Bootstrapping full iPXE native menu with customizable default option with timeout (also includes working Ubuntu 12.04 preseed install)

_INSTALL.md

Add the following chunk to your existing ISC dhcpd.conf file.

if exists user-class and ( option user-class = "iPXE" ) {
    filename "http://boot.smidsrod.lan/boot.ipxe";
}
else {
    filename "undionly.kpxe";
}

(or see https://gist.github.com/4008017 for a more elaborate setup that chainloads a more featureful version of iPXE from a stripped-down version burned in ROM)

Put undionly.kpxe (or ipxe.pxe) at the root of your TFTP server.

Change boot-url (and sanboot-url and other values) in boot.ipxe.cfg to match your setup.

Put the following files in your web root:

• boot.ipxe
• boot.ipxe.cfg
• menu.ipxe

Add a folder named boot in your web root and put any of these files there:

• hostname-testvm.ipxe
• mac-0050dadd426f.ipxe
• uuid-f84a339b-9e36-456e-8ccf-4c51ea6cb42d.ipxe
• pci-8086100e.ipxe

If you want more features you might want these files in your web root too:

• wimboot
• memdisk
• memtest.0
• memtest86plus-4.20.elf.img
• memtest-report.cgi (if you want a place to send your memtest reports)

UPDATE: See https://gist.github.com/robinsmidsrod/1c7bbd4a058f0e6892df for a better menu item for SystemRescueCD than the one included below.

boot.ipxe

#!ipxe

# Global variables used by all other iPXE scripts
chain --autofree boot.ipxe.cfg ||

# Boot <boot-url>/<boot-dir>/hostname-<hostname>.ipxe
# if hostname DHCP variable is set and script is present
isset ${hostname} && chain --replace --autofree ${boot-dir}hostname-${hostname}.ipxe ||

# Boot <boot-url>/<boot-dir>/uuid-<UUID>.ipxe
# if SMBIOS UUID variable is set and script is present
isset ${uuid} && chain --replace --autofree ${boot-dir}uuid-${uuid}.ipxe ||

# Boot <boot-url>/<boot-dir>/mac-010203040506.ipxe if script is present
chain --replace --autofree ${boot-dir}mac-${mac:hexraw}.ipxe ||

# Boot <boot-url>/<boot-dir>/pci-8086100e.ipxe if one type of
# PCI Intel adapter is present and script is present
chain --replace --autofree ${boot-dir}pci-${pci/${busloc}.0.2}${pci/${busloc}.2.2}.ipxe ||

# Boot <boot-url>/<boot-dir>/chip-82541pi.ipxe if one type of
# PCI Intel adapter is present and script is present
chain --replace --autofree ${boot-dir}chip-${chip}.ipxe ||

# Boot <boot-url>/menu.ipxe script if all other options have been exhausted
chain --replace --autofree ${menu-url} ||

boot.ipxe.cfg

#!ipxe

# OPTIONAL: NFS server used for menu files and other things
# Must be specified as IP, as some distros don't do proper name resolution
set nfs-server 10.1.1.10
set nfs-root /raid/boot/

# OPTIONAL: Base URL used to resolve most other resources
# Should always end with a slash
#set boot-url http://boot.smidsrod.lan/
set boot-url nfs://${nfs-server}${nfs-root}

# OPTIONAL: What URL to use when sanbooting
# Usually ${boot-url} is used, but required until NFS supports block device API
# Should always end with a slash
set sanboot-url http://boot.smidsrod.lan/

# OPTIONAL: Relative directory to boot.ipxe used to
# override boot script for specific clients
set boot-dir boot/

# REQUIRED: Absolute URL to the menu script, used by boot.ipxe
# and commonly used at the end of simple override scripts
# in ${boot-dir}.
set menu-url ${boot-url}menu.ipxe

# OPTIONAL: iSCSI server location and iSCSI IQNs
# Must be specified as an IP, some clients have issues with name resolution
# Initiator IQN is also calculated to use hostname, if present
set iscsi-server 10.1.1.10
set base-iqn iqn.2011-02.lan.smidsrod
set base-iscsi iscsi:${iscsi-server}::::${base-iqn}
isset ${hostname} && set initiator-iqn ${base-iqn}:${hostname} || set initiator-iqn ${base-iqn}:${mac}

# OPTIONAL: Hashed password used by some distros, e.g. SmartOS
set root-shadow $1$RKvIqeyXXXXXS6F3WAeQCWk.

# OPTIONAL: URL to report memtest results to
set memtest-report-url http://boot.smidsrod.lan/memtest-report.cgi

# OPTIONAL: Where to store the OpenELEC configuration and database
# and version number
set openelec-version 3.2.2
set openelec-storage-dir ${nfs-server}:/raid/misc/openelec-storage/

# OPTIONAL: TinyCore customizable information
set tc-version 4.7.6

# OPTIONAL: CoreOS customizable information
set coreos-version 94.0.0
set coreos-sshkey ssh-dss AAAAB3NzaC1kXXXXXz636QEs3kA9jPVI8qcCOkgDAf2BwiUIawbRTWvncJMAp315VhYY= robin@server

