FreeCAD is, you guessed it, free. That's not the best thing about it, though. With a range of parametric 2D and 3D tools, FreeCAD makes it easy to generate results quickly and efficiently. The software is only let down by its basic interface that is far from intuitive, especially for beginners. Having said that, if you only need a CAD application now and then and don't need any advanced features, then FreeCAD is the best solution by far.

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However, I don't always have the latest updated version of the installation ISOs, and I'm unable to create a copy of a bare-metal installation in the same way. And after wearing out one too many USB drives through repeated reflashing of different operating systems, it's time for a better way for my home lab.

The solution is rather elegant, involving the setup of a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) server that stores the ISO files, allowing my client devices to boot from them over the network. I've been playing around with three different variations on how this can be handled, and I'm keeping two of them, because having easy access to bootable media is invaluable.