[syslinux] PXE + memdisk booting initrd=unattended/undis3c.imz

[Miller, Shao]

Good day Bernd,

In regards to your troubles booting your fetnd.imz:

Your /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default file looks fine, but if we were in
an art contest, I might suggest some indentation, as well as using the
latest available statements in Syslinux; namely, the INITRD statement:

#
# Do not edit this file, edit /etc/config.d/dhcpd
# Creation date: Tue Aug  4 23:41:36 CEST 2009

DEFAULT test
PROMPT 1
TIMEOUT 150
DISPLAY pxelinux.cfg/boot.msg
F1 pxelinux.cfg/boot.msg

LABEL test
  KERNEL unattended/memdisk
  INITRD unattended/fetnd.imz

Unfortunately, if appears that your /etc/config.d/dhcpd file actually
controls the /tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default file.  This is a
complication of the product you are using.  In trying to make it easy,
they may be hindering you slightly.

If you wanted to use your UNDI case, you'd do:

LABEL test
  KERNEL unattended/memdisk
  APPEND keeppxe
  INITRD unattended/fetnd.imz

If you want to try the "raw" option, it also belong on the APPEND line.

I'm not convinced that your clients are actually running PXELINUX at
all.  Could you please confirm?  Do your PXE-booting clients get a
PXELINUX "boot:" prompt?  Although you have "PROMPT 1", can you hold
down the <SHIFT> key and get a "boot:" prompt?  I say that I am not
convinced because I don't recall PXELINUX having messages like:

Loading unattended/memdisk...........
Loading unattended/fetnd.imz...........(This image works with this
network
card)
Ready.

Your publically-available box is down again.  If anyone reading this
mailing-list is taking it down, it's a good point to make that it's a
dangerous thing to do, but not necessary to take the box down.  However,
I doubt any of the fine folks here have any interest in doing such, so I
assume that you are changing things, Bernd.

If you could confirm that your clients are actually running PXELINUX at
all, that'd be great.


Geert:

I believe that MEMDISK is an exception to the rule of matching versions
with the Syslinux core.  MEMDISK is a Linux kernel format image and does
not rely on Syslinux in any way, but during compilation.  Version
mismatches should be ok, since MEMDISK can be booted from GRUB, for
example.  Your logic is sound, however, in general for troubleshooting.

- Shao Miller