Setting up PXE Installation with Ventoy on a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2
PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) is a standard for network booting computers. It allows you to boot an operating system from a network server, rather than from a local hard drive. This can be useful for installing an operating system on multiple machines at once, or for creating a disaster recovery environment.
What is Ventoy?
Ventoy is an open-source tool that allows you to create a bootable USB drive with multiple operating systems on it. It is a great alternative to other bootable USB tools, such as Rufus, because it allows you to add or remove operating systems from the USB drive without having to reformat the entire drive. This makes it a great choice for a PXE server, as it allows you to easily add or remove operating systems from your PXE menu.
Setting up the PXE Server with Ventoy
To set up a PXE server with Ventoy, you will need the following:
- A USB drive with at least 16GB of storage
- The Ventoy software (available for Windows, Linux, and macOS)
- A network-connected device that supports PXE booting (such as a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2)
The first step is to install Ventoy on the USB drive. To do this, simply download the Ventoy software from the official website and run it. Follow the prompts to install Ventoy on the USB drive. Once the installation is complete, you can add operating systems to the USB drive by simply copying the ISO files to the USB drive. Ventoy will automatically detect the ISO files and add them to the boot menu.
Next, you will need to set up the PXE server. This can be done by configuring the DHCP server on your network to point to the IP address of the USB drive. The exact steps for doing this will depend on your DHCP server, but generally, you will need to add a new option to the DHCP server configuration file that specifies the IP address of the USB drive as the PXE server. Once this is done, any device on the network that supports PXE booting will be able to boot from the USB drive and install the operating systems that you have added to it.
Testing the PXE Server
To test the PXE server, simply boot a device that supports PXE booting (such as a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix 2) from the network. The device should automatically detect the PXE server and display the boot menu. From here, you can select the operating system that you want to install and follow the prompts to complete the installation process.
Setting up a PXE server with Ventoy is a great way to install operating systems on multiple devices at once, or to create a disaster recovery environment. It is a simple and easy-to-use solution that can save you time and effort when deploying new devices or recovering from a system failure. With Ventoy, you can easily add or remove operating systems from the PXE menu, making it a flexible and convenient choice for a PXE server.
References
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