So you've just received a brand-new secondhand one of these things off Ebay, what do we need to do to it before use?

<<TableOfContents>>

= BIOS/UEFI settings =

== Getting in there ==

 * Mash F1 during POST to get into the BIOS/UEFI
 * If you get stuck in Windows because the keyboard wasn't detected fast enough, you can get to the desktop and then:
  * Hit the Windows key, type "UEFI", then select Change Advanced Start-up Options
  * Restart Now with the Advanced Startup button
  * Then from ''that'' boot menu go to Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, UEFI Firmware Settings, Restart

== Update the BIOS to the latest version ==

 * TBC
 * The latest BIOS update for the M710q (as of 2023-11-20) is version XYZ, released 2019-xx-xx

== Grab the MAC address ==

You need to boot the OS for this I think, or inspect the DHCP server the first time it PXE boots.

You'll need this later when configuring PXE booting.

== Change BIOS/UEFI settings ==

The first thing you want to do is set it to full UEFI mode, no legacy here.

Then all these settings:

 * Main
  * Set System time and date
 * Devices
  * Audio
   * Onboard: disabled
  * Network Setup
   * All enabled
 * Advanced
  * CPU Setup
   * Enable virt
   * Enable vt-d
   * all c states
   * turbo enabled
  * Intel manageability
   * Disable that remote mgmt stuff
   * SOL config
    * Console type = vt100+
   * USB provosioning: disabled
  * Intel SGX
   * SGX control: software controlled
  * SIPP support enabled
  * CPU CRID support enabled
  * Chipset CRID support enabled
  * Dust shield alert: disabled
 * Power
  * after loss -> power on
  * enhanced power saving mode disabled
  * smart power on Enabled (Alt-P to power up)
  * Intrlligent cooling engine
   * perf mode = better acoustics
   * thermal alert enabled
  * Auto power on
   * WOL = Auto
   * Alarm = Disabled
 * Security
  * Allow flash to old version: Yes
  * Require admin pass when flashing: No
  * Wundows UEFI firmware update: Enabled
  * Require POP on boot: No
  * POP on restart: No
  * Admin pass on F12 boot: No
  * Smart USB protection: Disabled
  * Fingerprint Setuo
   * Preboot Auth: Disabled
  * TCG Feature Setup
   * TCG Device: Discrete TPM
   * Discrete TPM FW Switch: TPM 2.0
   * Security chip 2.0: Enabled
   * Clear TCG: No
  * Secure Boot
   * Status: Disabled
  * Device Guard: Disabled
  * Chassis Intrusion Detection: Disabled
  * Config change detection: Disabled
  * Password count exceeded error: Disabled
 * Startup
  * CSM: Disabled
  * Startup device menu prompt: enabled

Reboot and go in again with F1

 * Startup
  * Primary sequence
   * Network 1
   * M.2 drive 1
   * Disable all the others
  * Do the same for Auto and Error boot sequences


= Prepare for PXE booting =

 1. Choose an IP address, the DHCP server will be used to configure the server when it comes up
 1. Choose a name, and go assign the name to address mapping in the DNS zone
 1. Record the allocation in the spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bUR4y21wuCVRCpQcBbP85wGAWELrVjo2_tNJ7la495A/edit#gid=0 1. Configure the DHCP server with the static address reservation
  * In Mikrotik Winbox it's in IP -> DHCP Server -> Leases. You can open an existing static lease and Copy it. Make sure to edit the:
   * IP
   * Name
   * MAC address
   * Comment
  * In Mikrotik CLI it'd be something like this {{{
[furinkan@helian] /ip/dhcp-server/lease> add address=192.168.1.256 mac-address=02-99-88-77-66-55 server="dhcp general" comment=persica42
}}}
  * If using dnsmasq in Pihole we add a custom config file like `/etc/dnsmasq.d/02-pihole-dhcp-persica-cluster.conf` {{{
dhcp-host=02:99:88:77:66:55,set:persica,192.168.1.256,persica42,5m
# one dhcp-host line per host
dhcp-boot=tag:persica,grub/grubx64.efi,illustrious.thighhighs.top,192.168.1.12
}}} Note that things are a bit different here, we specify boot options per-host rather than at a subnet level like on Mikrotik
   * Run `pihole restartdns` after making changes

You should now be able to PXE boot the box. It'll get an address from DHCP, then hit the next-server for PXE executable which is `grubx64.efi`

Grub will download its menu from the TFTP server via baked-in path, which defines the kernel and initrd to download and execute. That's typically a Linux kernel, with cmdline options to start a kickstarted install. Kickstart will download its `kickstart.cfg` then the magic happens.

Now go put the right bits in the right places, you'll need a kernel and initrd at a minimum, then for auto installs you need a kickstart config (or Debian equivalent): [[PxeBooting#Putting_the_right_bits_in_the_right_places]]