CE <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_CE> images.
In addition, it is scriptable and can load COMBOOT and COM32
SYSLINUX<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYSLINUX>extensions. This allows
for instance to build a graphical menu for network
boot.
Vitality
gPXE development has stalled
recently[3]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_note-Ohloh_report_on_gPXE-2>,
and several projects are
migrating[4]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_note-Xen_changelog_-_iPXE-3>or
considering migrating
[5] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_note-KVM_call_minutes_-_iPXE-4>to
iPXE <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPXE> as a result.
See also
[image: Portal-puzzle.svg]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portal-puzzle.svg>
*Free software portal <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Free_software>*
- PXELINUX <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYSLINUX#PXELINUX>
- Coreboot <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreboot>
- iPXE <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPXE>
External links
- etherboot.org - The Etherboot/gPXE
Wiki<http://etherboot.org/wiki/index.php>
- ROM-o-matic.net dynamically generates gPXE and Etherboot network
booting image <http://rom-o-matic.net/>
- Introduction to Network Booting and
Etherboot<http://www.linuxdocs.org/HOWTOs/Diskless-HOWTO-8.html>
- PXE dust: scalable day-to-day diskless
booting<http://blog.ksplice.com/2010/05/scalable-day-to-day-diskless-booting/>
References
1. *^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_ref-Google_TechTalk_-_gPXE_0-0>
* Google TechTalk demonstrates how to load operating systems from remote
servers using gPXE <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GofOqhO6VVM>
2. *^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_ref-Booting_your_machine_over_HTTP_1-0>
* Booting your machine over HTTP <http://boot.kernel.org/>
3. *^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_ref-Ohloh_report_on_gPXE_2-0>
* Ohloh reports decreasing development activity for
gPXE<https://www.ohloh.net/p/gpxe/factoids/3686149>
4. *^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_ref-Xen_changelog_-_iPXE_3-0>
* Xen ChangeLog showing migration to iPXE because "it is actively
maintained"<http://lists.xensource.com/archives/html/xen-changelog/2010-11/msg00055.html>
5. *^<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPXE#cite_ref-KVM_call_minutes_-_iPXE_4-0>
* KVM call minutes showing consideration of migration to
iPXE<http://www.spinics.net/lists/kvm/msg45496.html>
and:
http://etherboot.org/wiki/start
On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 11:09 PM, Technomage Hawke <
technomage.hawke at gmail.com> wrote:
> heh,
> ok. I use VM's here a lot because I don't have a large number of machines
> to use anymore. I haven't tried creating a PXE server though. that would be
> something new. and yeah, I suspect that booting PXE over the internet would
> not be doable except on a very secure, very fat pipe. :)
>
> anyway, it would be something new for me to learn.
>
> -Eric
>
> On Dec 29, 2010, at 11:01 PM, Lisa Kachold wrote:
>
> > Thanks Technomage,
> >
> > That's not exactly what we require. A VM of what? Laugh!
> >
> > I can build a VM also, but why would I, when I can just build the system
> and configure the gPXE quicker?
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 10:33 PM, Technomage Hawke <
> technomage.hawke at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Lisa,
> > I could build a vm for that if you want. I could even give ssh access to
> it on a non-standard port if needed. I already have a vm of ubuntu already
> installed here. otherwise, I can save it off as an image and we can dd it to
> a new drive from a dvd.
> >
> > let me know.
> >
> > -Eric
> >
> > On Dec 29, 2010, at 9:35 PM, Lisa Kachold wrote:
> >
> > > I promised to assist by building a gPXE build server for the
> Installfest.
> > >
> > > So, we want to coordinate efforts and request suggestions.
> > > (Thanks so much Joseph Sinclair for your good advice).
> > >
> > > When do we want to build her?
> > > What is the target hardware?
> > >
> > > Other information we might need?
> > >
> > > Wifi card? Any donations over and above what's available?
> > >
> > > Let's start making the list and make this nice?
> > >
> > > Drive Space?
> > > TB at least?
> > >
> > >
> > > --
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> > > (623) 688-3392
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(503) 754-4452
(623) 688-3392
http://www.obnosis.com
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