IPXE

Etherboot is a GPL - licensed free software to start computer without local boot media directly from the network. Etherboot itself is started either from a local mass storage device (floppy disk, USB memory or CD -ROM) or installed into the BIOS of the client. A local disk is not required; thus the structure noiseless thin clients is simplified.

Etherboot is an open source alternative to proprietary PXE implementations; the current development (Summer 2006 ) of the Etherboot project is called gPXE.

Application scenario

In the application of at least two components are involved, the client and the server. The client starts Etherboot of any local storage medium. Etherboot initializes the network interface and establishes the connection to a BOOTP server. Widespread here are DHCP servers, whose functionality is backward compatible with BOOTP. Then the boot image on any of the supported protocols ( TFTP or HTTP) is loaded and run from the server into the main memory of the client. Operating systems that do not provide explicit support for the network boot process available, can also be operated using the supported protocols iSCSI or AoE.

If HTTP or TFTP is used, the server provides a suitable for this purpose operating system image is available. When using iSCSI and AoE no custom image is used; the system is completely installed on the SAN and how to boot from a local drive. This requires a support to the protocol concerned by the booted operating system.