NetBoot

Not to be confused with Netboot.
NetBoot
Developer(s)Apple
Initial releaseJanuary 5, 1999 (1999-01-05)
Operating systemmacOS
Mac OS 9
Mac OS 8
Licenseproprietary
Websiteapple.com

NetBoot was a technology from Apple which enabled Macs with capable firmware (i.e. New World ROM) to boot from a network, rather than a local hard disk or optical disc drive. NetBoot is a derived work from the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP), and is similar in concept to the Preboot Execution Environment. The technology was announced as a part of the original version of Mac OS X Server at Macworld Expo on 5 January 1999.[1] NetBoot has continued to be a core systems management technology for Apple,[2] and has been adapted to support modern Mac Intel machines. NetBoot, USB, and FireWire are some of the external volume options for operating system re-install. NetBoot is not supported on newer Macs with T2 security chip[3] or Apple silicon.

  1. ^ "Apple Announces Mac OS X Server". Apple, Inc. 1999-01-05. Archived from the original on 25 October 2004. Retrieved 2010-08-12. NetBoot, a new feature which allows a network of Macs to be booted and configured from a single server
  2. ^ Ryan Faas (2007-09-11). "Hands on: Configuring Apple's NetBoot service". Computerworld. Retrieved 2010-08-12. Apple's NetBoot technology has been a staple part of Mac OS X Server since the latter's original release.
  3. ^ "Boot modes overview of Mac computers". Apple Support. Retrieved 2020-12-29.