iPXE

<h2 id="pxe-implementation">PXE implementation</h2>
<p>iPXE can be booted by a computer either by replacing (<a href="/facts/Flashing_(technology)/62UVKIUK">re-flashing</a>) the existing standard PXE ROM on a supported <a href="/facts/Network_interface_card/wyf5FR29">network interface card</a> (NIC), or by booting the NIC's standard PXE ROM and then <a href="/facts/Chainload/JYF9qz3m">chainloading</a> into the iPXE binary, thus obtaining its features without the need to re-flash a NIC. iPXE firmware embeds its configuration script into the firmware image, thus any changes to the configuration require a NIC to be re-flashed.
</p><p>iPXE implements its own PXE stack either by using the network card driver provided by iPXE, or the standard PXE <a href="/facts/Universal_Network_Device_Interface/k6uV4fwT">UNDI</a> driver if iPXE is chainloaded from a standard PXE ROM. Implementing an independent PXE stack allows clients without the standard PXE <a href="/facts/Read-only_memory/P9QMuDLH">ROM</a> on their NICs to use an alternative iPXE stack by loading it from an alternative medium.
</p>
<h2 id="boot-manager">Boot manager</h2>
<p>Although its basic role was to implement a PXE stack, iPXE can be also used as a network boot manager with limited capabilities for menu-based interaction with end users.  iPXE can fetch boot files using multiple network protocols, such as <a href="/facts/Trivial_File_Transfer_Protocol/TslBlcvJ">TFTP</a>, <a href="/facts/Network_File_System_(protocol)/jWRRALVo">NFS</a>, <a href="/facts/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol/TWtvf7JD">HTTP</a> or <a href="/facts/File_Transfer_Protocol/THuWgzfw">FTP</a>.
</p><p>iPXE can act as a boot loader for the <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a> kernel, with support for <a href="/facts/Multiboot_Specification/8tMPo7ND">multiboot</a>. For other operating systems, for example <a href="/facts/Windows_CE/bMUhjgqQ">Windows CE</a>, iPXE chain-loads corresponding Microsoft boot loader.  Additionally, iPXE is scriptable and can load <a href="/facts/COMBOOT/cV2DANPk">COMBOOT</a> and COM32 <a href="/facts/SYSLINUX/cV2DANPk">SYSLINUX</a> extensions, which, for example, allows SYSLINUX-based graphical menu capabilities to be available for network booting.
</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li>Free and open-source software portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Preboot_Execution_Environment/k6uV4fwT">PXE</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/SYSLINUX/cV2DANPk">PXELINUX</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/GPXE/cbeLtd6T">gPXE</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://ipxe.org">Official website</a> and <a href="http://git.ipxe.org/ipxe.git">source code repository</a></li>
<li><a href="http://etherboot.org/wiki/index.php">Etherboot/gPXE wiki</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.linuxdocs.org/HOWTOs/Diskless-HOWTO-8.html">Introduction to Network Booting and Etherboot</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

iPXE open-in-new

iPXE