Mellanox today announced the availability of FlexBoot, a multiprotocol remote boot technology that allows IT administrators to provision servers in the data center using ConnectX(R) adapters either over InfiniBand with Boot over InfiniBand (BoIB) or Ethernet with Boot over Ethernet (BoE). FlexBoot is based on the open source Etherboot/gPXE architecture and works in conjunction with Virtual Protocol Interconnect [VPI] technology. This allows users to deploy and remotely boot machines over Mellanox ConnectX networks configured as 10GbE or Infiniband.
Cloud computing and SaaS infrastructures require flexible networking options that deliver optimum efficiency and performance for applications in multi-tenant environments,” said John Monson, vice president of marketing at Mellanox Technologies. “Data Center administrators can reduce server administration costs by enabling remote boot based dynamic repurposing of servers across both InfiniBand and Ethernet fabrics simultaneously while simplifying configuration management with a single ROM image on adapters in the servers.”
FlexBoot comes with a command line interface that can be invoked during a server’s POST sequence. For more info, read their full release here.