[syslinux] Invalid or corrupt kernel image

[Heinz Haderer]

Hi,

I am trying to setup my own PXE boot server. I tried several PXE bootable Linux-Distributions.
For example if I use the ubuntu netboot image from [1] it works quit well but there are a few other images they do not work in my case e.g.: RIPLinuX [2]. A friend tested this image on his PXE boot server with success. I also checked the download with md5sum.

In my case I can see the boot menu [3]. If I want to boot the Linux system e.g. kernel32 I get the massage: Invalid or corrupt kernel image. 
I tried the tftp-hpa and atftpd without success. In both cases the same behavior.

Maybe syslog can help you to analyze the problem:

13:03:35 dnsmasq-dhcp[67]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx 
13:03:35 dnsmasq-dhcp[67]: DHCPOFFER(br0) 192.168.1.67 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx 
13:03:37 dnsmasq-dhcp[67]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.1.67 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx 
13:03:37 dnsmasq-dhcp[67]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.1.67 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx 
13:03:37 xinetd[238]: START: tftp pid=308 from=192.168.1.67
13:03:37 atftpd[308]: Advanced Trivial FTP server started (0.7)
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   started by inetd
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   logging level: 6
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   directory: /opt/tftpboot/
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   user: nobody.nogroup
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   log file: syslog
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   server timeout: 300
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   tftp retry timeout: 5
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   maximum number of thread: 100
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   option timeout:   enabled
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   option tzise:     enabled
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   option blksize:   enabled
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:   option multicast: enabled
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:      address range: 239.255.0.0-255
13:03:37 atftpd[308]:      port range:    1758
13:03:37 atftpd[310]: Serving pxelinux.0 to 192.168.1.67:2070
13:03:37 atftpd[310]: tsize option -> 26828
13:03:37 atftpd[310]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[311]: Serving pxelinux.0 to 192.168.1.67:2071
13:03:37 atftpd[311]: blksize option -> 1456
13:03:37 atftpd[311]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[312]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/80f8ccd0-db07-4681-3a3a-90e6ba1f434a to 192.168.1.67:49152
13:03:37 atftpd[312]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/80f8ccd0-db07-4681-3a3a-90e6ba1f434a not found
13:03:37 atftpd[312]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[313]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/01-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx to 192.168.1.67:49153
13:03:37 atftpd[313]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/01-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx not found
13:03:37 atftpd[313]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[314]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A80143 to 192.168.1.67:49154
13:03:37 atftpd[314]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A80143 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[314]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[315]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A8014 to 192.168.1.67:49155
13:03:37 atftpd[315]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A8014 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[315]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[316]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A801 to 192.168.1.67:49156
13:03:37 atftpd[316]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A801 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[316]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[317]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A80 to 192.168.1.67:49157
13:03:37 atftpd[317]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A80 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[317]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[318]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A8 to 192.168.1.67:49158
13:03:37 atftpd[318]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A8 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[318]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[319]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0A to 192.168.1.67:49159
13:03:37 atftpd[319]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0A not found
13:03:37 atftpd[319]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[320]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C0 to 192.168.1.67:49160
13:03:37 atftpd[320]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C0 not found
13:03:37 atftpd[320]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[321]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/C to 192.168.1.67:49161
13:03:37 atftpd[321]: File /opt/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/C not found
13:03:37 atftpd[321]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[322]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/default to 192.168.1.67:49162
13:03:37 atftpd[322]: tsize option -> 1942
13:03:37 atftpd[322]: blksize option -> 1408
13:03:37 atftpd[322]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[323]: Serving menu.c32 to 192.168.1.67:49163
13:03:37 atftpd[323]: tsize option -> 60928
13:03:37 atftpd[323]: blksize option -> 1408
13:03:37 atftpd[323]: Server thread exiting
13:03:37 atftpd[324]: Serving pxelinux.cfg/default to 192.168.1.67:49164
13:03:37 atftpd[324]: tsize option -> 1942
13:03:37 atftpd[324]: blksize option -> 1408
13:03:37 atftpd[324]: Server thread exiting
13:03:43 atftpd[325]: Serving kernel32 to 192.168.1.67:49165
13:03:43 atftpd[325]: tsize option -> 6140977
13:03:43 atftpd[325]: blksize option -> 1408
13:03:48 atftpd[325]: timeout: retrying...
13:03:53 atftpd[325]: timeout: retrying...
13:03:58 atftpd[325]: timeout: retrying...
13:04:03 atftpd[325]: timeout: retrying...
13:04:08 atftpd[325]: timeout: retrying...
13:04:13 atftpd[325]: client (192.168.1.67) not responding
13:04:13 atftpd[325]: Server thread exiting


Here you can see a few lines of pxelinux.cfg/default

DEFAULT menu.c32
PROMPT 0
MENU TITLE RIPLinuX 10.8

LABEL Boot Linux system! (32-bit kernel)
KERNEL kernel32
APPEND vga=normal initrd=rootfs.cgz root=/dev/ram0 rw

Regards,
Heinz

[1] http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/lucid/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/netboot.tar.gz
[2] http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/RIPLinux-10.8-non-X.PXE.zip
[3] http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/screenshot-1.png