[syslinux] PXELINUX booting delays with dual Ethernet ports

[Luciano Miguel Ferreira Rocha]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2006 at 10:05:44PM +0200, Ole Holm Nielsen wrote:
> Luciano Miguel Ferreira Rocha wrote:
> >> We're using PXELINUX for bootstrapping the network install our Linux cluster
> >> nodes.  We just got some new IBM 326m dual-Opteron servers with Broadcom
> >> NetXtreme BCM5780 dual-Gigabit Ethernet ports.
> >> 
> >> These dual-Ethernet servers work in an annoying way with PXELINUX when we
> >> configure for booting from the local hard disk as the PXE-client downloads
> >> this file from the DHCP/TFTP server:
> >> 
> >> label harddisk
> >>    localboot 0
> > 
> > That tells the bios to continue to the next device. If you want to force
> > harddisk boot, use chain.c32 instead. (chain hd0, i believe.)
> 
> Interesting observation !  This, however, contradicts the FAQ
> http://syslinux.zytor.com/faq.php which says:
>    On PXELINUX, specifying "LOCALBOOT 0" instead of a "KERNEL" option means
>    invoking this particular label will cause a local disk boot instead of
>    booting a kernel.

Right after, it says:
       The argument 0 means perform a normal boot.

This lead me to believe that the BIOS would just continue its boot,
leading to the attempt to boot via the second network interface.

> Could you kindly specify in exact detail the SYSLINUX configuration
> file for forcing an immediate boot from hard disk (say, Linux /dev/sda)
> in stead of the above "LOCALBOOT 0" ?  I find the FAQ too dense for my
> (lack of) understanding.

Hm... chain hd0? I said it in my last email. You'll have to place
chain.c32 in your tftpserver.

hd0 means the first hard-disk, according to the BIOS. I suppose it's
your /dev/sda, though it would depend on other disks you have and BIOS
ordering.

-- 
lfr
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