# OPTIONAL: Macrium Reflect customizable information
set macrium-version 5.2

# OPTIONAL: Firefly Solaris recovery environment customizable information
set firefly-version 0613

# OPTIONAL: SpinRite customizable information
set spinrite-version 6.0

# OPTIONAL: SystemRescueCD customizable information
set sysrcd-version 3.8.0

# OPTIONAL: HDT customizable information
set hdt-version 0.5.2

hostname-testvm.ipxe

#!ipxe
echo
echo Booting TestVM
set menu-default menu-live
set submenu-default ubuntu-live-1204-amd64
chain --replace --autofree ${menu-url}

menu.ipxe

#!ipxe

# Variables are specified in boot.ipxe.cfg

# Some menu defaults
set menu-timeout 5000
set submenu-timeout ${menu-timeout}
isset ${menu-default} || set menu-default exit

# Figure out if client is 64-bit capable
cpuid --ext 29 && set arch x64 || set arch x86
cpuid --ext 29 && set archl amd64 || set archl i386

###################### MAIN MENU ####################################

:start
menu iPXE boot menu for ${initiator-iqn}
item --gap --             ------------------------- Operating systems ------------------------------
item --key f freedos      Boot FreeDOS from iSCSI
item --key m msdos        Boot MS-DOS from iSCSI
item --key u ubuntu       Boot Ubuntu from iSCSI
item --key v vmware       Boot VMware ESXi from iSCSI
item --key w windows7     Boot Windows 7 from iSCSI
item --key l menu-live    Live environments...
item --gap --             ------------------------- Tools and utilities ----------------------------
item --key p pxelinux     Load PXELinux menu
item --key r menu-recovery Recovery tools...
item --key d menu-diag    Diagnostics tools...
item --key i menu-install Installers...
item --gap --             ------------------------- Advanced options -------------------------------
item --key c config       Configure settings
item shell                Drop to iPXE shell
item reboot               Reboot computer
item
item --key x exit         Exit iPXE and continue BIOS boot
choose --timeout ${menu-timeout} --default ${menu-default} selected || goto cancel
set menu-timeout 0
goto ${selected}

:cancel
echo You cancelled the menu, dropping you to a shell

:shell
echo Type 'exit' to get the back to the menu
shell
set menu-timeout 0
set submenu-timeout 0
goto start

:failed
echo Booting failed, dropping to shell
goto shell

:reboot
reboot

:exit
exit

:config
config
goto start

:back
set submenu-timeout 0
clear submenu-default
goto start

############ MAIN MENU ITEMS ############

:freedos
echo Booting FreeDOS from iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.freedos
sanboot ${root-path} || goto failed
goto start

:msdos
echo Booting MS-DOS from iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.msdos
sanboot ${root-path} || goto failed
goto start

:ubuntu
echo Booting Ubuntu from iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.ubuntu
sanboot ${root-path} || goto failed
goto start

:vmware
echo Booting VMware ESXi from iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.vmware
sanboot ${root-path} || goto failed
goto start

:windows7
echo Booting Windows 7 from iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
# Force gateway to be the iSCSI target server (kludge for stupid window behavior)
set netX/gateway ${iscsi-server}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.windows7
sanboot ${root-path} || goto failed
goto start

:pxelinux
set 210:string tftp://${next-server}/
chain ${210:string}pxelinux.0 || goto failed
goto start

###################### RECOVERY MENU ################################

:menu-recovery
menu Recovery tools
item sysrcd          SystemRescueCD ${sysrcd-version}
item spinrite        SpinRite ${spinrite-version}
item spinrite-msdos  SpinRite ${spinrite-version} (using MS-DOS 6.22)
item macrium-winpe Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} Rescue CD (WinPE 4.0 ${arch})
item macrium-winpe-sanboot   Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} Rescue CD (WinPE 4.0 ${arch} with sanboot)
item macrium-linux   Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} Rescue CD (Linux ${arch})
item macrium-linux-sanboot   Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} Rescue CD (Linux ${arch} with sanboot)
item firefly         Firefly IllumOS recovery environment ${firefly-version}
item freedos-direct  FreeDOS 1.1 (directly using iPXE)
item
item --key 0x08 back Back to top menu...
iseq ${menu-default} menu-recovery && isset ${submenu-default} && goto menu-recovery-timed ||
choose selected && goto ${selected} || goto start
:menu-recovery-timed
choose --timeout ${submenu-timeout} --default ${submenu-default} selected && goto ${selected} || goto start

:spinrite
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}spinrite-${spinrite-version}/spinrite-${spinrite-version}.img || goto failed
#sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x081 ${sanboot-url}spinrite-${spinrite-version}/spinrite-${spinrite-version}.iso
#initrd spinrite/spinrite-${spinrite-version}.img
#chain memdisk
goto start

:spinrite-msdos
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}spinrite-${spinrite-version}/spinrite-${spinrite-version}-msdos.img || goto failed
goto start

