[syslinux] pxelinux tftp timeout

[David Halik]

>
> I'd check to see if somehting on the TFTP server was doing a reverse
> lookup on the hostname (ie for a log entry). From what you've said you
> don't appear to have reverse DNS for the hosts and if the server is
> trying to resolve client ip -> dns name for the logs that could be
> slowing things up. Jeremy
>
>   

It looks like I got a little farther with this, but it's still not 100%. 
First fix was adding the host to /etc/hosts on the TFTP server. That 
ensured that there was reverse and no DNS issues for that test machine. 
I was also able to turn on logging, and that's where the real problem 
showed itself. The TFTP server is instantly complaining to pxelinux with 
"File not found," but instead of moving onto the next choice pxelinux 
continues to try it for another three minutes. See below:

Thu May 22 15:10:44 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
/etc/tftpboot/pxelinux.0: success
Thu May 22 15:10:44 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
/etc/tftpboot/pxelinux.0: success
Thu May 22 15:10:44 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
pxelinux.cfg/01-00-1e-68-04-e6-70: File not found
Thu May 22 15:11:07 EDT last message repeated 3 times
Thu May 22 15:11:34 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
pxelinux.cfg/01-00-1e-68-04-e6-70: File not found
Thu May 22 15:12:26 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
pxelinux.cfg/01-00-1e-68-04-e6-70: File not found
Thu May 22 15:14:12 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
/etc/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A8E26A: success
Thu May 22 15:14:12 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
/etc/tftpboot/si-servant-centos5.1-4150-kernel: success
Thu May 22 15:14:13 EDT [tftpd_0:info]: <HOST>: read request for 
/etc/tftpboot/si-servant-centos5.1-4150-initrd.img: success

Now the question is, which machine is at fault here? It looks like the 
TFTP server is returning a proper failure, but I can't tell whether or 
not pxelinux is actually aware of it or listening to it. Any ideas?

-- 
================================
David Halik
System Administrator
OIT-CSS Rutgers University
dhalik at jla.rutgers.edu
================================