[syslinux] Cannot chain to another PXE server on the same subnet

[Gene Cumm]

On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Vieri <rentorbuy at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
>
> I have a Linux server at ip address 10.215.144.7 running DHCP, TFTP and syslinux.
>
> DHCP config contains the following:
>
> next-server 10.215.144.7;
> filename "/pxe/syslinux/pxelinux.0";
>
> and the 'default' pxelinux.cfg contains:
>
> LABEL altiris
>     MENU LABEL ^7. Altiris
>     COM32 pxechn.c32
>     APPEND 10.215.144.60::/BStrap/x86pc/BStrap.0
>
> When a PXE client boots in my network it loads the menu from 10.215.144.7.
> However, when the user selects menu item 7 the following message is displayed right after the "greeting message" from the second PXE server at 10.215.144.60:
>
> PXEPreZero: Invalid PXE Server list format
>
> Note that the server at 10.215.144.60 is running a proprietary PXE software (Altiris).
>
> Any ideas?
> How can I debug this?
>
> As a test, I modified my DHCP server at 10.215.144.7 and replaced the following line:
> next-server 10.215.144.60;
> (without specifying 'filename')
> and the PXE client seems to boot the Altiris menu correctly.
>
> So I don't know what I'm missing.

pxechn.c32 is documented in doc/pxechn.txt.  Its original impetus was
Microsoft Windows Server 2008R2's Windows Deployment Services (WDS)
that did not like being chainloaded.  It demanded that the PXE packets
be modified as if the client was only booted from the WDS server.  See
also doc/pxechn.txt under "NOTES".

I'd suggest trying:

LABEL altiris
    MENU LABEL ^7. Altiris
    COM32 pxechn.c32
    APPEND 10.215.144.60::/BStrap/x86pc/BStrap.0 -W

Otherwise, what other parameters are specified in your DHCP config
that may point to your other PXE system?

-- 
-Gene