How do I setup a diskless boot?
How to diskless boot a Linux machine
Table of Contents
- Advantage of Diskless Computers.
- Requirements.
- Step One: Install Required Packages.
- Step Two: Configure a TFTP Server.
- Step Three: Configure DHCP Service.
- Step Four: Configure an NFS server.
- Step Five: Booting a Diskless Client.
What is diskless set up?
A diskless boot system (otherwise known as a PXE boot setup) is a computer system without hard drives. Instead, each computer uses network-attached storage drives on a server to store data.

How do I create a diskless image?
Create Boot Image
- Choose one client PC as master PC used for uploading boot image.
- Attach a hard disk on the PC.
- Delete all partitions firstly.
- Install Windows XP or Windows 7 on this partition.
- Install the latest patches of Windows even the service patches are installed. (
Which protocol is used for booting diskless workstations?
BOOTP: this protocol allows a server to provide the client (identified by its hardware MAC address) with much information, in particular its IP address, subnet mask, broadcast address, network address, gateway address, host name, and kernel loading path. This is the one we will use.

How do I boot from a network?
To enable the network as a boot device:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
- Go to the Boot menu.
- Enable Boot to Network.
- Press F10 to save and exit the BIOS Setup.
How do I create a diskless image file?
How does network diskless boot work?
Diskless Booting simply uses the remote server for storage and still runs all applications on the local client station. This works better if you have full powered PC’s to work with, and are working with a large number of clients that would require too much CPU and RAM to run all their applications on one server.
How does diskless node work?
A diskless node (or diskless workstation) is a workstation or personal computer without disk drives, which employs network booting to load its operating system from a server. (A computer may also be said to act as a diskless node, if its disks are unused and network booting is used.)
How do I update an image in CCBoot?
Update Boot Image/Game Disk using Super Client
- On the main interface of the CCBoot, click the “Client Manager”, and in the detailed pane on the right side, right click a client “PC 190”and choose “Enable Super Client”.
- In the pop-up “CCBoot Select Disk” dialogue box, tick the disks you want to update and then click OK.
Which of the following TCP IP protocols does a diskless machine use to obtain?
RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol by which a physical machine in a local area network can request to learn its IP address from a gateway server’s Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table or cache. …
What is BOOTP and DHCP?
BOOTP, Bootstrap Protocol, is used to configure the host and get the host address along with bootstrap info. DHCP, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Server is an extended version of BOOTP and is used to configure the hosts dynamically.
How do I enable network boot in BIOS?
To enable the Network as a boot device:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS setup.
- Go to Advanced Settings > Boot Menu.
- Select Boot Configuration and uncheck Boot Network Devices Last.
- From the Boot Configuration menu, go to Network Boot and enable UEFI PCE & iSCSI.
- Select either Ethernet1 Boot or Ethernet2 Boot.
How does network booting work?
What is network booting? Network booting, or booting from LAN as it is also called, is a process which allows a computer to start up and load an operating system or other program directly from the network without any locally attached storage device, like a floppy, CDROM, USB stick or hard drive.