:sysrcd
echo Booting SystemRescueCD ${sysrcd-version} x86 for ${initiator-iqn}
# Fixup needed after copying files from downloaded ISO to directory:
#  cd path/to/sysrcd-iso-unpacked-files/isolinux && \
#   perl -p -i -e 's{/bootdisk}{../bootdisk}' isolinux.cfg && \
#   perl -p -i -e 's{scandelay=1}{scandelay=1 dodhcp netboot=nfs://nas.smidsrod.lan:/raid/boot/sysrcd-3.8.0-x86}g' isolinux.cfg && \
#   perl -p -i -e 's{setkmap=us}{setkmap=us dodhcp netboot=nfs://nas.smidsrod.lan:/raid/boot/sysrcd-3.8.0-x86}g' isolinux.cfg && \
#   perl -p -i -e 's{rescuecd_us}{rescuecd_no}; s{US}{NO}; s{setkmap=us}{setkmap=no}g; s{american}{norwegian};' isolinux.cfg && \
#   cd -
# PXELinux options, see http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/PXELINUX for details
set 210:string ${boot-url}sysrcd-${sysrcd-version}-x86/isolinux/
set 209:string isolinux.cfg
set filename ${210:string}pxelinux.0
chain ${filename} || goto failed
goto start

:macrium-winpe
echo Booting Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} (WinPE 4.0 ${arch}) for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url macrium-${macrium-version}/macrium-${macrium-version}-rescue-winpe-4.0-${arch}
kernel wimboot
initrd ${base-url}/bootmgr          bootmgr
initrd ${base-url}/Boot/BCD         BCD
initrd ${base-url}/Boot/boot.sdi    boot.sdi
initrd ${base-url}/sources/boot.wim boot.wim
boot || goto failed
goto start

:macrium-linux
echo Booting Macrium Reflect ${macrium-version} (Linux ${arch}) for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url macrium-${macrium-version}/macrium-${macrium-version}-rescue-linux
kernel ${base-url}/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/initramfs.xz
imgargs vmlinuz vga=0x317
boot || goto failed
goto start

:macrium-winpe-sanboot
sanboot --no-describe ${sanboot-url}macrium-${macrium-version}/macrium-${macrium-version}-rescue-winpe-4.0-${arch}.iso || goto failed
goto start

:macrium-linux-sanboot
sanboot --no-describe ${sanboot-url}macrium-${macrium-version}/macrium-${macrium-version}-rescue-linux.iso || goto failed
goto start

:firefly
echo Booting Firefly ${firefly-version} for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url firefly-${firefly-version}/boot
# http://alexeremin.blogspot.no/2013/05/firefly-failsafe-image-for-illumos.html
# http://sourceforge.net/projects/fireflyfailsafe/files/
# Download ISO, unpack ISO and copy files to boot-url
# The ramdisk is compressed with gzip, which must be unpacked
# to work with iPXE
# mv firefly firefly.gz
# gunzip firefly.gz
kernel ${base-url}/platform/i86pc/kernel/amd64/unix
module ${base-url}/firefly
boot || goto failed
goto start

:freedos-direct
echo Booting FreeDOS 1.1 KERNEL.SYS for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url freedos-1.1/fd11src/FREEDOS/SETUP/ODIN
# TODO: Work-in-progress
kernel ${base-url}/KERNEL.SYS
boot || goto failed
goto start

###################### DIAGNOSTICS MENU #############################

:menu-diag
menu Diagnostic tools
item hdt           HDT ${hdt-version}
item memtest       Memtest86+ 4.20
item memtest-ipxe  Memtest86+ 4.20 (iPXE)
item breakin       Breakin 3.71
item dban          Darik's Boot and Nuke 2.2.7
item etdump        Bart's etdump 1.2
item wdcdiag       Western Digital Diagnostics 5.04f
item
item --key 0x08 back Back to top menu...
iseq ${menu-default} menu-diag && isset ${submenu-default} && goto menu-diag-timed ||
choose selected && goto ${selected} || goto start
:menu-diag-timed
choose --timeout ${submenu-timeout} --default ${submenu-default} selected && goto ${selected} || goto start

:hdt
# http://hdt-project.org/
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}hdt-${hdt-version}.img || goto failed
goto start

:memtest
# TODO: Fix the URI parser to make the + sign work
#chain memtest86+-4.20.elf.img - || goto failed
chain memtest86plus-4.20.elf.img - || goto failed
goto start

:memtest-ipxe
chain memtest.0 passes=1 && set memtest GOOD || set memtest BAD
set memtest_errno:uint8 ${errno}
iseq ${memtest} GOOD && goto memtest-info ||
iseq ${memtest_errno} 0x1 && set memtest BAD || set memtest UNKNOWN
:memtest-info
menu Your memory seems to be ${memtest}
item memtest-report   Report memtest result to web service
item --key 0x08 menu-diag Back to diagnostics menu...
choose --default menu-diag selected && goto ${selected} || goto start

:memtest-report
chain ${memtest-report-url}?result=${memtest}&mac=${mac}&uuid=${uuid}&hostname=${hostname} ||
goto menu-diag

:breakin
# Stress-testing and diagnostics utility
# http://www.advancedclustering.com/software/breakin.html
# Set sshpasswd=yourpassword for remote access
# Set startup= to 'cloner' or 'rescue' for more features
# When startup=cloner, server= and image= can also be set
# http://www.advancedclustering.com/software/cloner.html
kernel breakin-3.71/kernel-3.71
initrd breakin-3.71/initrd-3.71.cpio.lzma
imgargs kernel-3.71 startup=breakin
boot || goto failed
goto start

