[syslinux] advice wrt pxelinux & tftpd & dhcp

[H. Peter Anvin]

Jim Cromie wrote:
> 
> Ive got a mucho-kludgo (but working) setup where;
> 
> pxe-client boots an os-du-jour in runlevel 2,
> rc.2 runs a test-script that ends in a reboot,
> 
> meanwhile, on tftp-server host,
> a script watches the syslog, notes the arrival of an RRQ message for a 
> kernel,
> and runs a program to rewrite the pxelinux.cfg/default file so that
> it causes a different kernel to boot the next time.
> 
> This setup lets me cycle thru a set of kernels/configs and test them all.
> 
> The question is obvious;
> is there a better, more robust way to do this, using a combo of
> pxelinux, tftpd, and dhcp-server (on redhat box, but Ill get new 
> executables if needed)
> 

Well, the first thing to observe is that you probably shouldn't rewrite 
the default file, but rather change the host-specific configuration file.

I recently received a patch for tftp-hpa from Daniel Quinlan which 
allows tftp-hpa invoke an executable based on certain patterns.  I am 
currently considering his patch for inclusion; if so it'd probably be 
the "better way" that you're looking for.

	-hpa