Create iPXE Boot Artifacts
An iPXE Boot Artifact is the most common option to bootstrap machines.
Each artifact contains a set of bootable images with an X509 client certificate to securely authenticate against your meltcloud organization:
| Image File | Architecture | Usage |
|---|---|---|
ipxe.iso | amd64/arm64 | Standard bootable ISO file. It can be mounted in a virtual environment or flashed to a USB/SD-card style device to boot your machines |
undionly.kpxe | amd64 | Used for network booting using PXE on legacy PCBIOS systems |
ipxe.efi | amd64 | Used for network booting using PXE on amd64 UEFI based systems |
ipxe.efi | arm64 | Used for network booting using PXE on arm64 UEFI based systems |
ipxe.raw | amd64 | Used for booting iPXE from a locally attacherd bootable disk image |
Create an iPXE Boot Artifact
- Go to Boot Config → iPXE Boot Artifacts → Create iPXE Boot Artifact
- Configure the properties as desired:
| Property | Description | Default | Can be changed after creation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | User defined name for the iPXE Boot Artifact | - | No |
| Expires at | Date when the embedded X509 Client Certifacte becomes invalid | in 365 days | No |
- Hit Create Boot Artifact.
iPXE Boot Artifacts are created specifically for your organization, so their creation takes some time – after some minutes they are available for download:
WARNING
Be aware that iPXE boot artifacts contain a private key. Make sure your transfer and store your artifacts securely and rotate them regularly – you can create multiple boot artifacts for seamless rotation.
Once you've generated the artifacts, check Boot Sequence – How to boot meltcloud iPXE Boot Artifacts to learn about the different options how to use them.