ONIE Cheat Sheet

Discover essential ONIE commands to enhance your networking skills. Perfect for both beginners and pros, start exploring now!

ONIE Cheat Sheet Commands

ONIE provides a flexible, scalable, and vendor-neutral solution for the installation and management of network operating systems on a variety of hardware platforms.

To assist you, we’ve created a comprehensive ONIE Cheat Sheet for your network or system management tasks. No more searching the internet for Linux commands—everything you need is right here. This cheat sheet will help you perform configuration tasks efficiently, much like other resources such as SONiC or ONiE Cheat Sheets.

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Configuration commands

onie-discovery-stop
onie-discovery-start
onie-nos-install
onie-sysinfo
onie-boot-mode
onie-boot-next
onie-bootreason-save
onie-syseeprom

This command stops the ONIE discovery process, which is used to discover and provision network operating systems
This command starts the ONIE discovery process, which searches for available network operating system images on the network
This command installs a network operating system image onto the system. This command requires the path to the NOS image file
This command displays system information such as the system manufacturer, model and serial number
This command displays the current boot mode of the system. The boot mode can be set to ONIE, GRUB, or the default boot mode for the installed NOS
This command sets the next boot image for the system. This cam be useful for switching between different operating systems or booting from image
This command saves the current boot reason for the system. This can be useful for diagnosing boot-related issues
This command used to display or update the ONIE system EEPROM information on a network switch running ONIE

Deprecated Commands

Old Command Name

New Command Name

ONIE

The command names listed here are deprecated.

They still exist but are simply symbolic links to the corresponding command listed above.

What is ONIE?

ONIE (Open Network Install Environment) is a boot loader used in many open network switches to install and boot network operating systems (NOS) or other software images. Here are some common ONIE commands used in the installation and management of network operating systems.

Core Features of ONIE (Open Network Install Environment)

Universal Boot Loader

ONIE acts as a universal boot loader for network switches, providing a standardized environment for network operating systems (NOS) installation.

NOS Agnostic

It is designed to be independent of any specific network operating system, enabling various NOS vendors to deploy their software on hardware platforms that support ONIE.

Discovery and Installation

ONIE includes a discovery mechanism to locate available network operating systems on the network or from local storage. It facilitates automated installation of the NOS.

Compatibility and Interoperability

It ensures compatibility and interoperability between different hardware platforms and network operating systems, fostering a diverse ecosystem of hardware and software solutions.

PXE Support

ONIE supports Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), enabling network-based installation of NOS from a remote server.

Flexible Installation Methods

It supports multiple installation methods including network installation via HTTP, FTP, or TFTP, and local installation from USB or other storage media.

Self-Destructive Install Environment

ONIE operates in a self-destructive manner, meaning once the network operating system is installed, ONIE removes itself, handing over full control to the installed NOS.

Hardware Abstraction

ONIE provides a layer of hardware abstraction, allowing network operating systems to be developed and deployed without needing deep knowledge of the underlying hardware specifics.

Extensible Architecture

Its architecture is designed to be extensible, allowing for the addition of new features and support for emerging technologies without requiring major changes.

Support for Various Hardware Platforms

ONIE is designed to support a wide range of network hardware platforms, ensuring broad applicability and adoption across different types of network devices.

Debug and Recovery Tools

It includes tools for debugging and recovering failed installations, providing a robust environment for troubleshooting and ensuring high availability.

Open Source

ONIE is an open-source project under the Open Compute Project (OCP), encouraging community contributions and continuous improvement through collaborative development.

Modular Design

The modular design of ONIE allows for easy updates and customization, enabling vendors to tailor the installation environment to their specific needs.

By integrating these core features, ONIE provides a flexible, scalable, and vendor-neutral solution for the installation and management of network operating systems on a variety of hardware platforms.

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