Manual operating system installation does not scale beyond a handful of servers. PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) combined with Kickstart files enables fully automated, network-based provisioning that can deploy a configured server in minutes without any physical media or manual interaction.
Setting Up the PXE Environment
A PXE boot environment requires three components: a DHCP server configured with next-server and filename options, a TFTP server hosting the boot loader and kernel images, and an HTTP or NFS server providing the installation media and Kickstart configuration file. Using HTTP for the installation source is recommended for its reliability and speed over NFS.
Kickstart files define every aspect of the installation, from disk partitioning and network configuration to package selection and post-installation scripts. The post-install section is particularly powerful, allowing you to configure services, deploy SSH keys, install monitoring agents, and register the server with your configuration management system automatically.
Version control your Kickstart templates alongside your infrastructure code. Use variables and conditionals to create a single template that handles different server roles by passing parameters through the kernel command line. This approach reduces template sprawl and ensures consistency across your server builds.