Netboot: Difference between revisions

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~~== Building and serving a netboot image ==~~

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.

==~~= Example =~~==

== 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";

};

~~Pixiecore~~ will ~~notice when the booted machine talks~~ to the ~~network's existing DHCP server~~, ~~and send netboot information to it at that time~~.

</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>:

<~~syntaxHighlight~~ lang=nix>

<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">let

let

nixpkgs = builtins.getFlake "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-25.11";

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'';

in

run-pixiecore

run-pixiecore</syntaxhighlight>Building:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">

</~~syntaxHighlight~~>Building:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">

# Build pixiecore runner

nix-build system.nix -o /tmp/run-pixiecore

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</syntaxhighlight>

=== Another example ===

==== Another example ====

{{file|netboot.nix|nix|3={

name ? "netboot",

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* Error "'''autoexec.ipxe... Operation not supported'''": See [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/378513#pullrequestreview-3081586117 this issue].

=== See also ===

== See also ==

~~NixOS: [https://search.nixos.org/options?type=packages&query=services.pixiecore Pixiecore module].~~

~~NixOS manual: [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-booting-from-pxe PXE booting].~~

~~== netboot.xyz ==~~

* NixOS manual: [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-booting-from-pxe PXE booting].

~~There is now official~~ [https://~~netboot~~.~~xyz~~/ ~~netboot~~.~~xyz~~] ~~support.~~

~~Just select <b>NixOS</b> from Linux installs and you should be ready to go~~.

~~<b>Note:</b> Your iPXE must be recent enough to support https:// links~~

[[Category:Booting]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Building and serving a netboot image ==
 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.
-=== Example ===
+== 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";
+};
-Pixiecore will notice when the booted machine talks to the network's existing DHCP server, and send netboot information to it at that time.
+</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>:
-<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
+<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">let
-let
    nixpkgs = builtins.getFlake "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-25.11";
@@ Line 45: / Line 53: @@
    '';
 in
-   run-pixiecore
+   run-pixiecore</syntaxhighlight>Building:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
-</syntaxHighlight>Building:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
 # Build pixiecore runner
 nix-build system.nix -o /tmp/run-pixiecore
@@ Line 63: / Line 70: @@
 </syntaxhighlight>
-=== Another example ===
+==== Another example ====
 {{file|netboot.nix|nix|3={
    name ? "netboot",
@@ Line 227: / Line 234: @@
 * Error "'''autoexec.ipxe... Operation not supported'''": See [https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/378513#pullrequestreview-3081586117 this issue].
-=== See also ===
+== See also ==
-NixOS: [https://search.nixos.org/options?type=packages&query=services.pixiecore Pixiecore module].
-NixOS manual: [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-booting-from-pxe PXE booting].
-== netboot.xyz ==
+* NixOS manual: [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#sec-booting-from-pxe PXE booting].
-There is now official [https://netboot.xyz/ netboot.xyz] support.
-Just select <b>NixOS</b> from Linux installs and you should be ready to go.
-<b>Note:</b> Your iPXE must be recent enough to support https:// links
 [[Category:Booting]]