:dban
kernel dban-2.2.7/DBAN.BZI
imgargs DBAN.BZI nuke="dwipe --method gutmann --rounds 2 --verify last" silent vga=785
boot || goto failed
goto start

:etdump
# Booting it with memdisk makes it read/write, while sanboot forces read/only
#sanboot --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}freedos-etdump-floppy.img
initrd freedos-etdump-floppy.img
chain memdisk || goto failed
goto start

:wdcdiag
# Extracted the bootable floppy image from diag-5.04f.iso
sanboot --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}western-digital/diag-5.04f.img || goto failed
goto start

############################ INSTALLER MENU #########################

:menu-install
menu Installers for ${initiator-iqn}
item freedos-install      Install FreeDOS 1.1 to iSCSI
item msdos-install        Install MS-DOS 6.22 to iSCSI
item ubuntu-install       Install Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} to iSCSI
item windows7-install     Install Windows 7 to iSCSI
item vmware-x64-install   Install VMware ESXi 5.0 (x64) to iSCSI
item vmware-x86-install   Install VMware ESXi 3.5 (x86) to iSCSI
item winpe                Hook Windows 7 iSCSI and boot WinPE
item winpe-wimboot        Boot WinPE ${arch} using wimboot
item ubuntu-installer-remote Install Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} from public archive
item ubuntu-install-local Install Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} to local drive(s)
item xenclient-install   Install XenClient 2.1 to local drive
item windows7-hookonly   Hook Windows 7 iSCSI and boot local CD
item
item --key 0x08 back      Back to top menu...
iseq ${menu-default} menu-install && isset ${submenu-default} && goto menu-install-timed ||
choose selected && goto ${selected} || goto start
:menu-install-timed
choose --timeout ${submenu-timeout} --default ${submenu-default} selected && goto ${selected} || goto start

:freedos-install
echo Booting FreeDOS 1.1 installer to iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.freedos
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
sanboot --drive 0x81 ${sanboot-url}freedos-1.1/fd11src.iso || goto failed
goto start

:msdos-install
echo Booting MS-DOS 6.22 installer to iSCSI for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.msdos
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x00 ${sanboot-url}msdos-6.22/disk1.img || goto failed
goto start

:ubuntu-install
echo Starting Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} installer for ${initiator-iqn}
# Hook iSCSI drive
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.ubuntu
#sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
# Start ubuntu-installer. Remember that the iSCSI target must be writable
# by anyone, as debian-installer generates a randomized initiator-iqn in
# /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
# The preseed script used takes care of rewriting it to the
# hostname-based IQN used in this script.
# This kernel param which open-iscsi README.Debian mentions doesn't work
# inside debian-installer, unfortunately: iscsi_initiator=${initiator-iqn}
# Hard workaround available here:
# http://umfcloudpilot.eduserv.org.uk/entries/20299686-enable-pre-seed-or-kickstart-seeding-of-iscsi-intiator-iqn-in-ubuntu-server
set base-url ${boot-url}ubuntu-12.04-server-${archl}
kernel ${base-url}/install/netboot/ubuntu-installer/${archl}/linux
initrd ${base-url}/install/netboot/ubuntu-installer/${archl}/initrd.gz
imgargs linux auto=true fb=false url=${base-url}/./preseed.cfg DEBCONF_DEBUG=5 netcfg/get_hostname=${hostname} partman-iscsi/login/address=${iscsi-server} partman-iscsi/login/targets=${base-iqn}:${hostname}.boot.ubuntu partman-iscsi/login/username=${username} partman-iscsi/login/password=${password}
boot || goto failed
goto start

:ubuntu-install-local
echo Starting Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} local installer for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url ${boot-url}ubuntu-12.04-server-${archl}
kernel ${base-url}/install/netboot/ubuntu-installer/${archl}/linux
initrd ${base-url}/install/netboot/ubuntu-installer/${archl}/initrd.gz
imgargs linux auto=true fb=false url=${base-url}/./preseed.cfg
boot || goto failed
goto start

:windows7-install
echo Starting Windows 7 ${arch} installer for ${initiator-iqn}
# Force gateway to be the iSCSI target server (kludge for stupid window behavior)
set netX/gateway ${iscsi-server}
# Hook iSCSI drive
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.windows7
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
# Start Windows 7 installer DVD
#sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x81 ${sanboot-url}windows-7/ultimate-${arch}-en.iso || goto failed
# Better solution, according to Oliver Rath on the mailing-list
# Requires massive amounts of RAM, though
#initrd windows-7/ultimate-${arch}-en.iso
#chain memdisk iso raw || goto failed
# This method uses wimboot
set base-url windows-7/ultimate-${arch}-en
kernel wimboot
initrd ${base-url}/bootmgr                     bootmgr
initrd ${base-url}/boot/bcd                    BCD
initrd ${base-url}/boot/fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf    wgl4_boot.ttf
initrd ${base-url}/boot/boot.sdi               boot.sdi
initrd ${base-url}/sources/boot.wim            boot.wim
boot || goto failed
goto start

