PXE
PXE Booting for SME Server
Objective
Getting a computer with good hardware to boot without using the local drives (NO cd/dvd, hdd, usb, floppy etc. required) to the SME network (PXE) and perform imaging or other tasks.
This document is a compilation of this forum thread made by BUD
If this do not help you to create a new PXE boot server, please open a new thread on forum and ask for help, and after get help, update here or send details what need to be changed to my gmail account: jader DOT marasca and I'll update for you.
Ingredients
* SME DHCP Server * SME TFTP Server Contrib * SME Thinclient Contrib * PXELINUX * Thinclient Setup * Floppy image creator
Recipe
* Make the SME Server your DHCP Server * Download and Install the SME TFTP Contrib * Download and Install the SME Thinclient Contrib * Download and Install SYSLINUX Files and Configure SME PXE Server Files * PXE Example Files, Puppy Linux How To * Using PXE to Install SME and Password Protect Menu Option Example
Step by step guide
SME AS DHCP SERVER
Using Putty SSH into your SME Server and at the Login Prompt Enter “admin “ then your Password.
You will now be in the SME Server Setup Menu.
Choose Server Config and make sure your SME Server has "DHCP Enabled" and you have set a IP Range.
??
To have SME DHCP Lease Time Periods click on this Link DHCP Lease Time
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TFTP SME CONTRIB
Using Putty SSH into your SME Server and at the Login Prompt Enter “root “ then your Password.
You will now be in the SME Server Shell.
Install the SME TFTP Server Contrib as per: http://wiki.contribs.org/Tftp_server
SME THINCLIENT CONTRIB
Using Putty SSH into your SME Server and at the Login Prompt Enter “root “ then your Password. You will now be in the SME Server Shell Menu: Install the SME Server Thinclient Contrib as per: http://wiki.contribs.org/Thinclient
Once the SME Server Contribs have been installed use your browser (IE or Firefox) and goto https://yoursmeserverip/server-manager Choose the ”Thin Clients“ on left side column "Menu Option" In the Thin Client Configuration make sure that “Your PXE Boot Server "is ENABLED In the Thin Client Configuration make sure that “Your TFTP Server" is Self In the Thin Client Configuration make sure that “The default Distribution" is default
Click on the “APPLY” button
Under “ Distributions “ you should have the following:
Distribution Base Directory Type default Manual Remove... Modify...Logout of the SME Server “ server-manager “ Web Console
SYSLINUX INSTALLATION and SME PXE CONFIGURATION:
There no real installing PXELINUX, only copying the right files from the SYSLINUX Archive to the right place in the SME Server:
First, make note of where your TFTP servers root directory is. For SME Server, it’s most often ”/tftpboot “. I suggest building a directory structure like the following:
tftpboot = SME Server TFTP Root Directory
tftpboot/com32 = Directory
tftpboot/graphics = Directory (This is where we place our Screen jpg, gif, png images)
tftpboot/images = Directory (This Directory will be used for our PXE Boot Images)
tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg (this is an actual folder/directory, THIS IS NOT A FILE)
Download the latest SYSLINUX release ( http://syslinux.zytor.com/ ) and unpack it. We only need a few files from the package. From the SYSLINUX archive:
* Place the pxelinux.0 “ File “ in your SME TFTP Folder from the SYSLINUX Archive eg: “ tftpboot/pxelinux.0 “ (pxelinux.0 is a File) * Place the memdisk/memdisk File from the SYSLINUX Archive in the SME TFTP images Folder eg: “ tftpboot/images/ “ * Place the com32/*.c32 Files from the SYSLINUX Archive in the SME TFTP com32 Folder eg: “ tftpboot/com32/ “
Now you need to create and configure the SME PXE menu. Create a new plaintext File called “ default ”at tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default ( default is a File that we have created and placed inside the tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/ folder)
|---tftpboot
| |-----com32
| |
| |-----graphics
| |
| |-----pxelinux.cfg (Place the default File in here)
| |
| |-----images
Again, “ pxelinux.cfg “ is not a file, but a Directory, and the file you want to create is called default with no extension.
