2.4.  RHEA-2009:1276: etherboot

Etherboot, a new package that enables PXE-booting, is now available.

Etherboot provides the capability to boot guest virtual machines using the Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE). This process occurs before the operating system is loaded; in most cases, the operating system has no knowledge that it was booted through PXE. Many network adapters contain a socket where a ROM chip can be installed; this ROM chip is used to store PXE-boot code provided by Etherboot. At present, Etherboot is only supported for use in KVM. (BZ#488612)

This version of Etherboot was compiled with the POWERSAVE, PXE_DHCP_STRICT, and ASK_BOOT=-1 options. PXE_DHCP_STRICT is required by some network drivers to support PXE-booting, while the ASK_BOOT=-1 option prevents a guest from consuming too much CPU time during boot-up. The POWERSAVE option reduces CPU consumption on a host whenever a guest performs a PXE-boot. (BZ#481914 and (BZ#500894)