.. _ipxe-install: Install |CL| Over the Network with iPXE ####################################### PXE :abbr:`PXE (Pre-boot Execution Environment)` is an industry standard that describes client-server interaction with network-boot software and uses the DHCP and TFTP protocols. iPXE, a fork of gPXE, is an open-source version of PXE. It enables computers without built-in PXE capability to network-boot using protocols such as HTTP, :abbr:`iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface)`, :abbr:`AoE (ATA over Ethernet\*)`, and :abbr:`FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet\*)`. This guide demonstrates how to setup an iPXE server to install |CL-ATTR| over the network. Figure 1 depicts the flow of information between an iPXE server and a PXE client. .. figure:: ../_figures/ipxe/ipxe-install-1.png :alt: PXE information flow Figure 1: PXE information flow .. caution:: The |CL| PXE image that boots through the iPXE process automatically erases all data and partitions on the PXE client system and performs a fresh installation according to a clr-installer YAML configuration file. Prerequisites ************* Your iPXE server must have: * Ethernet/LAN boot option * At least two network adapters * Connection to a public (WAN) network * Secure Boot option disabled in BIOS Your clients must have: * Ethernet/LAN boot option * One network adapter * Secure Boot option disabled in BIOS * The minimum requirements to run |CL|. Review the :ref:`compatibility-check`. Connect the iPXE server and clients to a network switch on a private (LAN) network, as shown in Figure 2. .. figure:: ../_figures/ipxe/ipxe-install-2.png :alt: Network topology Figure 2: Network topology Install |CL| on server ********************** #. Install |CL| on the system that will serve as the iPXE server. We recommend using the `server` version. #. Open a terminal window. #. Add the :command:`pxe-server` bundle to your |CL| system. The bundle contains all the necessary apps (web server, iPXE firmwares, dnsmasq which provides TFTP, DNS, DHCP functionalities) to run an iPXE server. .. code-block:: bash sudo swupd bundle-add pxe-server #. Define the following variables used for setting up the iPXE server. Be sure to substitute the value for the WAN_INTERFACE and LAN_INTERFACE variables with your LAN and WAN interfaces names. Use :command:`ip a` to list your network devices and get their names. .. code-block:: bash IPXE_APP_NAME=ipxe IPXE_PORT=50000 WEB_ROOT_DIR=/var/www IPXE_ROOT_DIR=${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${IPXE_APP_NAME} TFTP_ROOT_DIR=/srv/tftp CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR=clr-installer-configs WAN_INTERFACE=eno1 LAN_INTERFACE=eno2 IPXE_SUBNET=192.168.100 IPXE_LAN_IP=${IPXE_SUBNET}.1 IPXE_SUBNET_MASK_IP=255.255.255.0 IPXE_SUBNET_BITMASK=16 Setup nginx web server to host iPXE *********************************** #. Set up an nginx web server to serve the |CL| PXE image to clients using these steps: .. code-block:: bash # setup nginx sudo mkdir -p /etc/nginx/conf.d sudo cp /usr/share/nginx/conf/nginx.conf.example /etc/nginx/nginx.conf # grant $USER permission to run the web server sudo tee -a /etc/nginx/nginx.conf << EOF user $USER; EOF # web server config sudo tee -a /etc/nginx/conf.d/${IPXE_APP_NAME}.conf << EOF server { listen ${IPXE_PORT}; server_name localhost; # directory to store ipxe location /${IPXE_APP_NAME}/ { root ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${IPXE_APP_NAME}; rewrite ^/${IPXE_APP_NAME}(/.*)$ \$1 break; } # directory to store clr-installer configs location /${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/ { root ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}; rewrite ^/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}(/.*)$ \$1 break; } } EOF #. Set nginx to start automatically on boot and then start it. .. code-block:: bash sudo systemctl enable nginx --now Configure iPXE ************** #. Download the latest |CL| PXE image and extract the files into the iPXE root. .. code-block:: bash sudo curl -o /tmp/clear-pxe.tar.xz \ https://cdn.download.clearlinux.org/current/clear-$(curl \ https://cdn.download.clearlinux.org/latest)-pxe.tar.xz sudo mkdir -p ${IPXE_ROOT_DIR} sudo tar -xJf /tmp/clear-pxe.tar.xz -C ${IPXE_ROOT_DIR} sudo ln -sf $(ls ${IPXE_ROOT_DIR} | grep 'org.clearlinux.