Ether boat
| Ether boat
|
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Basic data
|
|
| Current version | 1.0.1 |
| category | Bootloader |
| License | GPL ( Free Software ) |
| German speaking | No |
| etherboot.org | |
Etherboot is GPL- licensed free software to start computers directly from the network without a local boot medium . Etherboot is an open source alternative to proprietary PXE implementations; the development of the project from summer 2006 is called gPXE and was discontinued in 2010. Users should then switch to the iPXE project .
Etherboot itself is either started from a local mass storage device ( floppy disk , USB mass storage device or CD-ROM ) or installed in the client's BIOS. A local hard drive is not required; this simplifies the construction of noiseless thin clients .
Application scenario
At least two components are involved in the application, the client and the server . The client starts Etherboot from any local storage medium. Etherboot initializes the network interface and establishes the connection to a BOOTP server. DHCP servers with functions that are downwardly compatible with BOOTP are widespread here . The boot image is then loaded from the server into the main memory of the client using one of the supported protocols ( TFTP or HTTP ) and started. Operating systems that do not provide explicit support for the network boot process can be operated using the iSCSI or AoE protocols, which are also supported .
If HTTP or TFTP is used, the server provides an operating system image suitable for this purpose. When using iSCSI and AoE, no customized image is used; the system is fully installed on the SAN and started as if from a local drive. The prerequisite is that the relevant protocol is supported by the booted operating system.