During workstation re-provisioning, which key should be pressed at startup to boot via network?

Pressing F12 at startup is commonly the designated key for booting a workstation via the network. This key is part of the BIOS firmware or UEFI interface that allows users to select the boot device. When F12 is pressed, the user is typically presented with a boot menu where they can choose to boot from various devices, including a network option if one is configured.

Network booting, often referred to as PXE (Preboot Execution Environment), allows the workstation to boot directly from an operating system image hosted on a server. This is particularly useful for deployment scenarios, maintenance tasks, or which would improve efficiency in managing multiple devices within an organization.

Other keys such as F8, Delete, and Esc are typically associated with different functions during startup. For instance, F8 might be used for advanced boot options, Delete often accesses the BIOS/UEFI setup, and Esc can bring up a boot menu in some systems but does not specifically designate network booting. Therefore, F12 is the correct key for initiating a network boot during the workstation re-provisioning process.