Alternate NetBoot Server

[mclemens]

This has been discussed before but I still have not seen a solution. I need an alternate to the mac os x netboot that will run on linux but I cannot run a DHCP server on the network because there are already DHCP servers running… has anyone found a solution?

[daworley]

Apple's NetBoot is a fork off of DHCP, even to the point that NetBoot sets up it's own bootpd process. However, it does not have to run it's own DHCP service for configuring TCP/IP. NetBoot can run independently and not conflict with existing DHCP services. At my office I have two NetBoot services, and we all rely off the DHCP from our AD domain.

If you have a hard and fast no-DHCP rule, I don't know of any way around that whether it's running from Mac OS X or Linux or whatever else. Have you considered physically removing NetBoot to a separate subnet? Put imaging off into an island away from your main network?

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Douglas Worley Apple Certified System Administrator Apple Certified Trainer AppleCare Certified Service Trainer Certified Casper Administrator

[daworley]

For more information on setting up Linux as an Apple NetBoot server, check out this article on AFP548.
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story061220102102611

There are others who have done the same, but this is the best article I've found that explains all the pieces. A quick google search shows many who have attempted/gotten this to work. Many of those articles aren't exactly helpful.

It goes without saying: if you are hacking your own DHCP->NetBoot service, it should be tested on a dumb switch not connected to your main network until you sort out all of the bugs.

Hope this helps. - D