ge-aerospace/pxe-server
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity
Files
bc123c10663836428eecd2afe5039bac465056aa
pxe-server/README.md
cproudlock 9912b044a3 Shopfloor: single autologon, clear Start pins, Intune sync tool, update docs 
- AutoLogonCount reduced from 2 to 1 in Run-ShopfloorSetup.ps1
- Remove default pinned Start Menu tiles and set blank layout for future users
- Add sync_intune.bat: triggers MDM sync and polls for SFLD group policies
- Update README.md and SETUP.md with current project state (boot chain, new
  scripts, samba shares, webapp pages, commit history)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-03-31 09:43:00 -04:00

284 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
Raw Blame History

# GE Aerospace PXE Boot Server
Automated, air-gapped PXE boot server for deploying GE Aerospace Windows images. Built on Ubuntu 24.04 Server with zero-touch provisioning via autoinstall and Ansible.
## Overview
This project provides a complete, repeatable build process for a PXE boot server that serves Windows PE images to client machines on an isolated network. Everything runs offline after initial setup — no internet required on the target server.
### Boot Chain
```
Client PXE boot (UEFI Secure Boot)
-> iPXE (TFTP, Broadcom-signed for Secure Boot)
-> iPXE boot menu (HTTP, port 4433)
-> User selects boot option:
├── Windows PE -> wimboot -> boot.wim -> startnet.cmd -> Samba share -> Image deployment
├── Clonezilla -> vmlinuz/initrd -> Disk cloning/imaging
├── Blancco -> Native kernel + initramfs -> NIST 800-88 drive erasure
└── Memtest86+ -> Memory diagnostics
```
### Services
| Service | Port | Purpose |
|-------------|-----------|------------------------------------------|
| dnsmasq | 67/udp | DHCP (10.9.100.10-100, 12h lease) |
| dnsmasq | 69/udp | TFTP (serves ipxe.efi) |
| Apache | 80/tcp | HTTP (wimboot, WinPE boot files, proxy) |
| Apache | 4433/tcp | iPXE boot script (GetPxeScript.aspx) |
| Samba | 445/tcp | Deployment content + Clonezilla + Blancco|
| Flask Webapp| 9009/tcp | Web management interface |
### Network
- **PXE server IP:** `10.9.100.1/24`
- **DHCP range:** `10.9.100.10` - `10.9.100.100`
- **Firewall:** UFW deny-by-default, only service ports open (22, 67, 69, 80, 445, 4433, 9009)
## Quick Start
### Prerequisites
**On your workstation (internet-connected):**
- Ubuntu 24.04 (or Linux Mint / similar) for downloading packages
- Ubuntu Server 24.04 ISO
- GE Aerospace Media Creator LITE (for WinPE images)
- USB drive >= 8 GB (32+ GB if bundling WinPE images)
**GE Access Packages (MyAccess portal):**
- EPM Rufus Exception Request
- EPM DT Functions
- DLP - Encrypted Removable (USB) Long Term Access
### Step 1: Download Offline Packages
```bash
./download-packages.sh
```
Downloads all .deb packages and Python wheels for offline installation (~140 MB of debs, ~20 MB of wheels).
### Step 2: Prepare Boot Tools (optional)
```bash
./prepare-boot-tools.sh /path/to/blancco.iso /path/to/clonezilla.zip /path/to/memtest.bin
```
Extracts and configures boot tool files (Blancco, Clonezilla, Memtest86+). Automatically patches Blancco's config.img to auto-save erasure reports to the PXE server's Samba share.
### Step 3: Build the USB
```bash
sudo ./build-usb.sh /dev/sdX /path/to/ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso
```
Creates a bootable USB with two partitions:
- **Partition 1:** Ubuntu Server installer
- **Partition 2:** CIDATA (autoinstall config, offline .debs, pip wheels, Ansible playbook, webapp, boot tools)
### Step 4: Install on Target Server
1. Insert USB into the target machine
2. Press F12 and boot from USB
3. Ubuntu auto-installs with no interaction
4. After reboot, the first-boot script:
- Installs all offline .deb packages
- Runs the Ansible playbook (configures dnsmasq, Apache, Samba, UFW, webapp)
- Configures static IP `10.9.100.1/24`
5. Move the server's wired NIC to the isolated PXE switch
### Step 5: Access the Web Interface
Open `http://10.9.100.1:9009` from any machine on the isolated network.
