What technology would BEST allow an administrator to install operating systems to 1000 servers in the shortest time possible?

Using PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) technology is the best choice for installing operating systems to 1000 servers quickly. PXE allows a computer to boot and install an operating system over a network instead of relying on physical media like USB drives or hard disks. This is particularly advantageous in a scenario with a large number of servers.

When utilizing PXE, the server can send the necessary boot files to the client servers when they start up, allowing them to load the operating system image directly from the network. This method significantly reduces the time and effort involved in setting up each server individually, as all servers can be prepared and configured simultaneously, leveraging the network's bandwidth.

In contrast, other options like SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) and TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) primarily deal with file transfers and are not specifically designed for the mass deployment of operating systems. SFTP is more secure and reliable for transferring files but does not facilitate the server boot process. TFTP is a lightweight option that can transfer files but lacks the robustness and features essential for a larger-scale deployment compared to PXE.

The option of using USB drives would require manual intervention for each server, which would be time-consuming and inefficient when dealing with a deployment of this