Here’s an example of something simple to use in the default File:
PXE EXAMPLE FILES:
This is the “ default “ Example File
NB: Note the “ menu background graphics/main.jpg ” file is a background image file. This could be with your Company Logo etc. The File should be 6340 x 480 pixels and can be a jpg, bmp, or png file. Just make sure you use the correct extension in the menu eg: main.bmp or main.png etc.
menu title --== SME Linux, PXE Main Menu ==--
menu background graphics/main.jpg
menu tabmsgrow 22
menu cmdlinerow 22
menu endrow 24
menu color title 1;34;49 #eea0a0ff #cc333355 std menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff000000 #bb9999aa all menu color border 30;44 #ffffffff #00000000 std menu color pwdheader 31;47 #eeff1010 #20ffffff std menu color hotkey 35;40 #90ffff00 #00000000 std menu color hotsel 35;40 #90000000 #bb9999aa all menu color timeout_msg 35;40 #90ffffff #00000000 none menu color timeout 31;47 #eeff1010 #00000000 none
prompt 0
noescape 1
allowoptions 0
timeout 300
default com32/vesamenu.c32
label toolsmenu
menu label ^System Tools Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/tools
label memorymenu
menu label ^Memory Test Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/memorytest
label randomutil
menu label ^Random Utilities Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append images/random_utils
label linuxmenu
menu label ^Linux Boot Disks Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/linux_boot_disks
label ntfstoolmenu
menu label ^NTFS Tools Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/ntfstools
label bootmanag
menu label B^OOT Managers Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append images/boot_managers/boot_managers
label sysinfo
menu label S^ystem Information Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append images/system_information/system_information
label recovery
menu label R^ECOVERY Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append images/recovery/recovery
label hddmenu
menu label ^Hard Disk Drive Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/hdd
Now you need to create and configure the SME PXE sub menus. Create new plaintext Files called “ tools ” , “ memorytest ” , “ ntfstools ” , “ recovery ” at tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/ (The Plaintext files are all placed inside the tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/ folder) ie: Your “ images “ folder should look like this: |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (Pace the default, tools, memorytest, ntfstools) | (and recovery Files you created inside here) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent | | | |----recovery
Here’s some examples of something simple to use in the Created Files: This is the “ tools “ Menu Option Example File |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent | | | |----recovery Here’s some examples of something for the Tools Menu menu title --== SME Linux, PXE Tools Menu ==-- menu background graphics/main.jpg menu tabmsgrow 22 menu cmdlinerow 22 menu endrow 24
menu color title 1;34;49 #eea0a0ff #cc333355 std menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff000000 #bb9999aa all menu color border 30;44 #ffffffff #00000000 std menu color pwdheader 31;47 #eeff1010 #20ffffff std menu color hotkey 35;40 #90ffff00 #00000000 std menu color hotsel 35;40 #90000000 #bb9999aa all menu color timeout_msg 35;40 #90ffffff #00000000 none menu color timeout 31;47 #eeff1010 #00000000 none
prompt 0 noescape 1 allowoptions 0 timeout 0
default com32/vesamenu.c32
label main
menu label Back to ^Main Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/default
label dban
menu label ^Darik's Boot-n-Nuke disk wiper kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/tools/wiping/dban.ima
label memtest86
menu label ^Memtest86 - Machine RAM tester kernel images/memory_test/memtest86
label memtests
menu label ^Memory Test Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append images/tools/memtest
label hdt
menu label ^Hardware Detection Tool kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/tools/hdt.img
label diags
menu label D^IAGS Tool kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/tools/diags.img
The Following Applications must be copied Inside the “ tools “ folder: dban.ima, memtest86, memtest, hdt.img, diags.img This is the “ memorytest “ Menu Option Example File |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent | | | |----recovery Here’s some examples of something simple for the Memory Test Menu menu title --== SME Linux, MEMORY Tests MENU ==-- menu background graphics/main.jpg menu tabmsgrow 22 menu cmdlinerow 22 menu endrow 24
