Canonical Partners With AMI To Build Ubuntu Netboot Option Into UEFI Firmware
([Ubuntu] 6 Hours Ago
Ubuntu Netboot From Firmware Setup)
- Reference: 0001594337
- News link: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Canonical-AMI-Ubuntu-Partners
- Source link:
Canonical and AMI announced a partnership today so that there will be an Ubuntu Netboot option added within AMI's UEFI firmware to allow booting to the Ubuntu installer without the need for even having any install media.
Canonical and AMI announced this partnership from Nuremberg where they describe it as:
"Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, announced a partnership with AMI, a provider of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) solutions. The partnership will enable users of AMI’s Aptio® V UEFI Firmware to netboot directly into Ubuntu by simply selecting Ubuntu Cloud Installation in the boot menu.
This new native boot functionality makes it easy and convenient to use Ubuntu, and eliminates the need for flashing images or using additional media or external devices. A simple Ethernet connection is enough to install and launch Ubuntu."
Per the announcement on the [1]Canonical.com blog .
No real technical details beyond that brief statement were shared today. Basically it sounds like an option will be built-in to the AMI Aptio V UEFI firmware setup area for booting to the Ubuntu Netboot installer that would then proceed to download via an Ethernet connection. But as "Ubuntu Cloud Installation" is called out, this AMI partnership will presumably just be for servers with the AMI Aptio V UEFI firmware and not any consumer devices.
At the same time, for server technicians/administrators it really shouldn't be hard to boot from USB install media or from virtual media via the BMC to boot to an Ubuntu installer. I've never heard of booting an Ubuntu Server/Cloud install image being any sort of roadblock or barrier for adoption. This option also won't be too practical when a new Ubuntu LTS release rolls out or if someone is trying to deploy say the Ubuntu current LTS-1 release into their infrastructure. So in practice based on the limited information shared so far I am having a difficult time finding this partnership/feature to be of much value, but we'll see how it ultimately plays out.
[1] https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-boot-in-uefi-announcement
Canonical and AMI announced this partnership from Nuremberg where they describe it as:
"Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, announced a partnership with AMI, a provider of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) solutions. The partnership will enable users of AMI’s Aptio® V UEFI Firmware to netboot directly into Ubuntu by simply selecting Ubuntu Cloud Installation in the boot menu.
This new native boot functionality makes it easy and convenient to use Ubuntu, and eliminates the need for flashing images or using additional media or external devices. A simple Ethernet connection is enough to install and launch Ubuntu."
Per the announcement on the [1]Canonical.com blog .
No real technical details beyond that brief statement were shared today. Basically it sounds like an option will be built-in to the AMI Aptio V UEFI firmware setup area for booting to the Ubuntu Netboot installer that would then proceed to download via an Ethernet connection. But as "Ubuntu Cloud Installation" is called out, this AMI partnership will presumably just be for servers with the AMI Aptio V UEFI firmware and not any consumer devices.
At the same time, for server technicians/administrators it really shouldn't be hard to boot from USB install media or from virtual media via the BMC to boot to an Ubuntu installer. I've never heard of booting an Ubuntu Server/Cloud install image being any sort of roadblock or barrier for adoption. This option also won't be too practical when a new Ubuntu LTS release rolls out or if someone is trying to deploy say the Ubuntu current LTS-1 release into their infrastructure. So in practice based on the limited information shared so far I am having a difficult time finding this partnership/feature to be of much value, but we'll see how it ultimately plays out.
[1] https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-boot-in-uefi-announcement