PXED server configuration
By default, the PXED server is configured by reading the /etc/pxed.cnf file, which specifies the server's initial database of options and addresses.
The server is started from SMIT, or through SRC commands.
Configuring the PXED server is usually the hardest part of using PXED in your network. First, figure out what networks you need to have PXE clients on. The following example configures the pxed daemon to run on the same machine as the DHCP server:
pxeservertype proxy_on_dhcp_server
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
option 6 2 # Disable Multicast boot server discovery
option 8 1 2 9.3.4.5 9.3.4.6 2 1 9.3.149.29
# The above option gives the list of bootservers
option 9 0 "PXE bootstrap server" \
1 "Microsoft Windows NT Boot Server" \
2 "DOS/UNDI Boot Server"
option 10 20 "seconds left before the first item in the boot menu is auto-selected"
}
}The suboptions in the vendor container are sent to PXE clients only if the client's IP address is in the subnet's IP address range (for example, 9.3.149.0 through 9.3.149.255).
The following example configures the pxed daemon to run on a different machine than the DHCP server:
subnet default
{
vendor pxe
{
option 6 10 # The bootfile name is present in the client's initial pxed
# offer packet.
option 8 1 2 9.3.4.5 9.3.4.6 2 1 9.3.149.29
# The above option gives the list of bootservers
option 9 0 "PXE bootstrap server" \
1 "Microsoft Windows NT Boot Server" \
2 "DOS/UNDI Boot Server"
option 10 20 "seconds left before the first item in the boot menu is auto-selected"
bootstrapserver 9.3.148.65
pxebootfile 1 2 1 window.one
pxebootfile 2 2 1 linux.one
pxebootfile 1 2 1 hello.one
client 6 10005a8ad14d any
{
pxebootfile 1 2 1 aix.one
pxebootfile 2 2 1 window.one
}
}
Vendor pxeserver
{
option 7 224.234.202.202
}The pxeservertype keyword is not set in the configuration file so the default value is taken, which is pdhcp_only, meaning the PXED server is running on a different machine than the DHCP server. Given this configuration, the PXED server listens on two ports (67 and 4011) for clients' BINLD REQUEST/INFORM packets. The option 7 is sent to the BINLD server when the PXED server receives a REQUEST/INFORM packet on port 67 from BINLD and option 60 is set to PXED server.
The db_file database clause indicates which
database method to use for processing this part of the configuration
file. Comments begin with a pound sign (#). From the # to the end
of the line are ignored by the PXED server. Each option line
is used by the server to tell the client what to do. PXE vendor container suboptions describes
the currently supported and known options. See PXED server file syntax for general server operation for
ways to specify options that the server does not know about.