[syslinux] pxelinux

[Gene Cumm]

On Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 7:28 AM, Geert Stappers <stappers at stappers.nl> wrote:
> Op 20081108 om 19:35 schreef Fedorov:
>> Hello!  I already for a long time use Tftpd32. On new motherboard such
>> as   Gigabyte   GA-P35-S3   having   built  in  network  card  Realtek
>> RTL8111B/8111C  I  have  a  problem  loading.  At  loading  the loader
>> pxelinux  there  is  a menu and after a choice of item there is a full
>> lag. Thus on a server appears such log:
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>                      Connection received from 172.15.207.71 on port 57102
>> [08/10 14:53:07.181] Read  request  for  file  <MEMTEST.>  Mode octet
>> [08/10 14:53:07.191] OACK:  <tsize=111864,>
>> [08/10 14:53:07.191] Using local port 2751
>> [08/10 14:53:07.191]
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Has  tried  every possible options Tftpd32. Has tried various versions
>> Tftpd32 and pxelinux. Loading does not work. And if to put in PCI slot
>> other  network  card  for example Intel100 from it all normally works.
>> How solve problem?
>
> The great trick to solve problems, is to get a good description of the problem.
>
> Right now is the only thing that I understand from the problem,
> that there is workaround with using another Network Interface Card.
>
> But I don't know why that works.
>
> I _could_ assume that the other NIC does have a bootROM,
> but that is for me not the right way to go.
>
> Please provide more information.
>
>
> Cheers
> Geert Stappers

Network cards built into the motherboard sometimes (maybe often or
always) get their PXE boot ROM from the motherboard BIOS.  I know that
in working at the organization I work at, I've seen numerous old
systems (manufactured 1999-2002) which don't work as well as current
ones and by upgrading to the last BIOS release for these systems, they
either work completely or at least acceptably.

What motherboard BIOS version are you running?  Is it current?  With
the PXE boot ROM, what version is it?  What model is the PCI NIC
(Intel e100 is only the family)?  If it has a PXE boot ROM (which it
sounds like it does), who made it and what version is it?  Is it built
into the card (implying an Intel MBA) or is it an add-in ROM?

Just to verify what you're doing and what happens, it sounds like you
have PXELINUX loading properly, PXELINUX selects a configuration file.
 At this point are you loading menu.c32 (or something similar) or do
you just have the "boot: " prompt?  You select your boot choice and it
then does nothing.  Using an add-in PCI NIC (presumably with a PXE
boot ROM) and its PXE boot ROM, everything works and your boot choice
executes properly.

Have you considered using a utility like Wireshark to capture packets
and watch what happens on the network?

-Gene