Feature: _pxe

Description

Features

This feature creates PXE boot artifacts:

• root.squashfs — Compressed root filesystem
• vmlinuz — Linux kernel
• initrd — Initial ramdisk
• cmdline — Kernel command line parameters

When combined with _trustedboot or _unsigned (USI builds):

• boot.efi — Unified Kernel Image (UKI) for UEFI boot

Boot Modes

Traditional PXE Boot:

• Uses separate kernel (vmlinuz) and initrd
• Fetches root.squashfs over HTTP at boot time
• Works with both BIOS and UEFI systems via iPXE

UKI PXE Boot (with _trustedboot):

• Uses single boot.efi (UKI) containing kernel, initrd, and cmdline
• Fetches root.squashfs over HTTP at boot time
• UEFI-only, supports Secure Boot when signed

Installation Support

The _pxe feature provides ephemeral live boot by default. For disk installation capability, combine with:

• _install — For interactive installation (prompts for disk and password)
• _autoinstall — For automatic unattended installation (includes _install)

Live Boot Only (no installation):

./build.sh metal_pxe

Live Boot + Interactive Installation:

# Add _install feature for interactive disk installation
./build.sh metal_pxe_install

Live Boot + Automatic Installation:

# Add _autoinstall for unattended disk installation
./build.sh metal_pxe_autoinstall

Includes:

• _ignite for Ignition-based first-boot configuration

Unit testing

This feature does not support unit tests.

Meta

type	flag
artifact	.pxe.tar.gz (contains vmlinuz, initrd, cmdline, root.squashfs, and optionally boot.efi for USI builds)
included_features	_ignite
excluded_features	None