[syslinux] PXE boot problem.

[Tony Heaton]

I've searched all the archives and can't find anything relating to my
problem.  I have a 128 node cluster.  Al NICS are Nvidia.  I have them
on a network with other machines.  I do PXE installs of Fedora on them.
These 128 nodes have a problem with the install.  The initial DHCP
requests get answered, the machine accepts and then the TFTP sequence
takes place.  The second DHCP request is sent and the server sees it and
answers.  The offer gets to the machine ( I've seen it with a tap on the
wire ).  The machine doesn't respond to the offer.  This happens about
99.9% or more of the time on all machines.  If I try and set the address
by statically I get the same behavior.  It appears the NIC is up but I
can't ping it but I occasionally see packets coming from it.  I have
another network that is very similar.  If I move the nodes to that
network the install works properly  Package/DHCP servers are set up
identically on both networks.  Each network has similar devices but not
identical.  The main router on the non-working network is an Extreme
Aspen.  The main router on the working network is a Cisco 6800.  One
problem I have is that the 128 nodes are all headless so I can't see any
logging information on the serial port during the install.  Any
suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

-- 
Tony Heaton
HPC-5
(505) 667-9015
theaton at lanl.gov

'But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably
the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their Future Security.' 
- United States Declaration of Independence