User guide

User Guide NetXtreme II
September 2013
Broadcom Corporation
Document INGSRVT78-CDUM100-RBroadcom Boot Agent Driver Software: Broadcom NetXtreme II
®
Network Adapter User Guide
Broadcom Boot Agent Driver Software:
Broadcom NetXtreme II
®
Network Adapter User
Guide
•Overview
Setting Up MBA in a Client Environment
Setting Up MBA in a Server Environment
OVERVIEW
Broadcom NetXtreme II adapters support Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), Remote Program Load (RPL), iSCSI, and
Bootstrap Protocol (BootP). Multi-Boot Agent (MBA) is a software module that allows your network computer to boot with
the images provided by remote servers across the network. The Broadcom MBA driver complies with the PXE 2.1
specification and is released with both monolithic and split binary images. This provides flexibility to users in different
environments where the motherboard may or may not have built-in base code.
The MBA module operates in a client/server environment. A network consists of one or more boot servers that provide boot
images to multiple computers through the network. The Broadcom implementation of the MBA module has been tested
successfully in the following environments:
Linux Red Hat PXE Server. Broadcom PXE clients are able to remotely boot and use network resources (NFS mount,
and so forth) and to perform Linux installations. In the case of a remote boot, the Linux universal driver binds
seamlessly with the Broadcom Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) and provides a network interface in the Linux
remotely-booted client environment.
Intel APITEST. The Broadcom PXE driver passes all API compliance test suites.
MS-DOS UNDI. The MS-DOS Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) seamlessly binds with the Broadcom UNDI to
provide a network adapter driver interface specification (NDIS2) interface to the upper layer protocol stack. This allows
computers to connect to network resources in an MS-DOS environment.
Windows Deployment Service (WDS). To extend functionalities beyond basic network connectivity when loading an
operating system through WDS, see Using the NetXtreme II Monolithic Driver.
Automated Deployment Service (ADS). To extend functionalities beyond basic network connectivity when loading an
operating system through ADS, see Using the NetXtreme II Monolithic Driver.