Install PXE Server On CentOS 7 | Unixmen https://www.unixmen.

com/install-pxe-server-centos-7/

A PXE server allows your client computers to boot and install a Linux distribution over the
network, without the need of burning Linux iso images, or human interaction.

For this test, I use vmware worksation (Bridged IP).

My IP = 192.168.0.199 (Required STATIC IP).

Selinux Disabled.
FirewallCMD disabled.

To install a PXE server, you will need the following components:

DHCP Server
TFTP Server
NFS/FTP/HTTPD server (to store installing files)

Note:

DHCP Server will listen only on eno16777736 (old name etho).

In this tutorial, I will use vsftpd server.

1. Install required packages

yum install dhcp tftp tftp-server syslinux wget vsftpd

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2. Configure DHCP Server

vim /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf

# DHCP Server Configuration file.

# see /usr/share/doc/dhcp*/dhcpd.conf.example
# see dhcpd.conf(5) man page
#
# option definitions common to all supported networks...
ddns-update-style interim;
ignore client-updates;
authoritative;
allow booting;
allow bootp;
allow unknown-clients;
# A slightly different configuration for an internal subnet.
subnet 192.168.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.0.50 192.168.0.253;
option domain-name-servers 192.168.0.199;
option domain-name "server1.example.com";
option routers 192.168.0.199;
option broadcast-address 10.5.5.31; #not important
default-lease-time 600;
max-lease-time 7200;

# PXE SERVER IP
next-server 192.168.0.199; # DHCP server ip
filename "pxelinux.0";
}

3. Configure TFTP Server. Set disable from yes to no, and change the root directory on
startup to /tftpboot

Please note, that the standard TFTP directory is /var/lib/tftpboot

vim /etc/xinetd.d/tftp

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service tftp
{
socket_type = dgram
protocol = udp
wait = yes
user = root
server = /usr/sbin/in.tftpd
server_args = -s /tftpboot
disable = no
per_source = 11
cps = 100 2
flags = IPv4
}

4. Setup TFTP Server network boot files

mkdir -p /tftpboot
chmod 777 /tftpboot

cp -v /usr/share/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /tftpboot
cp -v /usr/share/syslinux/menu.c32 /tftpboot
cp -v /usr/share/syslinux/memdisk /tftpboot
cp -v /usr/share/syslinux/mboot.c32 /tftpboot
cp -v /usr/share/syslinux/chain.c32 /tftpboot

mkdir /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg
mkdir -p /tftpboot/netboot/

5. Mount Cenots ISO to FTP folder /var/ftp/pub.

mount Centos7_xx.iso /var/ftp/pub

6. Copy initrd.img and vmlinuz from FTP folder to /tftpboot/netboot/.

cp /var/ftp/pub/images/pxeboot/vmlinuz /tftpboot/netboot/

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cp /var/ftp/pub/images/pxeboot/initrd.img /tftpboot/netboot/

7. Encode root password used for clients

Example: 000000

openssl passwd -1 "000000"

$1$w2UlrRDP$rk9zBcY1PP3fUC3Xv6P6i/

8. Create a new kickstart file (you can change it for your needs)

vim /var/ftp/pub/ks.cfg
#platform=x86, AMD64, or Intel EM64T
#version=DEVEL
# Firewall configuration
firewall --disabled
# Install OS instead of upgrade
install
# Use NFS installation media
url --url="ftp://192.168.0.199/pub/"
# Root password [i used here 000000]
rootpw --iscrypted $1$xYUugTf4$4aDhjs0XfqZ3xUqAg7fH3.
# System authorization information
auth useshadow passalgo=sha512
# Use graphical install
graphical
firstboot disable
# System keyboard
keyboard us
# System language
lang en_US
# SELinux configuration
selinux disabled
# Installation logging level
logging level=info

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# System timezone
timezone Europe/Amsterdam
# System bootloader configuration
bootloader location=mbr
clearpart --all --initlabel
part swap --asprimary --fstype="swap" --size=1024
part /boot --fstype xfs --size=200
part pv.01 --size=1 --grow
volgroup rootvg01 pv.01
logvol / --fstype xfs --name=lv01 --vgname=rootvg01 --size=1 --grow

%packages
@core
wget
net-tools
%end
%post
%end

9. Create PXE menu file

vim /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default

default menu.c32
prompt 0
timeout 30
MENU TITLE unixme.com PXE Menu

LABEL centos7_x64
MENU LABEL CentOS 7 X64
KERNEL /netboot/vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=/netboot/initrd.img inst.repo=ftp://192.168.0.199/pub
ks=ftp://192.168.0.199/pub/ks.cfg

10. Final service setup

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chkconfig dhcpd on
chkconfig xinetd on
chkconfig vsftpd on

11. Restart the services

Service vsftpd restart

service dhcpd restart
service xinetd restart

12. Now create new virtual machine and start from network and enjoy.

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Enjoy.

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Am a Linux /Unix Guru live in Amsterdam Netherlands. Founder of : www.unixmen.com. Email:

webmaster@unixmen.com

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