Configure PXE Boot

When PXE boot order is set on a node in Omnia, the node automatically retrieves and boots into the diskless image provided by the Omnia Infrastructure Manager (OIM). To configure PXE boot for nodes after they are provisioned with the Provision.yml playbook, do the following:

Warning

This playbook will restart your servers and power them on if they are off. Any unsaved data will be lost.

Prerequisites

  1. Dell iDRAC BMCs must be reachable from the Omnia Infrastructure Manager (OIM).

  2. PXE boot order must be set/enabled in the BIOS/UEFI settings of the target nodes.

  3. PXE support must be enabled in the NIC firmware.

  4. iDRAC firmware must support the Boot Source Override API (iDRAC9 and later).

  5. The OIM server providing the PXE boot image must be reachable by the target nodes.

Inventory Setup

Generate the inventory file based on the mapping file.

Note

The inventory must contain a bmc group with at least one BMC IP address.

For the sample map and inventory files, see Sample Files.

Example inventory:

[bmc]
172.17.107.43
172.17.107.44
172.17.107.43

Running the Playbook

The set_pxe_boot.yml playbook supports two execution modes:

Mode 1: With Inventory File

Run the playbook with an inventory file to configure PXE boot for specific nodes:

ssh omnia_core
cd /omnia/utils
ansible-playbook set_pxe_boot.yml -i inventory

Mode 2: Without Inventory File

Run the playbook without an inventory file to configure PXE boot for all nodes in the mapping file:

ssh omnia_core
cd /omnia/utils
ansible-playbook set_pxe_boot.yml

If you have any feedback about Omnia documentation, please reach out at omnia.readme@dell.com.