====== Netboot ======

===== The Basics =====

==== Files Needed ====

  * initrd.gz - a minimal filesystem to get the real filesystem up and running - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initrd
  * vmlinux/vmlinuz/linux - The actual kernel - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vmlinux

===== Installers =====

==== Debian Netboot archive ====

  * http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/sid/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/

<file>http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/<VERSION>/main/installer-<ARCHITECTURE>/current/images/netboot/</file>

  * Debian has one installer for all versions (stable|testing|unstable) so just grab the latest installer

==== Ubuntu Netboot archive ====

  * http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/maverick/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/

<file>http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/<RELEASENAME>/main/installer-<ARCHITECTURE>/current/images/netboot/</file>
  * The one installer can install any of the sub-distros (kubuntu, xubuntu)
  * The installer will only work for one release and architecture. As I only need it for desktop machines I only keep the latest release.

===== Installers =====

==== Gparted ====

  * gparted i386 version taken straight from the site. Will download /var/www/gparted.filesystem and unpack it into ram to boot the rest of the kernel.

===== Files =====

  * /srv/tftp
  * syslinux is bind mounted from /usr/lib/syslinux to /srv/tftp/syslinux because the netboot needs to be kept up to date but is chrooted into /var/lib/tftpboot.

===== External Links =====
  * [[http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/how-i-did-it-diskless-netboot-with-debian-etch-468870/|Diskless debian via netboot]]
  * [[https://wiki.edubuntu.org/LiveCDNetboot|Netbooting Ubuntu live cds]]
  * [[http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK|MEMDISK homepage]]
  * [[https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/Netboot|Ubuntu Netboot Documentation]]