Install Ubuntu through PXE network booting

installing ubuntun gutsy through network booting

Requirements:

1. PXE network booting capable hardware. Most recent computers have this capability
2. Ubuntu ISO image
3. Workstation to serve as tftp and boot server

Introduction
1. Installing GNU/Linux in older machine without CDROM
2. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/Netboot


Guide:

A. Prepare boot server.
1. Install tftpd-hpa, dhcp3-server, netkit-inetd, apache2
sudo apt-get install tftpd-hpa dhcp3-server netkit-inetd apache2

2. Modify /etc/default/tftpd-hpa. Set RUN_DAEMON="yes"
#Defaults for tftpd-hpa
RUN_DAEMON="yes"
OPTIONS="-l -s /var/lib/tftpboot"

3. Mount ISO to /var/lib/tftpboot/ubuntu
sudo mkdir /var/lib/tftpboot/ubuntu
sudo mount -o loop ubuntu-7.10-alternate-i386.iso /var/lib/tftpboot/ubuntu

4. copy netboot files
cd /var/lib/tftpboot/
sudo cp -rfv ubuntu/install/netboot/ .

5. Set-up dhcpd-server. If you have existing dhcp server this may affect new clients. Add the following lines to /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf. Modify according to your network.

INTERFACES="eth1:1"; -->set this to ethN
ping-check= 1;
filename="ubuntu/install/netboot/pxelinux.0";
subnet 192.168.1.0
netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.1.6 192.168.1.7;
next-server 192.168.1.5;
}

6. Restart dhcpd and tftpd servers.

7. sudo /etc/init.d/dhcp3-server restart

8. sudo /etc/init.d/tftpd-hpa restart

9. Create symbolic link to apache documentRoot.
cd /var/www/
sudo ln -s /var/lib/tftpboot/ubuntu/ ubuntu

10. Reboot client workstation. Configure its BIOS to boot using PXE network.

11. Install Ubuntu.

12. It is faster than CD install.


References:
1. http://halisway.blogspot.com/2006/06/ubuntu-dapper-pxe-network-install.html
2. http://linuxmini.blogspot.com/2007/10/install-ubuntu-gutsy-over-network-or.html
3. http://wiki.koeln.ccc.de/index.php/Ubuntu_PXE_Install
4. http://www.debuntu.org/how-to-unattended-ubuntu-network-install-dhcp-server-p2