This document will introduce how to setup a centos PXE boot environment on ubuntu 18.04 for install centos8 to your ARM64 machine.
In this document, it uses CentOS 8 version is 8.1.1911, it might also work on later version if you change file name accordingly .
all command in this document we assume you already run with root permission.
Hardware topology
[ARM64 CLIENT] <——-> [Server] <——-> Internet
SERVER ethernet ip is 10.0.0.1 , another interface connect to internet.
Install necessary packages
Install TFTP, HTTP and DHCPD Server and rpm2cpio
$ apt install tftpd-hpa apache2 isc-dhcp-server rpm2cpio
Modify dhcpd server configuration
$ vim /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf
following is example configuration,it can be changed to fit your environment
authoritative;
default-lease-time 259200;
max-lease-time 518400;
option routers 10.0.0.1;
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
option domain-name-servers 168.95.1.1,8.8.8.8;
ddns-update-style interim;
ignore client-updates;
allow booting;
allow bootp;
allow unknown-clients;
server-name pxis;
subnet 10.0.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 10.0.0.100 10.0.0.200;
option ip-forwarding off;
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
next-server 10.0.0.1;
filename "shim.efi";
}
Modify tftpd setting
$ vim /etc/default/tftpd-hpa
Add –create to TFTP_OPTIONS and change tftp directory to /tftpboot
following is example configuration file
TFTP_USERNAME="tftp"
TFTP_DIRECTORY="/tftpboot"
TFTP_ADDRESS=":69"
TFTP_OPTIONS="--secure --create"
Restart Service
$ mkdir /tftpboot
$ /etc/init.d/tftpd-hpa restart
$ /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
$ /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-server restart
Get ARM64 pxeboot file
some times the shim and grub2-efi would be erase, just visit mirror.centos.org and find new one than download it.
$ cd /tftpboot
$ wget http://mirror.centos.org/centos/8-stream/BaseOS/aarch64/os/Packages/shim-aa64-15-15.el8_2.aarch64.rpm
$ wget http://mirror.centos.org/centos/8-stream/BaseOS/aarch64/os/Packages/grub2-efi-aa64-2.02-106.el8.aarch64.rpm
$ rpm2cpio shim-aa64-15-15.el8_2.aarch64.rpm | cpio -dimv
$ rpm2cpio grub2-efi-aa64-2.02-106.el8.aarch64.rpm | cpio -dimv
$ cp ./boot/efi/EFI/centos/shim.efi .
$ cp ./boot/efi/EFI/centos/grubaa64.efi .
$ chmod +rx *.efi
Configure grub.conf
$ vim /tftpboot/grub.cfg
Following is grub.conf example
set timeout=60
menuentry 'CentOS' {
linux images/pxeboot/vmlinuz ip=dhcp inst.repo=http://10.0.0.1/centos8/
initrd images/pxeboot/initrd.img
}
If your system support secure boot and you want to do it, please replace linux with linuxefi and replace initrd with initrdefi.
Get CentOS 8 stream image and copy it to web server
$ cd /var/www/html
$ wget http://ftp.twaren.net/Linux/CentOS/8-stream/isos/x86_64/CentOS-Stream-8-x86_64-20220215-dvd1.iso
$ mkdir disk
$ mount -o loop CentOS-Stream-8-x86_64-20220215-dvd1.iso disk
$ cp -a disk centos8
$ umount disk
$ rmdir disk
# copy boot file into tftp directory
$ cd /tftpboot
$ cp /var/www/html/centos8/images/ . -a
After copy all file into http file directory, it can visit via browser on server with URL http://10.0.0.1/centos8/ to check whether file exist or not.
NAT
Server should support NAT function to forward packet.
assume interface connect to internet is wls3
Following is a sample command to enable Linux NAT function which can make client to access internet or intranet .
$ echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward ==> enable it immediately
$ iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o wls3 -j MASQUERADE
Now, you can choose pxeboot on your ARM64 machine. if everything successful, you can see CentOS on your console if everything is ok .
Debug
Wireshark is your good friend, use it.
Ubuntu PXE Environment
It can download Ubuntu Netboot images from this url.
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/netboot/
Choice what you want, for example, url below is Ubuntu 18.04 for ARM64 image
http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/dists/bionic-updates/main/installer-arm64/current/images/netboot/
Download netboot image to tftp directory, I prefer to put different version to different directory.
