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Tech riderRev. 21 Sept 2026

Grendel

Ch 116.8of 29 Bare Metal Provisioning Software
  1. 1Runs onAPI, Linux, self-hosted, Web
  2. 2CostsNot stated by the maker
  3. 3Bare-metal discoveryYes
  4. 4OS image deploymentYes
  5. 5PXE bootstrappingYes
  6. 6API accessYes
  7. 7Out-of-band managementYes
6 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: grendel.readthedocs.io
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The Grendel homepage

Overview

Grendel is ranked #11 of 29 in bare metal provisioning software on Specifiction. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web.

Compared on bare metal provisioning software

Bare-metal discovery
Yesgrendel.readthedocs.io
OS image deployment
Yesgrendel.readthedocs.io
PXE bootstrapping
Yesgrendel.readthedocs.io
API access
Yesgrendel.readthedocs.io
Out-of-band management
Yesgrendel.readthedocs.io

Facts

Purpose
Grendel is a bare-metal provisioning system for High Performance Computing Linux clusters.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Deployment
It supports DHCP/PXE/TFTP provisioning, DNS forward and reverse resolution, and automatic host discovery.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Provisioning modes
It supports diskful and stateless live-image provisioning.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Hardware control
It supports BMC/iDRAC control via RedFish and IPMI.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
API and interface
Its HTTP API powers both the command-line client and built-in Web UI.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Security
The TCP API listener uses token authentication with role-based access control; HTTPS is recommended for remote access.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Integration
Grendel can serve as a ClusterShell clush group source, using tags to filter nodes.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Installation
The documentation provides Linux tar.gz, deb and rpm packages, plus a container image.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Database persistence
Unless installed with an rpm or deb package, the database is in memory by default and changes are lost on restart unless disk persistence is configured.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
DNS limitation
Grendel is not a recursive DNS resolver; production deployments are recommended to run it behind a stub resolver such as unbound.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Intended users
The project describes its target as organizations that want to netboot a rack of servers, and assumes basic HPC, Linux and networking knowledge.grendel.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
Provisioning
It provides DHCP, PXE, TFTP, DNS, and HTTP services for provisioning Linux systems over a network.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Host discovery
It can discover hosts by querying a switch, snooping DHCP packets, reading a dhcpd.leases file, or importing a tab-delimited file.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Boot images
Grendel supports booting Linux kernel and initrd images, including LiveOS images.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Hardware management
It supports BMC and iDRAC control through RedFish and IPMI.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Access controls
The TCP listener uses token authentication and role-based access control, with built-in admin, user, and read-only roles.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
HTTPS
The API can use HTTPS when a key and certificate are configured, and provisioning over HTTPS and signed boot images are also documented.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Persistence limit
Unless installed from an rpm or deb package, its database is in memory by default and changes are lost on restart unless persistence is configured.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
DNS limit
Grendel is not a recursive DNS resolver; the production deployment guide recommends running it behind a stub resolver such as unbound.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026
Maker and use
Grendel is developed by the University at Buffalo Center for Computational Research and the docs say it runs CCR production clusters ranging from 200 to 1500 nodes.grendel.readthedocs.io · 3 Oct 2026

Company

Headquarters
Buffalo, NYgrendel.readthedocs.io · 28 Sept 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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