14.3. Booting from the Network using PXE

To boot with PXE, you need a properly configured server, and a network interface in your computer that supports PXE. For information on how to configure a PXE server, refer to Chapter 30, Setting Up an Installation Server.

Configure the computer to boot from the network interface. This option is in the BIOS, and may be labeled Network Boot or Boot Services. Once you properly configure PXE booting, the computer can boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system without any other media.

To boot a computer from a PXE server:

Ensure that the network cable is attached. The link indicator light on the network socket should be lit, even if the computer is not switched on.
Switch on the computer.
A menu screen appears. Press the number key that corresponds to the desired option.

If your PC does not boot from the netboot server, ensure that the BIOS is configured to boot first from the correct network interface. Some BIOS systems specify the network interface as a possible boot device, but do not support the PXE standard. Refer to your hardware documentation for more information.

Note — Multiple NICs and PXE installation

Some servers with multiple network interfaces might not assign eth0 to the first network interface as the firmware interface knows it, which can cause the installer to try to use a different network interface from the one that was used by PXE. To change this behavior, use the following in pxelinux.cfg/* config files:

IPAPPEND 2
APPEND ksdevice=bootif

These configuration options above cause the installer to use the same network interface the firmware interface and PXE use. You can also use the following option:

ksdevice=link

This option causes the installer to use the first network device it finds that is linked to a network switch.