:vmware-x64-install
echo Booting VMware 64-bit installer for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.vmware
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
initrd vmware/vmware-esxi-5.0-x64.iso
chain memdisk iso || goto failed
goto start

:vmware-x86-install
echo Booting VMware 32-bit installer for ${initiator-iqn}
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.vmware
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
initrd vmware/vmware-esxi-3.5-x86.iso
chain memdisk iso || goto failed
goto start

:winpe
echo Booting Windows PE ${arch} installer for ${initiator-iqn}
echo (for installing Windows 7)
# Force gateway to be the iSCSI target server (kludge for stupid window behavior)
set netX/gateway ${iscsi-server}

set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.windows7
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed

# Remember to map the install volume with the following command:
# net use y: \\nas\wds /user:NAS\robin
# Use Y:\Operating Systems\Windows 7 x64\setup.exe to install

# Boots WinPE via native MS TFTP support
#chain tftp://${next-server}/%5CBoot%5CPXE%5Cpxeboot.n12
# Better solution, according to Oliver Rath on the mailing-list
# Requires decent amounts of RAM, though
# Details on how to generate winpe-x64.iso from you Windows 7 install DVD
# can be found here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722358%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
initrd windows-7/winpe-${arch}.iso
chain memdisk iso raw || goto failed
goto start

:winpe-wimboot
echo Booting Windows PE ${arch} installer for ${initiator-iqn}
#echo (for installing Windows 7)

# Force gateway to be the iSCSI target server (kludge for stupid window behavior)
set netX/gateway ${iscsi-server}

set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.windows7
sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed

# Remember to map the install volume with the following command:
# net use y: \\nas\wds /user:NAS\robin
# Use Y:\Operating Systems\Windows 7 x64\setup.exe to install

# Boots WinPE via iPXE wimboot binary
# BCD is from http://www.fensystems.co.uk/~mcb30/BCD
# wimboot prebuilt from http://www.fensystems.co.uk/~mcb30/wimboot
#         source at http://git.ipxe.org/wimboot.git
# bootmgr.exe from the same package that enables PXE booting for Windows
#             (most likely WDS tools)
set base-url winpe/${arch}
kernel wimboot
initrd ${base-url}/media/bootmgr                     bootmgr
initrd ${base-url}/media/Boot/BCD                    BCD
initrd ${base-url}/media/Boot/Fonts/segmono_boot.ttf segmono_boot.ttf
initrd ${base-url}/media/Boot/Fonts/segoe_slboot.ttf segoe_slboot.ttf
initrd ${base-url}/media/Boot/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf    wgl4_boot.ttf
initrd ${base-url}/media/Boot/boot.sdi               boot.sdi
initrd ${base-url}/media/sources/boot.wim            boot.wim
boot || goto failed
goto start

:ubuntu-installer-remote
echo Starting Ubuntu 12.04 ${archl} installer for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url http://no.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/precise/main/installer-${archl}/current/images/netboot/ubuntu-installer/${archl}
kernel ${base-url}/linux
initrd ${base-url}/initrd.gz
#imgargs linux auto=true url=http://yourserver/some/path/preseed.cfg
boot || goto failed
goto start

:xenclient-install
echo Booting XenClient 2.1 installer for ${initiator-iqn}
# XenClient doesn't seem to support installing to iSCSI volumes
# It only supports installing using iBFT
#set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.xenclient
#sanhook ${root-path} || goto failed
# The xenclient-2.1 folder is just the unpacked contents of the installer ISO
# Make sure you modify the isolinux.cfg and point it at your answer file URL
# You can find an example of the answer file in the "Setup and Usage Guide"
set 210:string ${boot-url}xenclient-2.1/isolinux/
set 209:string isolinux.cfg
set filename ${210:string}pxelinux.0
chain ${filename} || goto failed
goto start

:windows7-hookonly
echo Hooking Windows 7 iSCSI volume for ${initiator-iqn}
# Force gateway to be the iSCSI target server (kludge for stupid window behavior)
set netX/gateway ${iscsi-server}
# Hook iSCSI drive
set root-path ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.windows7
sanhook --drive 0x81 ${root-path} || goto failed
echo Start Windows 7 installer DVD from local drive
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x80 ${sanboot-url}windows-7/ultimate-${arch}-en.iso || goto failed
goto start

###################### LIVE ENVIRONMENT MENU ########################

:menu-live
menu Live environments for ${initiator-iqn}
item openelec-generic-live     Boot OpenELEC Generic ${openelec-version} ${archl}
item ubuntu-live-1204          Boot Ubuntu LiveCD 12.04 ${archl}
item slitaz-live               Boot SliTaz 4.0 LiveCD
item smartos                   Boot SmartOS
item smartos-pre-ept           Boot SmartOS (pre-ept)
item kms-test                  Boot KMS test kernel
item tinycore-live-core        Boot TinyCoreLinux ${tc-version} Core
item tinycore-live-tinycore    Boot TinyCoreLinux ${tc-version} TinyCore
item tinycore-live-coreplus    Boot TinyCoreLinux ${tc-version} CorePlus
item coreos                    Boot CoreOS ${coreos-version}
item
item --key 0x08 back      Back to top menu...
iseq ${menu-default} menu-live && isset ${submenu-default} && goto menu-live-timed ||
choose selected && goto ${selected} || goto start
:menu-live-timed
choose --timeout ${submenu-timeout} --default ${submenu-default} selected && goto ${selected} || goto start