## Web Management Interface
The Flask webapp (port 9009) provides a browser-based management UI:
- **Dashboard** — Service status overview, disk usage, connected DHCP clients
- **Image Import** — Import WinPE deployment images from USB drives
- **Unattend Editor** — Edit Windows unattend.xml files per image type (XML syntax highlighting)
- **startnet.cmd Editor** — Modify the startnet.cmd inside boot.wim without Windows (uses wimtools)
- **Clonezilla Backups** — Upload, download, and manage disk backup images
- **Blancco Reports** — View, download, and manage drive erasure reports (auto-collected via Samba)
- **Image Config** — Per-image configuration editor (drivers, OS packages, hardware models)
- **Enrollment** — Upload, download, and manage GCCH bulk enrollment packages
- **Audit Log** — Activity history for all write operations (imports, edits, deletes)
### Image Types Supported
| Image Type | Domain | Description |
|----------------------|-----------------|-------------------------|
| gea-standard | geaerospace.com | Standard desktop |
| gea-engineer | geaerospace.com | Engineering desktop |
| gea-shopfloor | geaerospace.com | Shop floor kiosk |
| ge-standard | ge.com | Standard desktop |
| ge-engineer | ge.com | Engineering desktop |
| ge-shopfloor-lockdown| ge.com | Shop floor (locked) |
| ge-shopfloor-mce | ge.com | Shop floor (MCE) |
## Project Structure
```
pxe-server/
├── autoinstall/
│ ├── user-data # Cloud-init autoinstall config + first-boot script
│ └── meta-data # Cloud-init metadata (required, empty)
├── playbook/
│ ├── pxe_server_setup.yml # Ansible playbook: all server configuration
│ ├── inventory.ini # Ansible inventory
│ ├── startnet.cmd # WinPE startup script (injected into boot.wim)
│ ├── blancco-init.sh # Custom initramfs for Blancco PXE boot
│ ├── blancco-preferences.xml # Blancco auto-report preferences
│ ├── check-bios.cmd # Pre-imaging BIOS update checker
│ ├── FlatUnattendW10-shopfloor.xml # Shopfloor unattend.xml
│ └── shopfloor-setup/ # PC type setup scripts (Standard, CMM, Display, etc.)
├── webapp/
│ ├── app.py # Flask application (~1600 lines)
│ ├── requirements.txt # Python deps (flask, lxml)
│ ├── static/
│ │ ├── ge-aerospace-logo.svg # GE Aerospace branding
│ │ ├── favicon.ico # Browser favicon
│ │ ├── app.js # Frontend JavaScript
│ │ ├── bootstrap.min.css # Bootstrap 5 (bundled offline)
│ │ ├── bootstrap.bundle.min.js
│ │ ├── bootstrap-icons.min.css
│ │ └── fonts/ # Icon fonts (woff/woff2)
│ └── templates/
│ ├── base.html # Layout with GE branding and sidebar nav
│ ├── dashboard.html # Service status and overview
│ ├── import.html # USB image import wizard
│ ├── unattend_editor.html # XML editor for unattend files
│ ├── startnet_editor.html # startnet.cmd WIM editor
│ ├── image_config.html # Per-image driver and hardware config
│ ├── enrollment.html # GCCH bulk enrollment packages
│ ├── backups.html # Clonezilla backup management
│ ├── reports.html # Blancco erasure reports
│ └── audit.html # Activity audit log
├── docs/
│ └── shopfloor-display-imaging-guide.md # End-user imaging guide
├── unattend/
│ └── FlatUnattendW10.xml # Windows unattend.xml template
├── boot-tools/ # Extracted boot tool files (gitignored)
│ ├── blancco/ # Blancco Drive Eraser (Arch Linux-based)
│ ├── clonezilla/ # Clonezilla Live
│ └── memtest/ # Memtest86+
├── offline-packages/ # .deb files (gitignored, built by download-packages.sh)
├── pip-wheels/ # Python wheels (gitignored, built by download-packages.sh)
├── download-packages.sh # Downloads offline .debs + pip wheels
├── build-usb.sh # Builds the installer USB (2-partition)
├── prepare-boot-tools.sh # Extracts and patches boot tool files
├── build-proxmox-iso.sh # Builds self-contained Proxmox installer ISO
├── test-vm.sh # KVM test environment for validation
├── test-lab.sh # Full PXE lab with server + client VMs
├── startnet-template.cmd # startnet.cmd template (synced with playbook copy)
├── Download-Drivers.ps1 # Download hardware drivers from GE CDN (Windows)
├── Upload-Image.ps1 # Upload MCL cache to PXE server via SMB (Windows)
├── download-drivers.py # Download Dell drivers directly from dell.com
├── sync_hardware_models.py # Sync hardware model configs across images
├── SETUP.md # Detailed setup guide
└── setup-guide-original.txt # Original manual setup notes (reference)
```
## Testing with KVM
A test VM script is included for validating the full provisioning pipeline without dedicated hardware:
```bash
# Download Ubuntu Server ISO
wget -O ~/Downloads/ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso \
https://releases.ubuntu.com/noble/ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso
# Launch test VM (requires libvirt/KVM)
sudo ./test-vm.sh ~/Downloads/ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso
# Watch install progress
sudo virsh console pxe-test
# Clean up when done
sudo ./test-vm.sh --destroy
```
The test VM creates an isolated libvirt network (10.9.100.0/24) and runs the full autoinstall + Ansible provisioning.
