Give Your PXE Wings - Bootstrapping Explained

Explore the intricacies of system bootstrapping in this 39-minute conference talk from SREcon20 Americas. Delve into the components of the PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) process, learning how to optimize it for speed, simplicity, and reliability. Discover techniques to enhance automation options for day-two operations on bootable systems. Gain insights into various provisioning approaches, including image-based deployment, immutable provisioning, and ESXi provisioning. Understand the significance of ONIE (Open Network Install Environment), kexec (kernel execute), and the requirements for secure boot with signed bootloaders. Equip yourself with knowledge to improve IT infrastructure management and streamline system initialization processes.

Intro
Exploring Provisioning Approaches
Bootstrapping is a multi-stage process
Then: Download a Bootloader
Finally load a "real" operating system
And then you can actually connect to start configuring the system!
Automating Provisioning means Connecting all these steps together
Typical PXE Questions
Image Based Deployment (10x faster!)
Immutable Provisioning
ESXi Provisioning
ONIE: Open Network Install Environment
kexec (kernel execute)
Secure Boot Required SIGNED Bootloaders