ERPXE Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ page answers the most common questions about ERPXE, PXE booting, TFTP and Windows deployment. Use the quick links below to jump to the topic you need.
General Questions
What exactly is ERPXE?
ERPXE is an open source PXE solution. You can find more background on the About ERPXE page.
What does PXE mean?
According to Wikipedia, the Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE, sometimes pronounced "pixie") lets a computer boot through its network interface without relying on local storage such as a hard disk or an installed operating system. In practice, this means you can start computers over the network without any other boot media like a hard drive, CD-ROM or USB stick. Because PXE normally does not touch local storage, you can carry out many tasks without changing anything on the machine unless you choose to.
What can I do with ERPXE or any PXE setup?
Quite a lot. You can repair or manipulate an installed operating system from the outside, remove viruses, repartition drives, back up and restore an entire hard disk, run hardware diagnostic tests and much more.
TFTP Questions
What is TFTP?
As described on Wikipedia, Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple file transfer protocol used mainly for automated transfer of configuration or boot files between machines on a local network. Compared with FTP it is very limited, offers no authentication and is seldom used interactively. Put simply, it is the protocol a computer uses to talk to a server and download files, and PXE relies on it because of its simplicity.
What is a TFTP client and what is a TFTPD server?
The client is the computer you want to boot through PXE. The server is a machine, virtual or physical, that serves files to those clients over TFTP.
Where can I get a TFTP server?
Many free TFTP server options exist for Linux, Windows and MacOS. The simplest route is to download and use our pre-installed and pre-configured virtual machine, which already includes a TFTP server. Alternatively you can customise your own machine and host the TFTP server on another operating system. See the Installation instructions for details.
Can I use any TFTP server I like?
Yes, as long as it works.
Windows Deployment
How to install Windows using ERPXE
Use whichever cloning and deployment solution you prefer to duplicate, back up or deploy any system you need.
Can I deploy my Windows image to any PC?
No. You need to create a universal Windows image first. For reference, see these examples for Windows XP and Windows 7.
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This page was last edited on 5 March 2013, at 18:51.
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