menu color title 1;34;49 #eeffa0a0 #cc553333 std menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff000000 #bb9999aa all menu color border 30;44 #ffffffff #00000000 std menu color pwdheader 31;47 #eeff1010 #20ffffff std menu color hotkey 35;40 #90ffff00 #00000000 std menu color hotsel 35;40 #90000000 #bb9999aa all menu color timeout_msg 35;40 #90ffffff #00000000 none menu color timeout 31;47 #eeff1010 #00000000 none
prompt 0 noescape 1 allowoptions 1 timeout 0
default com32/vesamenu.c32
label main
menu label Back to ^Main Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/default
label docmem1
menu label ^DocMem RAM Diagnostic v. 1.45a kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/memorytest/docmem1.igz
label docmem2
menu label DocMem ^RAM Diagnostic v. 2.1b kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/memorytest/docmem2.igz
label memtest86+
menu label Memtest^86+ kernel images/memorytest/memtest86+/memtest86+-1.65
label memtest86
menu label Memtest8^6 kernel images/memdisk append ininrd=images/memorytest/memtest.igz
label tm4
menu label ^TestMem4 kernel images/memdisk append images=images/memorytest/tm4.igz
label windiag
menu label ^Windows Memory Diagnostic kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/memorytest/windiag.igz
The Following Applications must be copied Inside the “ memorytest “ folder: docmem1.igz, docmem2.igz, memtest86+-1.65, memtest.igz, tm4.igz, windiag.igz This is the “ ntfstools “ Menu Option Example File with a sub-menu You also need to create a sub folder inside the “ ntfstools “ folder called “ offlinent “ |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent (initrd.cgz, vmlinuz, scsi.cgz) | | | |----recovery
menu title --== SME Linux, NTFS TOOLS MENU ==--
menu background graphics/main.jpg
menu tabmsgrow 22
menu cmdlinerow 22
menu endrow 24
menu color title 1;34;49 #eeffa0a0 #cc553333 std menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff000000 #bb9999aa all menu color border 30;44 #ffffffff #00000000 std menu color pwdheader 31;47 #eeff1010 #20ffffff std menu color hotkey 35;40 #90ffff00 #00000000 std menu color hotsel 35;40 #90000000 #bb9999aa all menu color timeout_msg 35;40 #90ffffff #00000000 none menu color timeout 31;47 #eeff1010 #00000000 none
prompt 0 noescape 1 allowoptions 1 timeout 0
default com32/vesamenu.c32
label main
menu label Back to ^Main Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/default
label ntfs4dos
menu label ^NTFS4DOS kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/ntfstools/ntfs4dos.img
label offline
menu label ^Offline NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 Password Changer\Windows Password Reset menu passwd paint kernel images/ntfstools/offlinent/cd100627/vmlinuz append initrd=images/ntfstools/offlinent/cd100627/initrd.cgz,images/ntfstools/offlinent/cd100627/scsi.cgz
The Following Applications must be copied Inside the “ ntfstools “ folder:
ntfs4dos.img
For the Offline Password Reset Application do the Following:
Download the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor Latest CD Image Zip File. Unzip the ISO File and using a ISO Tool such as UltraISO, Extract and Copy the Following Files from the ISO File (eg: cd100627.iso) to the “ images/ntfstools/offlinent/ “ folder: initrd.cgz, vmlinuz, scsi.cgz
This is the “ recovery “ Menu Option Example File You also need to create two sub folders inside the “ recovery “ folder called: “ systemrescue and riplinux |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent | | | |----recovery | | |--------systemrescue | | | | | |--------riplinux menu title --== SME Linux, Data Recovery Menu ==-- menu background graphics/main.jpg menu tabmsgrow 22 menu cmdlinerow 22 menu endrow 24
menu color title 1;34;49 #eeffa0a0 #cc553333 std menu color sel 7;37;40 #ff000000 #bb9999aa all menu color border 30;44 #ffffffff #00000000 std menu color pwdheader 31;47 #eeff1010 #20ffffff std menu color hotkey 35;40 #90ffff00 #00000000 std menu color hotsel 35;40 #90000000 #bb9999aa all menu color timeout_msg 35;40 #90ffffff #00000000 none menu color timeout 31;47 #eeff1010 #00000000 none
prompt 0 noescape 1 allowoptions 1 timeout 0
default com32/vesamenu.c32
label main
menu label Back to ^Main Menu kernel com32/vesamenu.c32 append pxelinux.cfg/default
label systemrescue
menu label ^System Rescue kernel images/recovery/systemrescue/rescuecd initrd images/recovery/systemrescue/initram.igz append setkmap=us netboot=http://192.168.0.10/iso/sysrescue/sysrcd.dat
label riplinux32
menu label ^Rescue Is Possible Linux (32-bit kernel) kernel images/recovery/riplinux/kernel32 append vga=normal video=640x400 nokeymap initrd=images/recovery/riplinux/rootfs.cgz root=/dev/ram0 rw
label riplinux64
menu label Rescue ^Is Possible Linux (64-bit kernel) kernel images/recovery/riplinux/kernel64 append vga=normal video=640x400 nokeymap initrd=images/recovery/riplinux/rootfs.cgz root=/dev/ram0 rw
