Apple Mac OS X Server (Administrator’s Guide) - Manual (Page 489)

NetBoot 489
m Location of server and client: NetBoot clients that require static IP addresses (NetBoot
1.0) must be located on the same subnet as the server, and there can be only one server
on that subnet serving static addresses.
m Number of Ethernet ports on the switch: Distributing NetBoot clients over multiple
Ethernet ports on your switch offers a performance advantage. Each port must serve a
distinct segment.
NetBoot Implementation
This section describes how NetBoot is implemented on Mac OS X Server—including
information on the protocols, files, directory structures, and configuration details that
support the NetBoot functionality.
NetBoot Image Folder
The NetBoot image folder contains the startup disk image file, a boot file that the firmware
uses to begin the startup process, and other files required to start up a client computer over
the network. A NetBoot image folder (NBI folder) is something like a package file (a folder
compressed into a file), except that the folder and its contents are uncompressed so that the
contents are readily visible. The name of a NetBoot image folder includes the suffix “.nbi”.
An NBI folder for Mac OS 9 (MacOS 9.2.2.nbi) is slightly different from an NBI folder for
Mac OS X (MacOSX.nbi) since the components required for startup are different. The
following tables describe the contents of each.
Mac OS X NetBoot image folder (MacOSX.nbi)
You use Network Image Utility to create a Mac OS X NBI folder. The utility lets you
m name the image
m choose the image type (NetBoot or Network Install)
m provide an image ID (not visible to users)
m choose the default language—English, French, German, or Japanese
m specify a default user name and password
File Description
booter Boot file
mach.macos.x UNIX kernel
mach.macosx.mkext Drivers
MacOSX.dmg System startup image file (may include application software)
NBImageInfo.plist Property list file