[syslinux] A HowTo guide?

[Carl Karsten]

I have done a bit of what you want.

If the client box doesn't have pxe booting built in (bios)
you can make a pxe boot floppy: http://etherboot.sourceforge.net

PXE client talks to dhcp server, server sends back this filename:

# /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf
filename="pxelinux.0" ;

PXE client loads that file from tftp server:

root at shaz:/var/lib/tftpboot # ls pxelinux.0
pxelinux.0

And runs it.  pxelinux.0 gets pxelinux.cfg/default from tftp server and 
acts on it.

default menu = load menu.c32 from tftp and run, which gives the user a 
nice menu so that I don't have to remember what all is in this config. 
At this point, read the comments for each item.  The Ubuntu install is 
the closest thing to "boot a CD image" which isn't really what you want 
- I am guessing you want access to the whole CD, not just the boot part. 
  That can kind of be done buy loadiing up an OS that has networking and 
then have the CD files on a network file server.  I hear this has been 
discussed on this list - I am interested but don't need it anytime soon, 
so I didn't bother looking.

Enjoy,

Carl Karsten

ps, is there a wiki that things like this can be posted on?

root at shaz:/var/lib/tftpboot # cat pxelinux.cfg/default
# pxelinux.cfg/default

# display ubuntu-installer/i386/boot-screens/syslinux.txt
default menu
prompt 1
timeout 0
F1 pxelinux.cfg/default

label pxesmb
# SMB on pxe TCP/IP stack
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=smb/pxesmbboot.IMA keeppxe

label sbm-floppy
# smart boot manager - menu of all bootable devices on the local box
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=util/sbm.img

label menu
# makes a menu out of this file, allows editing the options on the client
         kernel menu.c32

label memtest86
# test memory of local box
         kernel memtest

label memtest86+
# a better version?
         kernel memtest1

label tomsrtbt
# Linux on one floppy (doesn't work with pxe - help?)
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=linux/tomsrtbt.raw pause

label linux
# ubuntu instaler
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append vga=normal initrd=ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz 
ramdisk_size=13318 root=/dev/rd/0 rw  --

label expert
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append DEBCONF_PRIORITY=low vga=normal 
initrd=ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=13318 root=/dev/rd/0 
rw  --
label server
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append base-config/package-selection= 
base-config/install-language-support=false vga=normal 
initrd=ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=13318 root=/dev/rd/0 
rw  --
label server-expert
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append base-config/package-selection= 
base-config/install-language-support=false DEBCONF_PRIORITY=low 
vga=normal initrd=ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=13318 
root=/dev/rd/0 rw  --

label linux-hands-off
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=12890 root=/dev/rd/0 rw 
preseed/locale=en_US kbd-chooser/method=us netcfg/wireless_wep= 
netcfg/choose_interface=eth1 netcfg/get_hostname= 
preseed/url=http://192.168.1.7/preseed.cfg vga=6 --

label server-ho
         kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
         append initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=12890 root=/dev/rd/0 rw 
preseed/locale=en_US kbd-chooser/method=us netcfg/wireless_wep= 
netcfg/get_hostname= preseed/url=http://192.168.1.7/preseed.server.cfg 
vga=6 --

label freedos
# um... some sort of dos that isn't M$.
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=floppy.img

label image
# hard disk imager, will burn multipe CD's on a local burner
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=BootItNG/image-exe.img

label dosimage
# hard disk imager, will burn multipe CD's on a local burner
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=BootItNG/dosimage.IMA

label proboot
# Intel Boot Agent Utility (wiats this?)
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=util/proboot.ima

label dell333b
# Intel Eather Express Pro (built into Dell V333), tcp/ip, smb
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=smb/dell333.img

label xpmsdos
# WinME, might read NTFS, dosn't boot from here.
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=util/xpmsdos.img pause

label w98ebd
# Win98 Emergancy Boot Disk - has drivers for all sorts of old CD's
# and a .cab uf handy utilities that get expanded into a ram disk.
         kernel memdisk
         append initrd=util/w98ebd.img