## Proxmox Deployment
A single ISO can be built for deploying the PXE server in a Proxmox VM:
### Build the ISO
```bash
# Prerequisites (on build workstation)
sudo apt install xorriso p7zip-full
# Build the installer ISO
./build-proxmox-iso.sh /path/to/ubuntu-24.04-live-server-amd64.iso
```
This creates `pxe-server-proxmox.iso` containing the Ubuntu installer, autoinstall config, all offline packages, the Ansible playbook, webapp, and boot tools.
### Deploy on Proxmox
1. Upload `pxe-server-proxmox.iso` to Proxmox storage (Datacenter -> Storage -> ISO Images)
2. Create a new VM:
- **OS:** Linux 6.x kernel
- **BIOS:** OVMF (UEFI) or SeaBIOS
- **Memory:** 4096 MB
- **CPU:** 2+ cores
- **Disk:** 40+ GB (VirtIO SCSI)
- **Network:** Bridge connected to your isolated PXE network
3. Attach the ISO as CD-ROM and start the VM
4. Ubuntu auto-installs with zero interaction (~10-15 minutes)
5. After reboot, first-boot configures all PXE services automatically
6. Access the web interface at `http://10.9.100.1:9009`
### Import WinPE Images
After the server is running, import deployment images via the web interface at `http://10.9.100.1:9009/import` or by mounting a USB drive with WinPE content.
## Samba Shares
| Share | Path | Purpose |
|-----------------|---------------------------|--------------------------------|
| winpeapps | /srv/samba/winpeapps | WinPE deployment images |
| clonezilla | /srv/samba/clonezilla | Clonezilla disk backup images |
| blancco-reports | /srv/samba/blancco-reports| Blancco erasure reports (auto) |
| enrollment | /srv/samba/enrollment | GCCH bulk enrollment packages |
| image-upload | /home/pxe/image-upload | Image upload staging area |
All shares use guest access (no authentication) for ease of use on the isolated network.
## Blancco Drive Erasure
Blancco Drive Eraser 7.15.1 boots via a native Ubuntu kernel with a custom initramfs (`blancco-init.sh`) that downloads and mounts the Blancco rootfs over HTTP. XML erasure reports are automatically saved to the PXE server's Samba share (`blancco-reports`). The server supports BMC cloud licensing for Blancco activation over WiFi.
Reports are viewable and downloadable from the web interface at `http://10.9.100.1:9009/reports`.
## Notes
- Run `download-packages.sh` before building USB — it downloads all offline `.deb` packages including wimtools (needed for startnet.cmd editing)
- The webapp uses session-based CSRF tokens on all POST forms and API endpoints
## Commit History
| Commit | Description |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5791bd1 | Initial project setup: automated PXE server provisioning |
| cee4ecd | Add web management UI, offline packages, WinPE consolidation |
| f614596 | Fix unattend.xml path to match actual image structure |
| e7313c2 | Add multi-boot PXE menu, Clonezilla backups, GE Aerospace branding|
| 89b5834 | Add wimtools and startnet.cmd editor for boot.wim modification |
| 05dbb7e | Add Blancco erasure reports Samba share and webapp viewer |
| ef75839 | Auto-patch Blancco config.img for network report storage |
| 92c9b0f | Fix review findings: offline assets, security, audit logging |
| 725c8f4 | Change webapp to port 9009, add test VM script |
| f3a384f | Add Proxmox ISO builder, CSRF protection, boot-files integration |
| 1a5c4f7 | Eliminate USB requirement for WinPE PXE boot |
| dd2fec5 | Blancco PXE boot via Ubuntu kernel switch_root |
| 86660a0 | Remove UEFI HTTP Boot config from dnsmasq |
| 6d0e6ee | BIOS check fix, parallel downloads, shopfloor hardening |
| 7616549 | Shopfloor PC type system, webapp enhancements |
| b7cd097 | Blancco 7.15.1 upgrade: native kernel boot, BMC cloud licensing |
| 163e58a | Fix dnsmasq reboot cron: use /etc/cron.d/ instead of crontab |
Reference in New Issue View Git Blame Copy Permalink