Diskless netboot

Diskless server / workstation using netboot

NFS is a technology that allow you to share some files and folders over the network. So:

• All the clients will share the installation, configuration files and so on.
• Each client will run a dedicated instance of the operating system
• Logs will be centralized on the common NFS server - so we don't loose data on each reboot.

You must have a working DHCP server + NetBoot before starting this part.

Requirements:

• DHCP server
• NetBoot server

Installation

NFS support

apt-get install nfs-kernel-server nfs-common

Debootstrap (manage netboot image)

apt-get install debootstrap

NFS server setup

Preparation

You have to create a dedicated folder on your server where you will host the client image.

mkdir -p /srv/nfsroot

Configuration

The NFS configuration is done in the /etc/exports file

vim /etc/exports

Add something like that:

  /srv/nfsroot      192.168.2.xxx(rw,no_root_squash,async,insecure)

Adjust "192.168.2.xxx" to your own network address

Security

Like TFTP, this part is insecure !

You must restrict the access to your NFS server by a firewall script and filtering BEFORE reaching the LAN !