300-435 Question 129
Select 3A network engineer is tasked with provisioning multiple bare-metal servers in a data center using iPXE. The engineer wants to ensure that each server receives its appropriate configuration automatically based on its hardware profile. Which of the following actions should the engineer take to achieve this?
- A
Configure a DHCP server to provide the iPXE bootloader.
- B
Use iPXE scripts to define hardware-based configuration logic.
- C
Manually assign configuration files to each server after booting iPXE.
- D
Host the operating system images and configuration files on a web server accessible via HTTP/HTTPS.
- E
Enable multicast communication for iPXE to improve deployment speed.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, B, D
Explanation
To automate provisioning with iPXE, the DHCP server provides the initial bootloader to the bare-metal servers. iPXE scripts enable dynamic, hardware-specific configuration logic, and HTTP/HTTPS ensures easy access to operating system images and configuration files. This combination allows scalable and efficient server provisioning without manual intervention.
- A. Correct.
This is correct. iPXE requires a DHCP server to provide the bootloader filename and the network information needed for PXE booting.
- B. Correct.
This is correct. iPXE scripts can be programmed with logic to dynamically assign configurations based on hardware details such as MAC addresses or UUIDs.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Manually assigning configurations defeats the purpose of automation, which is a key feature of iPXE and Cisco Enterprise Solutions.
- D. Correct.
This is correct. iPXE supports HTTP/HTTPS for retrieving boot images and configuration files, making it suitable for automated provisioning.
- E. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. While multicast can improve efficiency in some scenarios, it is not a requirement for iPXE-based provisioning.