#Boot Commands

bootCommand types keystrokes into the VM's VNC console in order. Use it to drive boot loaders, ISO menus, and any pre-SSH setup.

bootCommand:
    - '<wait20>'
    - '<down><down><enter>'
    - '<wait>'
    - 'http://{{ .HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}/preseed.cfg'
    - '<enter>'

#Syntax

Each list element is a string mixing literal text with bracketed special tokens.

Token	Effect
`<enter>`, `<return>`	Enter key
`<tab>`	Tab
`<esc>`	Escape
`<bs>`, `<backspace>`	Backspace
`<del>`, `<delete>`	Delete
`<spacebar>`, `<space>`	Spacebar
`<up>`, `<down>`, `<left>`, `<right>`	Arrow keys
`<home>`, `<end>`, `<pageUp>`, `<pageDown>`	Navigation
`<insert>`	Insert
`<f1>` through `<f12>`	Function keys
`<wait>`	Wait 1 second (default)
`<wait5>`, `<wait20>`, `<waitNs>`	Wait N seconds
`<leftCtrlOn>x<leftCtrlOff>`	Press Ctrl, type `x`, release Ctrl
`<leftAltOn>`, `<leftShiftOn>`, etc.	Other modifiers (with matching `Off`)
Any other character	Typed literally

#Template variables

{{ .HTTPIP }} and {{ .HTTPPort }} are substituted before the keystrokes are typed. They point at Aileron's HTTP server (see httpDirectory).

#Common patterns

Wait for the boot menu, navigate to a menu item, type a URL:

bootCommand:
    - '<wait20>' # let GRUB appear
    - '<down><down><enter>' # navigate to "Advanced"
    - '<wait><down><down><enter>' # navigate to "Automated install"
    - '<wait70>' # let installer load
    - '<leftCtrlOn>a<leftCtrlOff>' # Ctrl+A to clear field
    - 'http://{{ .HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}/preseed.cfg'
    - '<enter>'

For Windows, the boot command typically just dismisses "Press any key to boot from CD" — a few <enter>s with short waits. Autounattend.xml on the floppy drives the rest of setup.