*') ${IPXE_ROOT_DIR}/linux .. note:: Ensure that the initial ramdisk file is named :file:`initrd` and the kernel file is named :file:`linux`, which is a symbolic link to the actual kernel file. #. Create an iPXE boot script. The script presents a menu of bootable images to download, boot, and install |CL|, according to a designated clr-installer YAML configuration file. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a ${IPXE_ROOT_DIR}/ipxe_boot_script.ipxe << EOF #!ipxe set menu-timeout 5000 set submenu-timeout \${menu-timeout} isset \${menu-default} || set menu-default clr-server :menu menu Select a version of Clear Linux OS to install item clr-desktop Clear Linux OS (Desktop) item clr-server Clear Linux OS (Server) item ipxe-shell iPXE Shell item reboot Reboot choose --timeout \${menu-timeout} --default \${menu-default} selected || goto cancel set menu-timeout 0 goto \${selected} :clr-desktop echo Booting and installing Clear Linux OS (Desktop)... kernel linux quiet init=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-bootchart initcall_debug \\ tsc=reliable no_timer_check noreplace-smp rw initrd=initrd \\ clri.descriptor=http://${IPXE_LAN_IP}:${IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-desktop.yaml initrd initrd boot || goto failed :clr-server echo Booting and installing Clear Linux OS (Server)... kernel linux quiet init=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-bootchart initcall_debug \\ tsc=reliable no_timer_check noreplace-smp rw initrd=initrd \\ clri.descriptor=http://${IPXE_LAN_IP}:${IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-server.yaml initrd initrd boot || goto failed :cancel echo Menu canceled, going to iPXE shell :ipxe-shell echo Type 'exit' to return to the menu shell set menu-timeout 0 set submenu-timeout 0 goto menu echo Booting :failed echo Booting failed, going to iPXE shell goto shell :reboot echo Rebooting... sleep 1 reboot EOF .. note:: The `clri.discriptor` option tells clr-installer where to download a YAML configuration file to use. Without this option, the |CL| PXE image will simply boot and not perform any installation. Add clr-installer YAML configuration files ****************************************** After the |CL| PXE image boot, clr-installer downloads the YAML configuration file specified in the kernel command-line and installs accordingly. See `Installer YAML Syntax`_ for more information on clr-installer configuration YAML syntax. #. Create the directory to store the configuration files. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR} #. Create this sample `Desktop` configuration called :file:`clr-desktop.yaml`. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-desktop.yaml << EOF #clear-linux-config # switch between aliases if you want to install to an actuall block device # i.e /dev/sda block-devices: [ {name: "bdevice", file: "/dev/sda"} ] targetMedia: - name: \${bdevice} type: disk children: - name: \${bdevice}1 fstype: vfat mountpoint: /boot size: "150M" type: part - name: \${bdevice}2 fstype: swap size: "250M" type: part - name: \${bdevice}3 fstype: ext4 mountpoint: / size: "0" # Use remaining disk space type: part bundles: [ bootloader, os-core, os-core-update, desktop-autostart, libreoffice, vlc, c-basic, git, openssh-server, vim ] autoUpdate: true postArchive: false postReboot: true telemetry: false hostname: clrlinux-desktop keyboard: us language: en_US.UTF-8 kernel: kernel-native users: - login: clrlinux username: Clear Linux # Password is "clear123" password: $6$SJJMfnInWQg.CvMA$m2F8dJGj71zvi9mSNMktHMsPH3qhBm8pgXDNdaBe2yFfgi479JXvEqWkvQ6OxIUgGNQ5YXFIF0tCn.hEXB90G/ admin: true - login: root username: Root Root # Password is "clear123" password: $6$SJJMfnInWQg.CvMA$m2F8dJGj71zvi9mSNMktHMsPH3qhBm8pgXDNdaBe2yFfgi479JXvEqWkvQ6OxIUgGNQ5YXFIF0tCn.hEXB90G/ admin: true pre-install: [ {cmd: "curl -o /tmp/add-issue.sh http://${IPXE_LAN_IP}:${IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/add-issue.sh"}, {cmd: "chmod +x /tmp/add-issue.sh"} ] post-install: [ {cmd: "echo PermitRootLogin yes > \${chrootDir}/etc/ssh/sshd_config"}, {cmd: "/tmp/add-issue.sh \${chrootDir}"} ] EOF #. Create this sample `Server` configuration called :file:`clr-server.yaml`. