====== Command line ======

iPXE includes an interactive command line that can be used for manual booting and for diagnosing problems.  Commands can also be used as part of an iPXE [[:scripting|script]].

When iPXE starts up, you will see a welcome banner message:

    iPXE -- Open Source Network Boot Firmware -- http://ipxe.org
    Features: HTTP iSCSI DNS TFTP AoE FCoE TFTP COMBOOT ELF PXE PXEXT
    
    Press Ctrl-B for the iPXE command line...

If you press ''Ctrl-B'' at this point, you should reach the iPXE command line:

    iPXE>

{{ :screenshots:cmdline.png?360x200 |The iPXE command line}}

===== Manual booting =====

If your DHCP server is not configured to allow automatic booting, then you could use the iPXE command line to boot manually.  For example, you could obtain an IP address using the ''[[:cmd:dhcp]]'' command, then boot the iPXE demonstration image using the ''[[:cmd:chain]]'' command:

    iPXE> dhcp
    DHCP (net0 52:54:00:12:34:56).... ok
    iPXE> chain http://boot.ipxe.org/demo/boot.php

===== Diagnostics =====

You can use the iPXE command line to diagnose problems that are preventing you from booting successfully.  For example, you could check the IP address configuration provided by your DHCP server using the ''[[:cmd:route]]'' command:

    iPXE> dhcp
    DHCP (net0 52:54:00:12:34:56).... ok
    iPXE> route
    net0: 192.168.0.101/255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.0.1

===== Commands =====

You can use the ''[[:cmd:help]]'' command to show a list of all available commands.  Full documentation for each command is provided in the iPXE [[:cmd|command reference]].