[syslinux] problem and maybe bug in 2.08 and later with vmware 4.5.1

[H. Peter Anvin]

Peter Skogström wrote:
> I found a problem with pxelinux in 2.08 and 2.09pre13 when working with
> vmware 4.5.1 (the latest with builtin support fpr pxe-boot). With 2.07 and
> 2.01 it works without problems. But when trying the later versions there is
> trouble. I reach pxeboot.msg
> and it shows fine but when I try to choose an image it dosent give keyboard
> feedback (first I thought it had hanged) but after some testing it showed
> that it just dont give direct feedback until 300 sek (aprox) has gone. If I
> have made a correct choice, for example
> number 4 and return. After 300 sekunds the choice is showed and the loading
> start and finsishes without problem.
> Some real delays occuring here.
> 

Sounds like VMWare is incorrectly implementing the PXE UDP READ command
as a blocking command (it shouldn't be, it should be nonblocking.)

Newer versions of pxelinux execute the UDP READ command in the keyboard
loop to make sure that ARP requests are replied to.

Please file a bug report with VMWare.

	-hpa