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## How to Create the SIA Image and Prepare for PXE Boot

After you have prepared for an unattended installation as described in the previous sections, follow the steps below to set up a PXE image to boot SIA and perform an unattended installation.

Tip - For additional information about setting up an SIA PXE boot image, consult the PXE sample target in the `/boot/isolinux/isolinux.cfg` file on the SIA CD/DVD.

1. Preconfigure your network to support a Linux-based PXE server network installation.

   You may refer to the Linux distribution documentation for more information on configuring a PXE server.

2. In the PXE Linux directory, create a new subdirectory for the SIA image(s).

   On a Linux system, for example, the following command line creates a subdirectory for `suninstall` images:

   `# mkdir /home/pxeboot/suninstall`

3. Insert the SIA CD/DVD into a CD/DVD drive of a Linux-based PXE server and mount the CD/DVD.
4. Copy the `vmlinuz` (the bootable Linux kernel) and `initrd` (initial ram disk) files from the SIA CD/DVD to the `suninstall` subdirectory that you created.

   Use the correct path to the mounted CD image. This example uses `/mnt/cdrom`:

       # cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/vmlinuz /home/pxeboot/suninstall
       # cp /mnt/cdrom/boot/isolinux/initrd.img /home/pxeboot/suninstall

5. Post your modified SIA state file (`externalStateVariables.txt`) on a web server that the PXE server can access (or on the PXE server itself, if it is configured as a web server).
6. Use an editor to include the following SIA references in the `pxelinux.cfg/default` file that is stored in the `/home/pxeboot` directory:

       default suninstall
       label suninstall
       kernel suninstall/vmlinuz
       append initrd=suninstall/initrd.img vga=0x314 ramdisk_size=900000 root=/dev/ram0
       splash=silent siaurl=http://URL_to_ externalStateVariables.txt

   Note - Type the `append` command line from `append initrd=` to `siaurl=` as one continuous string with no returns. `initrd=` must point to the location of the `initrd.img` on your PXE server that you copied from the SIA CD/DVD and `siaurl=` must point to the URL for the state file.

   You can also boot the installer from the network and perform a manual (attended) installation by removing the `siaurl=` argument from the PXE target.

7. Save the file, and then unmount and remove the SIA CD/DVD from the CD/DVD drive.

   You image is now ready to be booted from.

8. To boot the SIA PXE image from the PXE server and begin the unattended installation, follow the steps presented in How to Boot SIA From a PXE Server and Perform an Unattended Installation.

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