PXE stands for "Pre-execution Environment," an Intel standard for system-setup instructions stored in a ROM chip and executed early in the PC boot process, before loading the Operating System. If your router's Network Interface and BIOS support PXE, you can net-boot your LEAF router using the PXE chip's built-in DHCP and TFTP clients, giving you very quick boot times while removing the requirement for the router to include a disk drive of any kind. PXE is also useful for installing Bering to a single-board computer (SBC) that lacks a floppy interface to boot from initially. Most SBCs on the market that do not have a floppy controller include a PXE ROM for this express purpose.

The following configuration has been tested on a openbrick machine. On this box the PXE compliant NIC is an integrated Realtek 8139C that will be used for the internal network interface whereas the external network interface is provided by an SMC USB to ethernet converter.

The initial work on this package was carried out by W. Cardwell and then improved by J. Nilo. It also borrows some parts of backup scripts modified by E. Titl for scp support.

Comments on this section should be addressed to its maintainer: J. Nilo <jnilo at users.sourceforge.net>.