Help Finding Remote UEFI PXE Client reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 15:08 Please note, I'm looking for a PXE *client* that boots and connects to a PXE server. I am not looking for a PXE server solution, I already have that. I know this is /r/selfhosted but I can't think of any better place to ask. This is the first group that came to mind for this question. Maybe I should try /r/homelab ? I need to install a PXE server solution at a few dozen remote locations. Each location is a unicorn so the config will be a little different at each one. I need a PXE client that I can remotely boot at each location and verify that the PXE server, TFTP, DHCP, and so on are all working correctly. The only bare metal boxes I have access to are Windows Server. I also can run *nix VMs but not bare metal. I've been able to do this with a Gen1 non-UEFI Hyper-V VM, easy enough. But the Hyper-V UEFI VMs I've tried fail even at sites where a bare metal box can PXE boot via UEFI successfully. (I disabled secure boot in the VM settings) So I know the problem there is Hyper-V and not the PXE servers. I've tried a BSD VM and bhyve, but I can't get it to work, I think because it's a VM. I've been able to make it work on bare metal. Are there any Docker containers that act as PXE clients? I'm thinking of checking out the following, but not sure they match my needs. Tianocore/edk2 and netbootxyz I'm also thinking of trying nested Proxmox or ESXi because I know that PXE booting works there on bare metal, but I'm hesitant to take the time because it will be a VM and I'm assuming I'll have the same problems as with BSD/bhyve. Any ideas? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thekrautboy · 2023-10-17 15:20 Maybe /r/HomeNetworking? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- wycuff · 2023-10-17 15:33 Quick google search and not sure a uefi pxe client is the thing needed . most solutions look like its the pxe server that needs to be configured for uefi . then you connect to it the same way you always have. with out uefi ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eldiabolo18 · 2023-10-17 15:47 Have you tried the most obvious one and used a KVM VMachine? Works perfect for me in UEFI mode and boots ipxe. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- s_91 · 2023-10-17 15:54 I found this with a quick Github search: https://github.com/eoli3n/vagrant-pxe (haven't tested it). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- i_am_art_65 · 2023-10-17 17:00 Are you looking for software that can run on an installed OS to emulate the PXE bootloader that is normally in the NIC firmware? If so, I'm not sure one exists. Even the name Preboot Execution Environment implies this happens before an OS is running. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 18:46 The PXE server is configured for UEFI. Bare metal boxes can UEFI PXE boot without a problem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 18:46 Nope I haven't, but thank you for the idea! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 18:46 Thanks, I'll give it a try! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 20:13 Would using virt-manager be the easiest way to accomplish this? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eldiabolo18 · 2023-10-17 20:36 This or the console. Virsh has an integrated console where i‘m sure you can follow the ipxe boot process: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/de-de/red_hat_enterprise_linux /7/html/virtualization_deployment_and_administration_guide/sect- domain_commands- connecting_the_serial_console_for_the_guest_virtual_machine ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LearningSysAdmin987 · 2023-10-17 21:48 Thank you for the info! I'm wondering if I'm going to run into similar problems since I would be running it from an Ubuntu (or whatever linux) VM, rather than on bare metal....