The Basics of Bare Metal Automation

The Core Components of Bare Metal Automation

1. Provisioning

Provisioning is the first step in bare metal automation, getting a server to boot and install an operating system. Common methods include PXE/iPXE network booting (the most widely used approach) and out-of-band media (when network booting isn’t feasible). At the heart of bare metal provisioning is DHCP, which directs servers to the right boot source. However, reliable automation requires more:

• A control/management network (isolated from production traffic for security and reliability)
• A bare metal control network (for out-of-band management via BMC/IPMI/Redfish)

Without these dedicated networks, automation becomes fragile and difficult to scale.

2. Configuring

Once a server is booted, the next step in bare metal automation is configuration for both hardware and OS. This involves:

• Out-of-band management (via IPMI/Redfish) for power control, firmware updates, and BIOS/RAID settings
• In-band configuration (via SSH, agents, or cloud-init) to finalize the OS setup

A key best practice is discovery first, install OSes later. Before committing to an OS, boot a lightweight discovery image to:

• Scan hardware (CPU, memory, disks)
• Validate firmware and RAID settings
• Apply OEM-specific configurations

This gives you full visibility and control before installation, reducing post-deployment surprises.

3. Group Management

Managing servers individually doesn’t scale. Bare metal automation must handle groups of machines efficiently. Digital Rebar enables this through:

• Server Pools – Treat bare metal like cloud resources, with automatic check-in/check-out, reservations, and resets.
• Clusters – Coordinate workflows across groups of machines (e.g., Kubernetes nodes, HA pairs). Clusters remain functional even when empty, making them ideal for dynamic environments.

This abstraction is important for large-scale automation, allowing operators to focus on the bigger picture rather than individual bare metal servers.

4. Managing Interactions

Bare metal automation isn’t just about machines. Instead, it’s also about how users and systems interact with them and the platform itself. Key features include:

• APIs – Allow external systems to request and manage resources programmatically
• Single Sign-On (SSO) – Secure access for operators without manual credential handling
• Pipelines – Connected workflows that tie together complex operations (e.g., discovery → RAID config → OS install → cluster join)

In the end, the goal is to minimize human intervention while maintaining full control.

5. Autonomics

The final layer is self-monitoring infrastructure. It’s important for a system to be able to be able to identify issues like configuration drift, hardware failures, and compliance issues.

When issues are detected, a system should be able to auto-remediate (reset, reinstall, or reconfigure) and alert operators (via internal dashboards or external tools like Grafana). This proactive approach ensures infrastructure stays compliant and available without manual oversight.

Digital Rebar, A Complete Bare Metal Automation Platform

Digital Rebar isn’t just another single-use tool. Rather, it’s an integrated system designed to handle every aspect of bare metal automation:

• Out-of-the-box, vendor neutral pipelines
• Customizable workflows that persist across upgrades
• Multi-vendor support, ensuring compatibility with any hardware or OS
• Advanced features like airgap, multi-site management, high availability, and more

Unlike fragmented solutions, Digital Rebar provides a standardized, API-driven approach that grows with your infrastructure.

Change the Game with Bare Metal Automation

Bare metal automation is more than provisioning. Instead, it goes beyond that to create a seamless, automated end-to-end lifecycle for physical infrastructure. By adopting an integrated platform approach, organizations can significantly reduce manual effort, improve scalability, and ensure compliance. In the end, you get a complete, standardized automation layer that lets you focus on delivering workloads instead of managing hardware.

Want to learn more? We recently published a piece on the best testing scripts for when you bring up bare metal. And if you’re ready to start transforming your bare metal operations today, book a demo with us.

Bare Metal Automation FAQs

How does bare metal automation differ from traditional methods?

Bare metal automation involves managing physical servers automatically, without manual intervention. Unlike traditional methods, which rely on patchwork scripts and tools, automation provides a systemic approach that streamlines provisioning, configuration, and maintenance. The result is faster and more reliable deployments.

Why is provisioning an important step in bare metal automation?

Provisioning is the first step in automating bare metal. Proper provisioning ensures that the server is correctly set up and that it’s prepared for the next configuration steps. Successful provisioning reduces the change of errors and inconsistencies.

How does group management work in bare metal automation?

Group management allows you to manage multiple servers at once, rather than individually. Tools like server pools and clusters make it easier to coordinate workflows across groups of machines.

How does autonomic monitoring enhance bare metal automation?

Autonomics refers to the system’s ability to self-monitor and auto-remediate issues. It handles problems like configuration drift, hardware failures, and compliance violations. Autonomics enhance bare metal automation proactively by detecting and resolving these problems without the need for manual intervention.