For the System Rescue Application do the Following: Use your SME Server Manager and Create iBay Called “ iso “ Download the latest System Rescue ISO. Using Windows File Manager (or WinSCP or Putty) copy the System Rescue ISO to the “ yoursmeserverip/iso/ “ Folder It should look something like this: YOUR SME SERVER IBAYS (home/e-smith/files/ibays) | |-----your ibay | | | |-----iso (Place your iso’s here) | | | |-----sysrecue.iso | | Using a ISO Tool such as UltraISO, Extract and Copy the Following Files from the systemrescue.iso File to the tftpboot/images/recovery/systemrescue/ Folder: initram.igz, rescuecd Now Using Putty goto the sme linux shell and issue the following command: " mount /home/e-smith/files/ibays/iso/files/sysrescue.iso /home/e-smith/files/ibays/iso/html/sysrescue/ -o loop " You have now mounted the sysrescue.iso and created an html link to the folder. Too Test just use your browser and type in: http://mysmeserverip/iso/ You should see the sysrescue link. Click on it and you should be able to see all the Files and Folders of the System Rescue ISO. ( http://mysmeserverip/iso/sysrescue/ ) More on the System Rescue TFTP PXE Menu label systemrescue
menu label ^System Rescue (This is the Menu) kernel images/recovery/systemrescue/rescuecd initrd images/recovery/systemrescue/initram.igz append setkmap=us netboot=http://192.168.0.10/iso/sysrescue/sysrcd (This is so that the Files can be Loaded from the ISO Html Link you Created as per the above mount statement)
For the RIPLinux Application do the Following: Download the Latest RIPLinux for PXE. Using Windows File Manager (or WinSCP or Putty) copy the System Rescue ISO to the “ yoursmeserverip/iso/systemrescue/ “ Folder Using a ISO Tool such as UltraISO, Extract and Copy the Following Files from the ISO File to the tftpboot/images/recovery/riplinux/ Folder: kernel32, kernel52, rootfs.cgz, inird.gz
That’s all there is to it. If you see the SME PXE menu, the rest is just tweaking. Puppy Linux How To: For the Puppy Linux Application do the Following: Create a folder inside the “ images “ folder called: “ puppy “ |---tftpboot | |-----com32 | | | |-----graphics | | | |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory) | | | |-----images | | | |----tools | | | |----memorytest | | | |----ntfstools | | |--------offlinent | | | |----recovery | | |--------systemrescue | | | | | |--------riplinux | | | |----puppy
This an Example for the Puppy Menu Option. NB: Make sure you place this somewhere in your main menu or another menu label puppy
menu label ^Puppy Linux kernel images/puppy/vmlinuz initrd images/puppy/initrd.gz append boot=live pfix=copy nosmp
Download the Latest Puppy Linux.
Now to Prepare the Puppy File do the Following:
Found the description here: http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?search_id=2090301486&t=56580
�1. Create a temporary directory somewhere on your SME Server eg: temp/
2. Copy the initrd.gz and the lupu-501.sfs you want to embed from the puppy.iso into this temporary directory.
3. Detach this script, “ embed_sfs.sh “ gunzip, and chmod +x the script, in the same temporary directory where you have initrd.gz and lupu-501.sfs (http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?mode=attach&id=29780)
4. Open terminal (using putty), and then run the script inside the temp directory
Code: �./embed_sfs.sh lupu-501.sfs
�5. Your original initrd.gz will be kept as initrd.gz.old, and the new initrd.gz will have lupu-501.sfs in it.
6. Now copy the Files to tftpboot/images/puppy/ Folder: initrd.gz, vmlinuz, lupu-501.sfs
Using PXE to Install the SME Server Linux CD and Menu Password Protection:
For the SME Server Installation Application do the Following:
Create a folder inside the “ images “ folder called: “ sme7 “
|---tftpboot
| |-----com32
| |
| |-----graphics
| |
| |-----pxelinux.cfg (directory)
| |
| |-----images
| |
| |----tools
| |
| |----memorytest
| |
| |----ntfstools
| | |--------offlinent
| |
| |----recovery
| | |--------systemrescue
| | |
| | |--------riplinux
| |
| |----puppy
| |
| |----sme7
This an Example for the SME Server Install Menu Option.
NB: Make sure you place this somewhere in your main menu or another menu
label smeinstall
menu label ^SME 7 Install menu passwd paint kernel images/sme7/vmlinuz append initrd=images/sme7/initrd.img
NB: To Password Protect the Menu Option just Place a Password Statement before the Execution of the Application you wish to use eg: menu passwd paint
When you choose the SME 7 Install Menu Option you will be asked for a Password Before you can continue. The Password is “paint “ as you have chosen. Be creative and enter a more secure password for your applications.
