Netboot: Difference between revisions
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This provides an easy way to serve the NixOS installer over netboot, such as when you already have a working NixOS machine and want to install NixOS on a second machine connected to the same network. | This provides an easy way to serve the NixOS installer over netboot, such as when you already have a working NixOS machine and want to install NixOS on a second machine connected to the same network. | ||
== | == Setup == | ||
This example uses [https://github.com/danderson/netboot/tree/main/pixiecore Pixiecore] for hosting, which works in an ordinary network environment with an existing DHCP server. | This example uses [https://github.com/danderson/netboot/tree/main/pixiecore Pixiecore] for hosting, which works in an ordinary network environment with an existing DHCP server. Pixiecore will notice when the booted machine talks to the network's existing DHCP server, and send netboot information to it at that time. | ||
{{Note|Your iPXE must be recent enough to support https:// links}}<syntaxhighlight lang="nix"> | |||
services.pixiecore = { | |||
enable = true; | |||
openFirewall = true; | |||
dhcpNoBind = true; | |||
kernel = "https://boot.netboot.xyz"; | |||
}; | |||
</syntaxhighlight>The Pixicore server will provide a [https://netboot.xyz netboot.xyz] multi-boot image to the clients, offering various operating systems which will get downloaded by the client on demand. | |||
== Tips and tricks == | |||
=== Serve custom NixOS installation images === | |||
Create file <code>system.nix</code>: | Create file <code>system.nix</code>: | ||
< | <syntaxhighlight lang="nix">let | ||
let | nixpkgs = builtins.getFlake "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-25.11"; | ||
nixpkgs = builtins.getFlake "github:nixos/nixpkgs/ | |||
sys = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem { | sys = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem { | ||
| Line 46: | Line 53: | ||
''; | ''; | ||
in | in | ||
run-pixiecore | run-pixiecore</syntaxhighlight>Building:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> | ||
</ | |||
# Build pixiecore runner | # Build pixiecore runner | ||
nix build | nix-build system.nix -o /tmp/run-pixiecore | ||
</syntaxhighlight>Running:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> | </syntaxhighlight>Running:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> | ||
# Open required firewall ports | # Open required firewall ports | ||
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</syntaxhighlight> | </syntaxhighlight> | ||
=== Another example === | ==== Another example ==== | ||
{{file|netboot.nix|nix|3={ | {{file|netboot.nix|nix|3={ | ||
name ? "netboot", | name ? "netboot", | ||
| Line 127: | Line 133: | ||
modules = [ | modules = [ | ||
<nixpkgs/nixos/modules/installer/netboot/netboot-minimal.nix> | <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/installer/netboot/netboot-minimal.nix> | ||
# Reduce build time by ~7x (~1 minute instead of many minutes) by not using the highest compression (image is 5% larger). | |||
({ ... }: { netboot.squashfsCompression = "zstd -Xcompression-level 6"; }) | |||
version-module | version-module | ||
example-configuration | example-configuration | ||
| Line 205: | Line 213: | ||
in | in | ||
if legacy then run-dnsmasq else run-pixiecore}} | if legacy then run-dnsmasq else run-pixiecore|name=netboot.nix|lang=nix}} | ||
Building: | Building: | ||
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"># Build pixiecore runner | <syntaxhighlight lang="bash"># Build pixiecore runner | ||
nix build | nix-build netboot.nix -o /tmp/run-pixiecore | ||
# Build dnsmasq + pxelinux runner | # Build dnsmasq + pxelinux runner | ||
nix build | nix-build netboot.nix --arg legacy true -o /tmp/run-dnsmasq | ||
# Build for some ancient system with a serial console | # Build for some ancient system with a serial console | ||
nix build | nix-build netboot.nix --arg name '"ancient-netboot"' -o /tmp/run-netboot \ | ||
--arg configuration 'import ./ancient-config.nix' \ | --arg configuration 'import ./ancient-config.nix' \ | ||
--arg legacy true --arg proxynets '["10.2.1.0"]' \ | --arg legacy true --arg proxynets '["10.2.1.0"]' \ | ||
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* Run the example exactly like the other example further up on the page. | * Run the example exactly like the other example further up on the page. | ||
=== | === Troubleshooting === | ||
* Error "'''autoexec.ipxe... Operation not supported'''": See [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/378513#pullrequestreview-3081586117 this issue]. | |||
== See also == | |||
* NixOS manual: [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-booting-from-pxe PXE booting]. | |||
[[Category:Booting]] | [[Category:Booting]] | ||