:openelec-generic-live
echo Booting OpenELEC Generic ${openelec-version} for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url openelec-generic-${archl}-${openelec-version}
kernel ${base-url}/target/KERNEL
initrd ${base-url}/target/SYSTEM
# Config from: http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php?title=Network_Boot_-_NFS
# and http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php?title=Installation#Network_Boot_.28PXE.29
# NFS/NBD/iSCSI boot support only works on version >= 2 of OpenELEC
# The NFS server must be specified as an IP, name resolution doesn't work :(
imgargs KERNEL ip=dhcp boot=NFS=${nfs-server}:${nfs-root}${base-url}/target disk=NFS=${openelec-storage-dir} overlay
boot || goto failed
goto start

:ubuntu-live-1204
# See http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/precise/man7/casper.7.html for casper cmdline details
echo Booting Ubuntu Live 12.04 ${archl} for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url ubuntu-12.04-dvd-${archl}
kernel ${base-url}/casper/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/casper/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=${nfs-server}:${nfs-root}${base-url} locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=no mirror/country=NO
shell
boot || goto failed
goto start

:slitaz-live
echo Booting SliTaz 4.0 LiveCD for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url slitaz-4.0/
kernel ${base-url}/boot/bzImage
initrd ${base-url}/boot/rootfs4.gz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/rootfs3.gz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/rootfs2.gz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/rootfs1.gz
imgargs bzImage rw root=/dev/null vga=normal autologin lang=en_US kmap=no-latin1
boot || goto failed
goto start

:smartos
echo Booting SmartOS for ${initiator-iqn}
# Hook iSCSI root volume (optional, not yet working)
sanhook ${base-iscsi}:${hostname}.boot.smartos ||
set base-url smartos
# See http://nahamu.github.com/2011/08/17/smartos-pxe.html for details
# See http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/Getting+Started+with+SmartOS
# http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/PXE+Booting+SmartOS
# http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/SmartOS+Command+Line+Tips#SmartOSCommandLineTips-FiguringoutwheretoconfigureadditionalNetworkinterfacesorVLANs
# http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/extra+configuration+options
# http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/Managing+NICs
kernel ${base-url}/platform/i86pc/kernel/amd64/unix
initrd ${base-url}/platform/i86pc/amd64/boot_archive
# This doesn't work, but I would very much like it to
#initrd ${base-url}/config/${hostname}.txt /usbkey/config
# smartos=true to run smartos "installer" (and disable noimport=true)
# You can also run it manually, it's at /smartdc/bin/smartos_prompt_config.sh
# keyboard-layout=norway doesn't work anymore (it used to)
#imgargs unix -v -B console=text,standalone=true,noimport=true,keyboard-layout=norway,hostname=${hostname},root_shadow='${root-shadow}'
imgargs unix -B console=text,standalone=true,hostname=${hostname},admin_nic=${mac},admin_ip=dhcp,admin_gateway=dhcp,external_nic=${mac},external_ip=dhcp,external_gateway=dhcp,dns_resolvers=${dns},dns_domain=${domain},ntp_hosts=pool.ntp.org,root_shadow='${root-shadow}'
boot || goto failed
goto start

:smartos-pre-ept
echo Starting SmartOS (pre-ept branch) for ${initiator-iqn}
# pre-ept image downloaded from http://alpha.sysmgr.org/smartos-20120223-jmc2.iso
# Posted by LeftWing on #illumos / FreeNode at 2012-04-11 09:09 UTC+2
set base-url smartos/pre-ept
kernel ${base-url}/platform/i86pc/kernel/amd64/unix
module ${base-url}/platform/i86pc/amd64/boot_archive
imgargs unix -v -B console=text,standalone=true,noimport=true,root_shadow='${root-shadow}'
boot || goto failed
goto start

:kms-test
echo Booting KMS-enabled Linux kernel for ${initiator-iqn}
set base-url kms_test
kernel ${base-url}/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/initrd ||
imgargs vmlinuz rw root=/dev/nfs nfsroot=${nfs-server}:/raid/kms_test ip=dhcp ||
boot || goto failed
goto start

# TinyCore is work-in-progress
# Current problems is that tce=/mnt/nfs/cde works, but dir is not writable by tc user,
# keymap is not loaded, and it seems like there is something I'm not understanding properly
# about the TC boot process
# More to read on http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/concepts.html
# and http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:netbooting
:tinycore-live-core
echo Booting TinyCoreLinux Live Core ${tc-version} for ${inititator-iqn}
set base-url tinycore/Core-${tc-version}/
kernel ${base-url}/boot/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/core.gz
imgargs vmlinuz loglevel=3
boot || goto failed
goto start

