What does the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) enable?

The Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) is a network-based booting protocol that allows computers to boot up using the network instead of local storage devices like hard drives or SSDs. It is particularly useful for deploying operating systems across multiple computers on a network, especially in environments such as data centers or large organizations where managing each device individually would be impractical. By utilizing PXE, an administrator can configure networked computers to retrieve their boot files from a server, facilitating the installation of operating systems or recovery processes without requiring physical media.

This capability streamlines the deployment of systems and can significantly reduce the workload involved in installing software updates or new operating systems on numerous devices. Options related to remote media playback, local device configuration without network access, and enhanced graphics processing do not reflect the core functionality of PXE, which focuses specifically on network-based boot and configuration processes.