Specifications

ReadyBoard 800 Reference Manual 89
Appendix B LAN Boot Feature
This Appendix describes the LAN Boot feature provided by the ReadyBoard 800. The balance of
this appendix briefly describes how to set up LAN Boot using the PXE boot agent BIOS settings.
The LAN Boot feature is not enabled or disabled in the ReadyBoard 800 BIOS Setup Utility, but its
boot order can be changed.
Introduction
LAN Boot is supported by a single Ethernet port on the ReadyBoard 800, and is based on the Preboot
Execution Environment (PXE), an open industry standard. PXE (pronounced pixie) was designed by
Intel, along with other hardware and software vendors, as part of the Wired for Management (WfM)
specification to improve management of desktop systems. This technology can also be applied to the
embedded system market place. PXE turns the ReadyBoard 800 Ethernet ports into boot device
when connected over a network (LAN).
PXE boots the ReadyBoard 800 from the network (LAN) by transferring a boot image file from a
server. This image file is typically the operating system for the ReadyBoard 800, or a pre-OS agent
that can perform management tasks prior to loading the image file (OS). A management task could
include scanning the hard drive for viruses before loading the image file.
PXE is not operating system-specific, so the image file can load any OS. The most common
application of PXE (LAN Boot) is installing an OS on a brand new device (hard disk drive) that has
no operating system, (or reinstalling it when the operating system has failed or critical files have been
corrupted).
Using PXE prevents the user from having to manually install all of the required software on the
storage media device, (typically a hard disk drive) including the OS, which might include a stack of
installation CD-ROMs. Installing from the network is as simple as connecting the ReadyBoard 800
to the network and powering it on. The server can be set up to detect new devices and install
software automatically, thereby greatly simplifying the management of small to large numbers of
systems attached to a network.
If the hard disk drive should crash, the network can be set up to do a hardware diagnostic check, and
once a software-related problem is detected, the server can re-install the defective software, or all the
ReadyBoard 800 software from the server. Booting from the network also helps ensure a clean boot,
with no boot-time viruses or user-modified files. The boot files are stored on the PXE server,
protected from infection and user-modification.
To effectively make use of the Ampro supplied feature (LAN Boot), a PXE boot agent (included with
ReadyBoard 800 BIOS) and a PXE server are required. The PXE server is designed to work in
conjunction with a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server and also requires a TFTP
(Trivial File Transfer Protocol) server installed on the same system. The PXE server can be shared
with a DHCP server or installed on a different server and may require additional PXE server
components. This makes it possible to add PXE to an existing network without affecting the existing
DHCP server or its configuration. Refer to the LAN Boot directory on the ReadyBoard 800 Doc &
SW CD-ROM and the web sites listed here for more information on PXE boot agents, PXE servers,
and PXE components. For a more detailed technical description of how PXE works, go to,
http://www.pxe.ca. For more detailed information concerning pre-OS agents, go to: http://www.pre-
OS.com.
Ampro has provided an Intel® PXE boot agent integrated into the ReadyBoard 800 BIOS, but does
not provide the PXE server or its components. You will need to provide your own PXE server and
its components, before making full use of the LAN Boot feature. When you change the BIOS
settings to move LAN Boot to the top of the boot order, you will need to exit the BIOS Setup Utility,
saving your changes, and reboot the system to enter and set the PXE Boot Agent BIOS settings.
Refer to Accessing PXE Boot Agent BIOS Setup Utility on the next page for more setup and
configuration information.