PXE Booting

Topics

Linux boot process in outline. PXE principles and limitations. Commercial scenarios. Setting up server and clients. Debugging.

People Interested

  • AnthonyR, Feb 2009 - Linux boot process, how PXE works, practical experience, particularly interested in debugging methods
  • JohnW, Feb 2009
  • DesmondA, Feb 2009
  • FayZee, Apr 2009

PXE booting seems fairly straightforward but difficult to debug when it fails, so a PXE guru will be needed.

Possible Formats

Joint research and sharing, or talk by invited guru. Practical will need at least 1 server + 1 client, but a variety of clients is better to practise debugging on as they can be inexplicably temperamental. May also need a hub and a PC to run wireshark to examine the handshaking between server and client?

References

Probably covered in a talk at Hants LUG by AdrianB: check their wiki for notes.