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DHCP Options & PXE Boot

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PXE: boot from network instead of disk

PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) allows a machine to boot an OS from the network — no local disk required. Used for OS deployment, diskless workstations, and bare-metal server provisioning.

The process: DHCP gives the client an IP and the address of a boot server. The client downloads the boot image via TFTP, then loads the OS.

Packets in motion — click to inspect:

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