Network Boot Server

This is a How To memo project that describes setup and configuration of a Gentoo server to be able to boot workstations inside your LAN.

The project contains some automation apps to setup a new workstation from a template (auto OS installation). Just plug-in a new workstation in your LAN, in few minutes it ready to use.

Used software

Apache - Web server for serve static files and execute CGI scripts
DHCP Server - Providers auto configuration your network (lease IP addresses)
Linux SCSI target framework (tgt) - Provides SAN-boot (boot Windows)
NFS Server - Provides network filesystem (NFS root, diskless Linux workstation)
TFTP Server - Providers ability to load kernel and initramfs via network for PXE. See Wikipedia for protocol details.

How to use

Setup

Prepare hardware. You may use any old PC with two network cards.
Setup Gentoo OS (this manual is tested on x86)

Setup network interface names:

wan - For internet connection
lan - For internal network (workstation's network)

# /etc/udev/rules.d/70-net-name-use-custom.rules - Renaming example via udev
#
# Change xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx for your MAC addresses
#

SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ATTR{address}=="xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx", NAME="wan"

SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ATTR{address}=="xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx", NAME="lan"

Setup IP configuration

wan - Your own choose like a DHCP Client, static IP, etc.
lan - Predefined IP/Network 192.168.254.254/24 (this IP is used inside all configuration files and CGI scripts)

# c - example for net-misc/netifrc

dns_domain_lo="localdomain"

dns_servers_wan="8.8.8.8"
config_wan="dhcp"

config_lan="192.168.254.254 netmask 255.255.255.0"

cd /etc/init.d/
ln -s net.lo net.lan
ln -s net.lo net.wan
rc-update add net.lan boot
rc-update add net.lo boot
rc-update add net.wan boot

Setup hostname

# /etc/conf.d/hostname
hostname="bootsrv"

# /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1    bootsrv localhost
::1          bootsrv localhost

IP Tables

Set SAVE_ON_STOP="no" in /etc/conf.d/iptables

Make rules config

# /var/lib/iptables/rules-save

*nat
:PREROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
:INPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
:OUTPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
:POSTROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
[0:0] -A POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE
COMMIT

*mangle
:PREROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
:INPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
:FORWARD ACCEPT [0:0]
:OUTPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
:POSTROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
COMMIT

*filter
:INPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
:FORWARD ACCEPT [0:0]
:OUTPUT ACCEPT [0:0]
COMMIT

rc-update add iptables boot

Router options

Set inside /etc/sysctl.conf
```
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
```
Reboot to apply IP configuration

Clone this repo into /opt/bootsrv

cd /opt && git clone https://github.com/theanurin/bootsrv.git

Configure DHCP Server for lan interface. DHCP Server provides autoconfiguration for your workstation's network along with BOOTP

# /etc/conf.d/dhcpd
# net-misc/dhcp-4.4.1::gentoo

DHCPD_CONF=/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf
DHCPD_IFACE="lan"
DHCPD_OPTS="-4"

# /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf
#

default-lease-time 3600;
max-lease-time 7200;
log-facility local5;
ddns-update-style none;
authoritative;

subnet 192.168.254.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
	range 192.168.254.150 192.168.254.199;
	next-server 192.168.254.254;
	filename "ipxe/miner.undionly.kpxe";
	option routers 192.168.254.254;
	option broadcast-address 192.168.254.255;
	option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
	option domain-name-servers 192.168.254.254;
}


host 192.168.254.101.rig01 {
	hardware ethernet 70:85:c2:22:4d:fd;
	fixed-address 192.168.254.101;
}

host 192.168.254.102.rig02 {
	hardware ethernet 70:85:c2:25:0e:b4;
	fixed-address 192.168.254.102;
	filename "ipxe/rig02.undionly.kpxe";
}

host 192.168.254.034.PolinaPC {
	hardware ethernet 20:cf:30:8a:d3:7b;
	fixed-address 192.168.254.34;
	filename "pxelinux/pxelinux.0";
}

/etc/init.d/dhcpd start
rc-update add dhcpd default

Configure TFTP Server for lan interface. Workstations start booting by download some files from the TFTP Server

# /etc/conf.d/in.tftpd
# net-ftp/tftp-hpa-5.2-r1::gentoo

INTFTPD_PATH="/srv/tftp/"
INTFTPD_OPTS="--ipv4 --address 192.168.254.254 --port-range 4096:32767 --secure ${INTFTPD_PATH}"

/etc/init.d/in.tftpd start
rc-update add in.tftpd default

Configure NFS Server for lan interface. This allows to boot NFS-root basedd workstations

# /etc/conf.d/rpcbind

RPCBIND_OPTS="-h 192.168.254.254"

/etc/init.d/nfs start
rc-update add nfs default

# /etc/exports

/srv/nfs/home/check 192.168.254.0/24(insecure,sync,rw,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,no_all_squash)
/srv/nfs/home/miner 192.168.254.0/24(insecure,sync,rw,no_root_squash,no_subtree_check,no_all_squash)
/srv/nfs/opt        192.168.254.0/24(insecure,sync,ro,no_root_squash,subtree_check,no_all_squash)

exportfs -ra

Configure Apache2
```
rc-update add apache2 default
```