How to Set Up and Configure Razor Server for PXE Booting -

Razor Server Setup for PXE Booting: A Comprehensive Guide

When managing IT infrastructure, automating the process of provisioning and booting servers can save valuable time and resources. Razor Server, when combined with PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) booting, streamlines the deployment of systems across your network. In this guide, we will walk you through the complete Razor server setup process, including installation and configuration, ensuring a seamless PXE boot experience.

Razor server setup for PXE boot configuration on CentOS/Redhat

What You Need to Get Started

Before diving into the setup, ensure that you have the following in place:

Puppet Master Server running on a supported OS.
Razor Server installed on a CentOS/Redhat 7 server.
A Separate DHCP Network for PXE booting.

Once these prerequisites are met, you’re ready to begin the Razor server setup.

Step 1: Installing DNSMasq for PXE Booting

First, you need to install DNSMasq, which will handle DHCP and TFTP services for the Razor server.

On your Razor server, run the following command to install DNSMasq: yum install dnsmasq
Next, create a directory for TFTP boot and set the correct permissions: mkdir /var/lib/tftpboot chmod 655 /var/lib/tftpboot/

Step 2: Configuring SELinux

By default, SELinux might block necessary operations for DNSMasq. Check whether SELinux is enabled:

sestatus

If it’s enabled, disable it by editing the SELinux configuration:

vi /etc/sysconfig/selinux
SELINUX=disabled

Step 3: Setting Up DNSMasq

You will need to configure DNSMasq for PXE booting.

Set the hostname for the Razor server: hostnamectl set-hostname razor.zippyops.com
Modify the DNSMasq configuration file (/etc/dnsmasq.conf) to include a DHCP range and PXE boot setup: dhcp-range=10.0.0.20,10.0.0.50,24h conf-dir=/etc/dnsmasq.d
Create a configuration file for Razor in /etc/dnsmasq.d/razor and add the following: dhcp-match=IPXEBOOT,175 dhcp-boot=net:IPXEBOOT,bootstrap.ipxe dhcp-boot=undionly-20140116.kpxe enable-tftp tftp-root=/var/lib/tftpboot

Step 4: Enabling and Starting DNSMasq

Enable DNSMasq to start on boot and start the service:

systemctl enable dnsmasq.service
systemctl start dnsmasq.service

Verify that DNSMasq is running:

systemctl status dnsmasq.service

Step 5: Installing Razor Server

On the same CentOS/Redhat 7 server, proceed to install Razor:

Set the environment variables in the ~/.bash_profile: RAZOR_HOSTNAME=`hostname` HTTP_PORT=8150 HTTPS_PORT=8151
Run the installation script to install Razor from the Puppet Master: curl -k https://puppetmaster.zippyops.com:8140/packages/current/install.bash | sudo bash

Step 6: Checking Razor Server Installation

Verify that the Razor server is up and running. You can test this by fetching the Razor API:

wget https://razor.zippyops.com:8151/api -O test.out --no-check-certificate

You should see a JSON output confirming that the server is running. Additionally, you can check the Razor server’s service status:

systemctl status pe-razor-server

Step 7: Setting Up PXE Boot Images

Next, populate the TFTP directory with necessary PXE boot images:

Download the iPXE boot image and place it in the TFTP boot directory: wget https://s3.amazonaws.com/pe-razor-resources/undionly-20140116.kpxe cp undionly-20140116.kpxe /var/lib/tftpboot
Fetch the PXE bootstrap script: wget "https://razor.zippyops.com:8151/api/microkernel/bootstrap?nic_max=1&http_port=8150" -O /var/lib/tftpboot/bootstrap.ipxe --no-check-certificate

Step 8: Creating a Repository for OS Installation

Now, create a repository for an Ubuntu OS installation:

razor create-repo --name ubuntu-14.04 --task ubuntu/trusty --iso url http://releases.ubuntu.com/trusty/ubuntu-14.04.6-server-amd64.iso

This will download the Ubuntu ISO and create the repository.

Step 9: Managing Nodes and Tasks

You can now manage nodes and tasks in Razor. For example, use Razor’s API to query nodes:

razor --url https://razor.zippyops.com:8151/api nodes

Razor comes with pre-built tasks to help you automate provisioning. You can check available tasks with:

razor tasks

Link the Ubuntu 14.04 repository to the appropriate task:

razor update-repo-task --repo ubuntu-14.04 --task ubuntu/trusty

Step 10: Creating and Assigning Policies

A policy ties everything together: the repository, broker, and tags. Create a policy to link the Ubuntu repo with the PE broker:

razor create-policy --name ubuntuTest --repo ubuntu-14.04 --broker pe --tag ubuntutest --hostname 'ubuntu-test' --root-password myPassword

Conclusion: Automating PXE Boot and Razor Server Provisioning

Setting up a Razor server for PXE booting and automated provisioning simplifies server management and accelerates your infrastructure deployment. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can configure Razor to handle PXE boot requests and provision nodes seamlessly. If you require professional DevOps, DevSecOps, or Cloud infrastructure management, ZippyOPS provides expert consulting, implementation, and managed services tailored to your needs.

To optimize your operational efficiency and manage your systems securely, explore more about ZippyOPS’s services, including AIOps, MLOps, DataOps, and more at ZippyOPS Solutions. For expert guidance, reach out to us at sales@zippyops.com.