:tinycore-live-tinycore
echo Booting TinyCoreLinux Live TinyCore ${tc-version} for ${inititator-iqn}
set base-url tinycore/TinyCore-${tc-version}
kernel ${base-url}/boot/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/core.gz
imgargs vmlinuz nfsmount=${nfs-server}:${nfs-root}${base-url} host=${hostname} lang=us kmap=nb loglevel=3 syslog  tce=/mnt/nfs/cde
boot || goto failed
goto start

:tinycore-live-coreplus
echo Booting TinyCoreLinux Live CorePlus ${tc-version} for ${inititator-iqn}
set base-url tinycore/CorePlus-${tc-version}
kernel ${base-url}/boot/vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/boot/core.gz
imgargs vmlinuz nfsmount=${nfs-server}:${nfs-root}${base-url} host=${hostname} lang=us kmap=nb loglevel=3 syslog  tce=/mnt/nfs/cde showapps desktop=flwm_topside
boot || goto failed
goto start

:coreos
echo Booting CoresOS ${coreos-version} for ${inititator-iqn}
#set base-url ${boot-url}/coreos/CorePlus-${tc-version}
set base-url http://storage.core-os.net/coreos/${archl}-generic/${coreos-version}
kernel ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe.vmlinuz
initrd ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe_image.cpio.gz
imgargs coreos_production_pxe.vmlinuz root=squashfs: state=tmpfs: sshkey="${coreos-sshkey}"
boot || goto failed
goto start

preseed.cfg

# Disable framebuffer, it's usually slower, especially on VMs
d-i debian-installer/framebuffer boolean false

# Locale, language and country
d-i debconf/language string en_US:en
d-i debian-installer/country string NO
d-i debian-installer/language string en_US:en
d-i debian-installer/locale string en_US.UTF-8
d-i localechooser/preferred-locale string en_US.UTF-8
d-i localechooser/supported-locales en_US.UTF-8, nb_NO.UTF-8

# Keyboard selection
d-i keyboard-configuration/layoutcode string no
d-i keyboard-configuration/variantcode string 

# Controls whether or not the hardware clock is set to UTC
d-i clock-setup/utc boolean true
# You may set this to any valid setting for $TZ; see the contents of
# /usr/share/zoneinfo/ for valid values
d-i time/zone string Europe/Oslo
# Controls whether to use NTP to set the clock during the install
d-i clock-setup/ntp boolean true

# Skip creation of a root account (normal user account will be able to
# use sudo). The default is false; preseed this to true if you want to set
# a root password.
d-i passwd/root-login boolean true
# Root password, either in clear text
#d-i passwd/root-password password r00tme
#d-i passwd/root-password-again password r00tme
# or encrypted using an MD5 hash.
d-i passwd/root-password-crypted password $1$92PDztZI$asdkfljhasdf2UR8il9Lz0
# To create a normal user account.
d-i passwd/user-fullname string Robin Smidsrød
d-i passwd/username string robin
# Normal user's password, either in clear text
#d-i passwd/user-password password insecure
#d-i passwd/user-password-again password insecure
# or encrypted using an MD5 hash.
d-i passwd/user-password-crypted password $1$92PDztZI$OnXkjhasdfuweu2UR8il9Lz0
# Do not encrypt home directory
d-i user-setup/encrypt-home boolean false

# If you select ftp, the mirror/country string does not need to be set
# Location: http://boot.smidsrod.lan/ubuntu-12.04-server-amd64/
d-i mirror/protocol string http
d-i mirror/country string manual
d-i mirror/http/hostname string boot.smidsrod.lan
d-i mirror/http/directory string /ubuntu-12.04-server-amd64
d-i mirror/http/proxy string
# Suite to install
d-i mirror/suite string precise
# Suite to use for loading installer components (optional)
d-i mirror/udeb/suite string precise
# Components to use for loading installer components (optional)
d-i mirror/udeb/components multiselect main, restricted

# The kernel image (meta) package to be installed; "none" can be used if no
# kernel is to be installed.
d-i base-installer/kernel/image string linux-generic

# Disk setup (partman)
# Suppress question if it is okay to not have swap
# We don't use disk for swap on iSCSI, we have enough memory
d-i partman-basicfilesystems/no_swap boolean false

# Package selection
tasksel tasksel/first multiselect openssh-server
# Individual additional packages to install
d-i pkgsel/include string build-essential ntp
# Whether to upgrade packages after debootstrap.
# Allowed values: none, safe-upgrade, full-upgrade
d-i pkgsel/upgrade string full-upgrade
# Policy for applying updates. May be "none" (no automatic updates),
# "unattended-upgrades" (install security updates automatically), or
# "landscape" (manage system with Landscape).
d-i pkgsel/update-policy string unattended-upgrades
# Install language packs for apps
d-i pkgsel/install-language-support boolean true
# By default, the system's locate database will be updated after the
# installer has finished installing most packages. This may take a while, so
# if you don't want it, you can set this to "false" to turn it off.
d-i pkgsel/updatedb boolean true

# Some versions of the installer can report back on what software you have
# installed, and what software you use. The default is not to report back,
# but sending reports helps the project determine what software is most
# popular and include it on CDs.
popularity-contest popularity-contest/participate boolean true

# This is fairly safe to set, it makes grub install automatically to the MBR
# if no other operating system is detected on the machine.
d-i grub-installer/only_debian boolean true
# This one makes grub-installer NOT install to the MBR if it also finds some other
# OS, which is less safe as it might not be able to boot that other OS.
d-i grub-installer/with_other_os boolean false

# This will prevent the installer from ejecting the CD during the reboot,
# which is useful in some situations.
d-i cdrom-detect/eject boolean false

# This command is run just before the install finishes, but when there is
# still a usable /target directory. You can chroot to /target and use it
# directly, or use the apt-install and in-target commands to easily install
# packages and run commands in the target system.

