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:
-
Configure the network (NFS, FTP, HTTP) server to export the
installation tree.
-
Configure the files on the tftp server
necessary for PXE booting.
-
Configure which hosts are allowed to boot from the PXE
configuration.
-
Start the tftp service.
-
Configure DHCP.
-
Boot the client, and start the installation.
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
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation
Guide for detailed instructions.
