[syslinux] EFI Reboot Timer

Patrick Masotta masottaus at yahoo.com
Sat Jan 16 01:28:31 PST 2016


>>>
I am working on setting up a global boot server that serves up files across the WAN. I am running into a 5 minute timer that is rebooting my hosts before they can complete the kernel and initrd file download.

The servers in questions are HP DL60s, and they use UEFI. I am using syslinux.efi version 6.03. They get the kernel file from the TFTP server in about 2 ½ minutes, then get 2 ½ more minutes into the download of the initrd file when the host reboots and starts over.

I see there is a 300 second timeout in pxelinux, but not sure if that applies to syslinux.efi as well.

Is there anything I can do from DHCP or the config file that will change that timeout so my downloads can complete? Or is there a way to have syslinux.efi use something other than TFTP to get the kernel/initrd files (FTP, HTTP, etc)? TFTP is inherently slow across the WAN since every packet has to be acknowledge before the next one can be sent.

Thanks,
Matt

--
Matt Bateman
Sr. Network Architect
XO Communications
503-972-6835

<<<

TFTP traffic over a WAN is never a good idea. 

You could set lpxelinux.0/syslinux.efi to download the kernel/initrd set by HTTP 

(from my experience this option is not as reliable as using TFTP with current 6.03 binaries) 

but your PXE clients will still need to transfer lpxelinux.0 or syslinux.efi by TFTP. 


On WAN scenarios is always better to locally PXE boot bootmanager/kernel/initrd and next 

download the rest of components by i.e. HTTP from wherever. 

Microsoft on their SCCM uses a "similar" strategy with their local DPs (Distribution Points) 


Best, 

Patrick



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