Collage automates node management by leveraging power controllers to automatically power on nodes, and PXE booting to automatically boot nodes without human intervention. Collage uses both of these technologies to manage nodes during discovery, inventory, allocation, failure, maintenance, recovery, and diagnostics.

Here's a high-level look at how Collage uses power controllers (in this case, Dell RAC) and PXE booting technologies during automatic node discovery and automatic node inventory.

1. You connect application nodes to the Collage network switches.
2. You reserve network addresses for Collage.
3. You configure the Dell RAC power controller for DHCP.
4. You configure application nodes to PXE boot in the BIOS.
5. In preparation for discovery, you make sure application nodes are connected to power but turned off, network switches are connected and turned on, and control nodes are up and running.
6. Collage detects a DHCP request from the Dell RAC power controller and validates that it's a Collage-supported power controller with a firmware version it can manage.
7. Collage issues an IP address to the Dell RAC power controller.
8. Collage requests a bootable NIC MAC address on the application node.
9. In response, the power controller powers on the application node and finds a bootable NIC MAC address.
10. In the Collage Controller, the application node shows up as a node in the Discovered Pool > Node List; the Dell RAC power controller shows up as a device in the Discovered Pool > Device List. As Collage intercepts other DHCP requests, more application nodes get discovered as previously described.
11. Application nodes in the Discovered pool are then PXE booted so Collage can inventory their hardware characteristics.