How to configure a Raspberry Pi as a PXE boot server - LinuxConfig.org

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PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) is a client-server environment which makes possible to boot and install operating systems without the need of physical media. The core idea is quite simple: in a very early stage, a client gets an IP address from a DHCP server and downloads the files needed to perform the boot process via the tftp protocol (Trivial ftp). In this tutorial we will use the dnsmasq application: it can be used as a primary DHCP server or in proxy DHCP mode if another DHCP server exists in the network; it also provides the tftp service used to transfer files.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-configure-a-raspberry-pi-as-a-pxe-boot-server
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Hello,

I am trying to extend this PXE boot server to boot Windows 10 from the raspberry pi:

  1. I have extended the “/mnt/data/netboot/pxelinux.cfg/default” as it follows:
    MENU BEGIN Windows

     MENU TITLE Windows 10 amd64

     LABEL windows_10_PE
         MENU LABEL Windows PE (64 Bit)
         KERNEL ::memdisk
         INITRD ::win-pe-x64.iso
         APPEND iso raw            

     MENU END

  2. I have generated a “win-pe-x64.iso” using microsoft’s “Windows ADK” and “Windows PE add-on”.

  3. I placed the “win-pe-x64.iso” file in /mnt/data/netboot

  4. I copied a mounted windows iso file on a samba directory:

    4.1 sudo mount /home/pi/SambaSharedDirectory/Win10_20H2_v2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso /media
    4.2 sudo rsync -av /media/ /mnt/data/netboot/boot/amd64/windows/10

  5. smb.conf:

[10]
comment = Windows 10 (64 Bit) Install Files
path = /mnt/data/netboot/boot/amd64/windows/10
public = yes
printable = no
guest ok = yes
readonly = yes
browseable = yes
oplocks = no
level2 oplocks = no
locking = no
strict locking = no

  1. dnsmasq.conf --> not modified

When I start the windows 10 installation the client reports the following:

image

Do you know how to proceed?

Thank you in advance!

3

Is it possible to direct the PXE server to a WDS WIM image ?? for windows MDT deployments? (windows server is a VM on a Linux UNRAID server

4

hello, you’ve made a mistake

You wrote
pxe-service=x86PC,“PXELINUX (BIOS)”,bios/pxelinux

But it’s
pxe-service=x86PC,“PXELINUX (BIOS)”,bios/pxelinux.0

:slight_smile:

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Hello

I am trying to make debian installer boot via PXE just like you described, however I have a problem. The installer boot fine but after selecting language, keyboard etc the installer display the message about being unable to find CD-ROM and my only option is to load external drivers, can you point me what I am doing wrong?

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did you solve this issue? i have a same problem about PXE, i did everything in this guide, but in installer i allways got “unable to find CD-ROM”. Thanks

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@marson / @tombenetin
I get the same error with debian 11. Were you able to solve it? Any help appreciated.
Thanks.

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Any progress on passing cdrom step in debian?

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Hello, this HowTo is quite good, at the end you have to insert a USB stick (or a CD) with the netinstall image to continue the boot process. You can create it by downloading the ISO and use Win32DiskImager to write it to the USB stick.
I also got an error after partionning the disk and solve it with a stackexchange trick (search fo debian-laptop-installation-fails-due-to-debootstrap-error-failed-to-determine-t)