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-server.yaml << EOF #clear-linux-config # switch between aliases if you want to install to an actuall block device # i.e /dev/sda block-devices: [ {name: "bdevice", file: "/dev/sda"} ] targetMedia: - name: \${bdevice} type: disk children: - name: \${bdevice}1 fstype: vfat mountpoint: /boot size: "150M" type: part - name: \${bdevice}2 fstype: swap size: "250M" type: part - name: \${bdevice}3 fstype: ext4 mountpoint: / size: "0" # Use remaining disk space type: part bundles: [ bootloader, os-core, os-core-update, vim ] autoUpdate: true postArchive: false postReboot: true telemetry: false hostname: clrlinux-server keyboard: us language: en_US.UTF-8 kernel: kernel-native users: - login: clrlinux username: Clear Linux # Password is "clear123" password: \$6\$SJJMfnInWQg.CvMA\$m2F8dJGj71zvi9mSNMktHMsPH3qhBm8pgXDNdaBe2yFfgi479JXvEqWkvQ6OxIUgGNQ5YXFIF0tCn.hEXB90G/ admin: true - login: root username: Root Root # Password is "clear123" password: \$6\$SJJMfnInWQg.CvMA\$m2F8dJGj71zvi9mSNMktHMsPH3qhBm8pgXDNdaBe2yFfgi479JXvEqWkvQ6OxIUgGNQ5YXFIF0tCn.hEXB90G/ admin: true pre-install: [ {cmd: "curl -o /tmp/add-issue.sh http://${IPXE_LAN_IP}:${IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/add-issue.sh"}, {cmd: "chmod +x /tmp/add-issue.sh"} ] post-install: [ {cmd: "echo PermitRootLogin yes > \${chrootDir}/etc/ssh/sshd_config"}, {cmd: "/tmp/add-issue.sh \${chrootDir}"} ] EOF #. Add following content to the :file:`add-issue.sh` script, which will be used by the above two YAML configuration files: .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a ${WEB_ROOT_DIR}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/add-issue.sh << EOF #!/bin/bash echo "Creating custom issue file for \$1" echo "Welcome to the Clear Linux* OS * Documentation: https://clearlinux.org/documentation * Community Support: https://community.clearlinux.org " >> \$1/etc/issue exit 0 EOF Configure network ***************** #. The DNS server, included with the `pxe-server` bundle, conflicts with the DNS stub listener provided in `systemd-resolved`. Disable the DNS stub listener and temporarily stop `systemd-resolved`. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd sudo tee -a /etc/systemd/resolved.conf << EOF [Resolve] DNSStubListener=no EOF sudo systemctl stop systemd-resolved #. Disable NetworkManager. The base installation of |CL| comes with two network managers, systemd-networkd and NetworkManager, with the latter being the default. systemd-networkd is recommended for a server use case, so we will disable NetworkManager. .. code-block:: bash sudo systemctl mask --now NetworkManager #. Assign a static IP address to the LAN side network adapter and restart `systemd-networkd`. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/network sudo tee -a /etc/systemd/network/70-internal-static.network << EOF [Match] Name=${LAN_INTERFACE} [Network] DHCP=no Address=${IPXE_LAN_IP}/${IPXE_SUBNET_BITMASK} EOF sudo systemctl enable systemd-networkd sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd Setup NAT ********* #. Configure :abbr:`NAT (Network Address Translation)` to route traffic from the LAN to the WAN network so clients can download upstream bundles for installation. And to make these changes persistent during reboots, save the changes to the firewall. .. code-block:: bash sudo iptables -t nat -F POSTROUTING sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o ${WAN_INTERFACE} -j MASQUERADE sudo systemctl enable iptables-save.service sudo systemctl restart iptables-save.service sudo systemctl enable iptables-restore.service sudo systemctl restart iptables-restore.service #. Configure the kernel to forward network packets to different interfaces. Otherwise, NAT will not work. