Booting Linux .iso from PXE

mihah · 10-19-2011, 05:49 AM

Hi Everyone.

I am new to Linux so please take it easy on me

I want to boot a Linux that I have as an .iso file using PXE. There are couple of posts here posing similar problems however, those mainly include a Linux only environment.

What I have here already is a Windows Server with DHCP/PXE/TFTP running smoothly. What I would like to achieve is placing the .iso in my \tftpboot folder if this works and have my clients boot from that .iso file using PXE.

What I tried to do is I extracted the .iso file and placed all those files in the a folder in the tftpboot folder. There is a file called isolinux.bin which I tried to configure as a bootimage. When the client connects I receive following message:

Isolinux: found something at drive=ff
Isolinux: looks like it might be right, continuing isolinux

boot failed

Does anyone have instructions or know how I can get the a client to boot over the network using that .iso file??

Thanks in advance.
M.

Welshtech · 10-19-2011, 06:45 AM

So, I'm not quite understanding here. Are you trying to boot a windows ISO file from a linux PXE server?

I'm struggling with that myself at the moment trying to get winpe3.1 booting from a linux pxe server. If I find the solution in the meantime I will let you know what steps I took and what I've used.

You may want to include any configs you think are relevant so others can see if there's something obvious going on.

mihah · 10-19-2011, 06:50 AM

@Welchtech:

No, it's the other way round. I have a Windows Server configured with DHCP/PXE/TFTP and the PXE configuration works fine i.e. I can network boot my clients using PXE e.g. I can boot my WinPE images, DOS images fine etc.

However, I now want to boot a linux version that I have as an .iso file. What I essentially want to configure is placing my linux version that I have as an .iso file in the tftpboot folder which is on a Windows Server and have the client connect over PXE and boot that .iso image. Is this possible? If yes, what would I need to do to get this working?

I don't mind digging into this to get this working, so if you guys know anything please let me know.

Thanks,
M.

onebuck · 10-19-2011, 07:18 AM

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

I know you are requesting information for booting 'linux ISO from PXE. You could look at README_PXE.TXT
for slackware64-13.37/ usb-and-pxe-installers/.
This is a method to use PXE for installing Slackware64 13.37 over the network;

Quote:

excerpt from README_PXE.TXT;
Well, there is another way of booting your computer that the Slackware
installer supports. That is the 'network boot'. Network boot, or PXE boot,
requires support from your computers network card and BIOS.
Also, instead of installing packages from a Slackware CDROM set or DVD, you
will need a network server that can instruct your computer how to fetch those
packages from the network.

In this README, I will show you how to perform an installation that uses
the network as the carrier medium, with a server on the local network that
holds the boot kernel and the root filesystem (which contains the setup
program), and also has all the Slackware packages. This means, there is no
need for a floppy or CDROM drive.

Be warned: setting it all up is not trivial, and you need more than a
beginners level of Linux knowledge, but this text and the accompanying
example scripts in the last section should get you up and running even if
you do not completely understand what is going on :-)

This will provide a basic method of getting the ISO to boot via proper configuration and use of;

Quote:

PXELinux is much like isolinux, which is the bootloader that is used
for the bootable Slackware CDROM #1. In fact, both programs are written by
the same author and are available in Slackware via the syslinux package.

You will be required to setup and configure locally via PXELinux with this example to boot the kernel thus the system. Look at the example! I can envision this as a indirect method via modification to do as you are wanting. Easy to say but hard to get it!

Doable!

jefro · 10-19-2011, 08:44 PM

Not all linux distro's can pxe boot. You might be able to use memdisk to hold a small iso to run but sending over special intrid is usually the fix.

I suggest you get a knoppix cd/dvd 3.3 to latest. Almost all of them have a working knoppix terminal server. (maybe 4.x is broken).
When you start the knoppix terminal server those scripts start all the services and copy all the files to the right places. You can then use that for study and testing. It is maybe the most easy way to pxe.

Some distro's offer a pxe version. Some people write how to fix some of the standard distros for pxe boot.

mihah · 10-20-2011, 01:41 AM

Thanks for your answer guys. I am going to read through onebuck's guides and see how far I can get with this.

Thanks,
M.