[syslinux] pxelinux, pxe requesting bad filename from tftp

Geert Stappers stappers at stappers.nl
Fri Feb 8 10:48:25 PST 2008


On Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 02:50:14PM +0000, Rek Jed wrote:
> Hey,

Hello mailinglist,

> I have a problem booting certain machines with pxelinux.  I have
> pxelinux.0 in the root of my tftp server and dhcp pointing to the right
> location:
> 
> # dhcpd.conf
> authoritative;
> option domain-name "example.net";
> ddns-update-style none;
> default-lease-time 3600;
> max-lease-time 86400;
> 
> subnet 10.0.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
>     range 10.0.0.3 10.0.0.20;
>     server-name "DHCPjumpstart";
>     option routers 10.0.0.1;
>     option domain-name-servers 10.0.0.1;
> 
>     # pxelinux
>     filename "pxelinux.0";
>     option bootfile-name "pxelinux.0";
> 
>     option tftp-server-name "10.0.0.1";

an IP address as name is odd  (but that is not the problem now)

>     next-server 10.0.0.1;
> }
> 
> Some machines boot as expected but some cannot find the boot file in
> tftp and exit with TFTP error, file not found.   Tcpdump shows the
> following:
> 
> 13:06:06.062260 IP 10.0.0.9.2070 > 10.0.0.1.tftp:  33 RRQ
> "pxelinux.0M-^?" octet blksize 1456
> 13:06:06.062271 IP 10.0.0.9.2070 > 10.0.0.1.tftp:  33 RRQ
> "pxelinux.0M-^?" octet blksize 1456
> 
> The requested filename seems to have some garbage appended to it.  This
> is on an old Dell optiplex GX1 with a 3com NIC.  Below is an output from
> booting an IBM box with an intel NIC  that works as expected:
> 
> 13:18:22.289320 IP 10.0.0.18.2070 > 10.0.0.1.tftp:  32 RRQ "pxelinux.0"
> octet blksize 1456
> 13:18:22.289332 IP 10.0.0.18.2070 > 10.0.0.1.tftp:  32 RRQ "pxelinux.0"
> octet blksize 1456
> 
> I also tried this on a sokeris box (http://www.soekris.com/net5501.htm)
> which has VIA VT6105M 10/100 Mbit interfaces and this time it was
> looking for "pxelinux." and also failed.
> 
> I used exactly the same setup on all 3 machines and I'm quite confused
> now.  What can I be doing wrong?

Euh, doing something for the first time can't hardly be doing something wrong.
(in other words: this E-mail will not tell you that you did something wrong)

What I read in the posting is that there are 3 clients (Dell, IBM & Soekris)
And there is a server at address 10.0.0.1. And there might be a fifth
computer, the one doing the tcpdump.

I think, it is the (DHCP)server that is doing strange things.

To check the DHCP server I would run on a client in one session
a DHCP client program and in another session dhcpdump[1]


> Many thanks,

Yes, feedback is allways welcome.

Cheers
Geert Stappers

[1] http://packages.debian.org/lenny/dhcpdump




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