# Fix broken resolvconf setup
# Change apt to use public mirror and refresh apt database
# Set proper initator IQN and remove quiet flag in grub
# Update grub
d-i preseed/late_command string \
 in-target mv /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/original /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail; \
 in-target sed -i -e 's/http:\/\/boot.smidsrod.lan\/ubuntu-12.04-server-amd64/http:\/\/no.archive.ubuntu.com\/ubuntu/' /etc/apt/sources.list; \
 in-target apt-get -qq update; \
 apt-install joe; \
 in-target sed -i -e 's/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=\"quiet\"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=\"\"/' /etc/default/grub; \
 in-target sed -i -e 's/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=\"\"/GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=\"iscsi_initiator=iqn.2011-02.lan.smidsrod:$(hostname)\"/' /etc/default/grub; \
 in-target update-grub;

FYI, technically when it comes to CoreOS you can cheat like we do in some of our lab iPXE menus. It's pretty simple to swap out the matchbox URLs for a simple dumb http endpoint to serve ignition or cloud-configs. Some folks (if they're no storing secrets in them) just use Github Gists. By using the alpha, beta, and stable URLS combined with the path /current you know you're always booting from the latest released version.

:coreos-stable
echo Booting CoreOS Stable
set base-url http://stable.release.core-os.net/amd64-usr/current
kernel ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe.vmlinuz coreos.autologin console=ttyS1,115200n8 cloud-config-url=http://matchbox/cloud coreos.autologin console=tty0
initrd ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe_image.cpio.gz
boot || goto failed
goto start

:coreos-beta
echo Booting CoreOS Beta
set base-url http://beta.release.core-os.net/amd64-usr/current
kernel ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe.vmlinuz coreos.autologin console=ttyS1,115200n8 cloud-config-url=http://matchbox/cloud coreos.autologin console=tty0
initrd ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe_image.cpio.gz
boot || goto failed
goto start

:coreos-alpha
echo Booting CoreOS Alpha
set base-url http://alpha.release.core-os.net/amd64-usr/current
kernel ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe.vmlinuz coreos.autologin console=ttyS1,115200n8 cloud-config-url=http://matchbox/cloud coreos.autologin console=tty0
initrd ${base-url}/coreos_production_pxe_image.cpio.gz
boot || goto failed
goto start

Hello, I think I need some help on how to install FreeDOS...
I know that if I use memdisk or sanboot, the FreeDOS iso cannot be connected after booting up. So how can I continue with the setup...

Awesomely complete example. Thanks !

Thank you for this! Old to pxelinux menu, but new to iPXE because of EFI requirements.

Another way to use ipxe boot ubuntu live iso.

:ubuntu-live
# See http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/precise/man7/casper.7.html for casper cmdline details
echo Booting Ubuntu Live for education
kernel http://192.168.14.193/linux/ubuntu/casper/vmlinuz
initrd http://192.168.14.193/linux/ubuntu/casper/initrd
imgargs vmlinuz root=/dev/ram0 ip=dhcp url=http://192.168.14.193/linux/hirsute-desktop-amd64.iso
shell
boot || goto failed
goto start

What is the shortest way to chainload this menu from another ipxe/gpxe (for example from qemu's internal pxe)?
chain http://boot.salstar.sk
No need to specify filename, ipxe/gpxe user-agent is autodetected and proper content will be sent.
http://boot.salstar.sk/

http://git.salstar.sk/pxeboot.git

What is the shortest way to chainload this menu from another ipxe/gpxe (for example from qemu's internal pxe)?
chain http://boot.salstar.sk

Yes, using chain to load another iPXE script file is the correct approach.

New to iPXE but was told perhaps I can configure raid0 w/ swap partition to my spec instead of using a providers default. Is it possible to do this with iPXE?

@jessenia Your question lacks detail which is needed for me to understand what you're actually asking about. iPXE has nothing to do with storage, so the question of raid0 doesn't make sense. I'm assuming you're trying to install an operating system, but there's quite a lot of them on my example above. I would suggest you look at the documentation for the OS in question and figure out how to define both storage configuration and swap configuration in it's provisioning file (e.g. preseed used in Ubuntu).

Is there a way to detect the CPU architecture of the host you want to PXE boot? I have a few ARM based systems and if possible I’d like to collapse the selections down so I just need to select the OS to boot and not have to know what the CPU type is.

Is there a way to detect the CPU architecture of the host you want to PXE boot? I have a few ARM based systems and if possible I’d like to collapse the selections down so I just need to select the OS to boot and not have to know what the CPU type is.

Yes, you have the build platform as a setting, check the config menu (use the config command) to see everything that is available and its value.