$ cd /tftpboot
$ wget http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/dists/bionic-updates/main/installer-arm64/current/images/netboot/netboot.tar.gz
$ mkdir ubuntu1804
$ cd ubuntu1804
$ tar xvf ../netboot.tar.gzModify grub.cfg and add Ubuntu option to grub.cfg, save it, now, this server can also provide ubuntu net install
set timeout=60
menuentry 'CentOS8 Install' {
linux images/pxeboot/vmlinuz ip=dhcp inst.repo=http://10.0.0.1/centos8/
initrd images/pxeboot/initrd.img
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu18.04 Install' {
linux ubuntu1804/ubuntu-installer/arm64/linux ip=dhcp
initrd ubuntu1804/ubuntu-installer/arm64/initrd.gz
}
Ubuntu ISO environment
It can download iso file and use the iso file as install media.
in Linux, download Ubuntu 20.04 ARM64 iso file
$ wget https://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/20.04/release/ubuntu-20.04.3-live-server-arm64.iso $ mount -o loop ubuntu-20.04.3-live-server-arm64.iso disk $ mkdir ubuntu2004 $ cp disk/casper ubuntu2004/ -a $ umount disk
Modify grub.cfg as below (not test)
set timeout=60
menuentry 'CentOS8 Install' {
linux images/pxeboot/vmlinuz ip=dhcp inst.repo=http://10.0.0.1/centos8/
initrd images/pxeboot/initrd.img
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu20.04 Install' {
linux ubuntu2004/casper/vmlinuz ip=dhcp
initrd ubuntu2004/casper/initrd
}
It also can use HWE kernel
menuentry 'Ubuntu20.04 Install' {
linux ubuntu2004/casper/hwe-vmlinux ip=dhcp
initrd ubuntu2004/casper/hwe-initrd
}
Note for GRUB Install Command
CentOS
svr=10.0.0.1; root=boot/centos8/images/pxeboot linux (http,$svr)/$root/vmlinuz inst.stage2=http://$svr/boot/centos8 text initrd (http,$svr)/$root/initrd.img
Ubuntu
svr=192.168.110.254; root=boot/ubuntu2004/casper iso=ubuntu-20.04.3-live-server-arm64.iso linux (http,$svr)/$root/vmlinuz url=http://192.168.110.254/boot/$iso only-ubiquity ip=dhcp --- initrd (http,$svr)/$root/initrd linux (http,$svr)/$root/hwe-vmlinuz url=http://192.168.110.254/boot/$iso only-ubiquity ip=dhcp --- initrd (http,$svr)/$root/hwe-initrd
Fedora 36
Fedora’s setting is more closed to CentOS, due to CentOS might be dropped recently, so, moved to Fedora environment is necessary.
Get initrd/vmlinux image
Other parts like CentOS,
Download the PXE initrd and vmlinuz image, free.nchc.org.tw is Taiwan local Fedora server, you can replace it with local server.
mkdir -p /tftpboot/f36 cd /tftpboot/f36 wget http://free.nchc.org.tw/fedora/linux/releases/36/Server/aarch64/os/images/pxeboot/initrd.img wget http://free.nchc.org.tw/fedora/linux/releases/36/Server/aarch64/os/images/pxeboot/vmlinuz cd /var/www/html wget http://free.nchc.org.tw/fedora/linux/releases/36/Server/aarch64/iso/Fedora-Server-dvd-aarch64-36-1.5.iso mkdir disk mount -o loop Fedora-Server-dvd-aarch64-36-1.5.iso disk cp -a disk f36 umount disk
Grub Fedora Setting
Add following grub entry text into /tftpboot/grub.cfg, thus, it can insert a “Fedora36” menu on pxe boot.
menuentry 'Fedora36' {
linux f36/vmlinuz ip=dhcp inst.repo=http://10.0.0.1/f36/
initrd f36/initrd.img
}
Ref.
https://docs.centos.org/en-US/centos/install-guide/pxe-server/#sect-network-boot-setup-uefi
https://docs.centos.org/en-US/8-docs/advanced-install/assembly_preparing-for-a-network-install/
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/501075-error-cannot-find-commands-linuxefi-or-initrdefi
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