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p /etc/sysctl.d sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.d/80-nat-forwarding.conf << EOF net.ipv4.ip_forward=1 EOF sudo tee -a /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward << EOF 1 EOF Setup dnsmaq for DHCP, DNS, and TFTP functionalities **************************************************** #. Create a configuration file for `dnsmasq` to listen on a dedicated IP address for TFTP, DNS, and DHCP functions. PXE clients on the LAN network will talk to this IP address. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a /etc/dnsmasq.conf << EOF listen-address=${IPXE_LAN_IP} EOF #. Add the options to serve iPXE firmware images to clients over TFTP to the :file:`dnsmasq` configuration file. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a /etc/dnsmasq.conf << EOF enable-tftp tftp-root=${TFTP_ROOT_DIR} EOF #. Add the options to host a DHCP server for clients to the :file:`dnsmasq` configuration file. .. code-block:: bash sudo tee -a /etc/dnsmasq.conf << EOF dhcp-leasefile=/var/db/dnsmasq.leases dhcp-authoritative dhcp-option=option:router,${IPXE_LAN_IP} dhcp-option=option:dns-server,${IPXE_LAN_IP} dhcp-match=set:ipxeclient,60,IPXEClient* dhcp-range=tag:ipxeclient,${IPXE_SUBNET}.2,${IPXE_SUBNET}.253,${IPXE_SUBNET_MASK_IP},15m dhcp-range=tag:!ipxeclient,${IPXE_SUBNET}.2,${IPXE_SUBNET}.253,${IPXE_SUBNET_MASK_IP},6h dhcp-match=set:ipxeboot,175 dhcp-boot=tag:ipxeboot,http://${IPXE_LAN_IP}:${IPXE_PORT}/${IPXE_APP_NAME}/ipxe_boot_script.ipxe dhcp-boot=tag:!ipxeboot,undionly.kpxe,${IPXE_LAN_IP} EOF The configuration provides the following important functions: * Directs clients without an iPXE implementation to the TFTP server to acquire architecture-specific iPXE firmware images that allow them to perform an iPXE boot. * Activates only on the network adapter that has an IP address on the defined subnet. * Directs clients to the DNS server. * Directs clients to the iPXE server for routing via NAT. * Divides the private network into two pools of IP addresses. One pool is for network boot and one pool is used after boot. Each pool has their own lease times. #. Create a file for `dnsmasq` to record the IP addresses it provides to clients. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p /var/db sudo touch /var/db/dnsmasq.leases #. Create a TFTP hosting directory and populate it with the iPXE firmware. .. code-block:: bash sudo mkdir -p ${TFTP_ROOT_DIR} sudo ln -sf /usr/share/ipxe/undionly.kpxe ${TFTP_ROOT_DIR}/undionly.kpxe #. Start `dnsmasq` and enable startup on boot. .. code-block:: bash sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable dnsmasq sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq #. Start `systemd-resolved`. .. code-block:: bash sudo systemctl start systemd-resolved .. note:: `systemd-resolved` dynamically updates the list of DNS servers for the LAN network if you use the `dnsmasq` DNS server. The setup creates a pass-through DNS server that relies on the DNS servers listed in :file:`/etc/resolv.conf`. Verify setup ************ Verify you can access these URLs before deploying: * \http://{$IPXE_LAN_IP}:{$IPXE_PORT}/${IPXE_APP_NAME}/ipxe_boot_script.ipxe * \http://{$IPXE_LAN_IP}:{$IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-desktop.yaml * \http://{$IPXE_LAN_IP}:{$IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/clr-server.yaml * \http://{$IPXE_LAN_IP}:{$IPXE_PORT}/${CLR_INSTALLER_CONF_DIR}/add-issue.sh Deploy ****** #. Connect your client system to the LAN network. #. Power on the client. #. Set your client to network boot. It should get an IP address and download the iPXE script. #. When presented with the iPXE menu, select one of the options. The client will then download and boot the |CL| image. Once booted, clr-installer will download the assigned YAML configuration file and begin to install |CL|. After installation, the client will reboot to |CL|. .. _iPXE: http://ipxe.org/ .. _Installer YAML Syntax: https://github.com/clearlinux/clr-installer/blob/master/scripts/InstallerYAMLSyntax.md