Copy your latest SME Server 7.51 ISO using Windows File Manager (or WinSCP or Putty) to the “ yoursmeserverip/iso/ “ Folder
It should look something like this:
YOUR SME SERVER IBAYS (home/e-smith/files/ibays)
| |-----your ibay
| |
| |-----iso (Place your iso’s here)
| |
| |-----sysrecue.iso
| |
| |-----sme751.iso
Using a ISO Tool such as UltraISO, Extract and Copy the Following Files from the sme751.iso File to the tftpboot/images/sme7/ Folder: initrd.img, init586.img, vmlinuz, vmlz586 Now Using Putty goto the sme linux shell and issue the following command: " mount /home/e-smith/files/ibays/iso/files/sme751.iso /home/e-smith/files/ibays/iso/html/sme/ -o loop " You have now mounted the sme751.iso and created an html link to the folder. Too Test just use your browser and type in: http://mysmeserverip/iso/ You should see the sme link. Click on it and you should be able to see all the Files and Folders of the SME751 ISO. ( http://mysmeserverip/iso/sme/ ) When you choose the SME Installation Menu Option choose HTTP install, and point to your server at the first field to /iso/sme as path. SME should now be able to be installed.
* Configure your PC / Notebook client bios hardware for PXE boot
If everything is setup correctly, you should be ready to PXE boot the computer. When you see the Bios Boot Screen of your client PC use the keyboard and Press the “ del ” key or “ F2 “ key or for Dells and some others, hit F12 during boot and choose the integrated NIC. Once you have Cionfigured your PC Bios to boot from the Ethernet Port from you Motherboard / Lan Controller Card (With the Cat5e/UTP Cable Connected) The PC Lan Controller Card should acquire an IP Address from your SME DHCP Server, you should see it grab the pxelinux.cfg/default File and then display the menu you built earlier. Some “ bigger” may not work in pxe and this could be due to the amount of ram required for the application to work correctly. Make sure that the minumum amount of ram onboard is 512MB. I would suggest 1Gig Ram onboard.
* Adding floppy images
At this point the only options you get from your menu are to boot from the local drive or see some DMI information from the machine. Interesting and boring at the same time, but the point was to get the basic infrastructure setup. The real reason to set something like this up is so you can feed your machines floppy images without the need for the actual floppies. For us this proves most useful when we’re imaging a room, but opens up a lot of other options if you’re willing to invest the time.
Once you have the basic PXE process in place, it’s extremely easy to start creating and booting ‘virtual’ floppies. All you need to do is create an image of the floppy, similar to making an ISO from a cdrom, and then make an entry for it in your PXE menu.
Again, there’s the Windows way and the Linux way. On Windows, there’s a small program called WinImage (http://www.winimage.com/) that’s terribly handy for creating and modifying disk images. In Linux there are several ways, but the easiest is with the built in ‘dd’ command. Something like…
- dd if=/dev/fd0 of=floppy.ima bs=2048
…will copy the floppy to a file called floppy.ima. In WinImage, just insert the floppy and use the menu to capture and create a disk image. You’re certainly free to call the file whatever you want.
Once captured, place the file in the /tftpboot/images folder and add something like the following to your /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default or any other menu file: label vgapaint menu label Bored and want to paint? menu passwd paint kernel images/memdisk append initrd=images/vp386.ima
Boot your client computer to the internal NIC again and wait for the menu. You should see an entry for your new floppy image. Select it and hit enter and your PC will be fed the floppy image through TFTP and boot off it in a virtual A: drive.
The above example, vgapaint, boots a virtual DOS floppy and starts a small DOS based paint program I mostly use for testing. Nothing fancy. You should also notice the line ‘menu passwd paint’ added. When selected, the menu will prompt you for the password contained in the config file before continuing. It helps a bit with security, but don’t rely on it too much as it’s not difficult to get at those passwords (you could just TFTP the menu file itself). Conclusion:
Setting this all up may seem like a frustration, and if you’ve never setup your lab machines for network boot it certainly doesn’t seem like an immediate time saver when you’re running around setting that up. But when it’s all done it’s a terrific platform that can make things easier, save a ton of time, and open up a lot of interesting possibilities. Once fully setup, booting to your imaging software is a snap. And if you partner this with automating the imaging process you can create a zero-touch lab deployment scenario.
References:
* SYSLINUX: http://syslinux.zytor.com/ * SYSLINUX Wiki: http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/SYSLINUX * WinImage: http://www.winimage.com/ * WinSCP: http://winscp.net/eng/index.php * PuTTy: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html * Irfanview: http://www.irfanview.net/
