[syslinux] pxelinux tftp timeout

[David Halik]

Michel-André wrote:
> try copying:
>
> /etc/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A8E26A
>
> to:
>
> /etc/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/01-00-1e-68-04-e6-70
>
>   

Sure, I could do that and it would work, but that's not fixing the 
problem. We don't run based on MAC addresses because we have hundreds of 
machines in clusters that we hot swap out often. IP in HEX allows us to 
not have to tweak the install environment when replacing a machine. So, 
yes, it would hit the MAC result, but then I would have to keep track of 
MACs for hundreds of machines, IP's are much easier.

> Also: why you put the tftp root directory in /etc?
>
>   

TFTP is not running on a standard *NIX environment, it's running on an 
NFS NetApp running OnTAP. /etc is their version of the system root for 
all the services. No real choice in the matter there.

I'm thinking that the issue is either that the NetApp TFTP server is not 
communicating back properly the "File not found" messages, or they're 
not reaching the pxelinux instance for whatever reason.

> Michel-André
> *************************************
>
> David Halik a écrit :
>   
>>> 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?
>>
>>   
>>     
>
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-- 
================================
David Halik
System Administrator
OIT-CSS Rutgers University
dhalik at jla.rutgers.edu
================================