[syslinux] Problem with cascading configurations

[Malte Forkel]

Am 04.09.2019 um 22:18 schrieb Ady Ady via Syslinux:
>> I am trying to setup a PXE server for two Debian releases (stretch and
>> buster) using their respective network boot images (netboot.tar.gz),
>> which I extracted into subdirectories of the TFTP server's root directory:
>>
>>     ├── debian
>>     │   ├── buster
>>     │   │   ├── debian-installer
>>     │   │   ├── ldlinux.c32 ->
>> debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/ldlinux.c32
>>     │   │   ├── pxelinux.0 -> debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.0
>>     │   │   ├── pxelinux.cfg -> debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.cfg
>>     │   │   └── version.info
>>     │   └── stretch
>>     │       ├── debian-installer
>>     │       ├── ldlinux.c32 ->
>> debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/ldlinux.c32
>>     │       ├── pxelinux.0 -> debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.0
>>     │       ├── pxelinux.cfg -> debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.cfg
>>     │       └── version.info
>>     ├── pxelinux.0
>>     ├── pxelinux.cfg
>>     │   └── default
>>     ├── syslinux
>>     │   ├── ldlinux.c32
>>     │   ├── libutil.c32
>>     │   └── menu.c32
>>
>> The directory syslinux contains files copied from the host's package
>> syslinux-common. The host OS is Raspbian stretch.
>>
>> pxelinux.cfg/default looks like:
>>
>>     MENU TITLE PXE Remote Boot
>>     DEFAULT syslinux/menu.c32
>>     PROMPT 0
>>
>>     LABEL Debian_9_i386
>>         MENU LABEL Debian 9 Stretch Network Installer (i386)
>>         CONFIG debian/stretch/debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.cfg/default
>> debian/stretch/
>>
>>     LABEL Debian_10_i386
>>         MENU LABEL Debian 10 Buster Network Installer (i386)
>>         CONFIG debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.cfg/default
>> debian/buster/
>>
>> Booting Debian stretch on a PXE client works fine. But trying to boot
>> Debian buster results in an error:
>>
>>     Undef symbol FAIL: init_fpu
>>     Failed to load libcom32.c32
>>     Failed to load COM32 file
>> debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/vesamenu.c32
>>
>> Stretch and buster use incompatible versions of syslinux. And PXE is
>> requesting ldlinux.c32 before switching to the working directory
>> debian/buster specified by CONFIG. So instead of
>> debian/buster/ldlinux.c32, syslinux/ldlinux.c32 is used. Here is and
>> excerpt from the TFTP server's log:
>>
>>     in.tftpd[12160]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename /ldlinux.c32
>>     in.tftpd[12161]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename //syslinux/ldlinux.c32
>>     in.tftpd[12162]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename
>> /debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/pxelinux.cfg/default
>>     in.tftpd[12163]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename
>> /debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/menu.cfg
>>     ...
>>     in.tftpd[12184]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename
>> /debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/vesamenu.c32
>>     in.tftpd[12185]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename
>> /debian/buster/libcom32.c32
>>     in.tftpd[12186]: RRQ from 10.0.1.106 filename
>> /debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/libcom32.c32
>>
>> How do I have to configure PXE to make it use the "right" version of
>> ldlinux.c32?
>  
>  
> For troubleshooting, are you willing to perform a minor test?
>
> To be clear, the following test does not completely resolve a/the 
> (potential) conflict between Syslinux's versions, but perhaps it might 
> still improve the current situation.
>
> 1_ Copy (not link, not move, actual copy) the file:
>
>  debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/ldlinux.c32 
>
> to:
>
>  debian/buster/debian-installer/i386/ldlinux.c32 
>
> (where pxelinux.0 is actually located)
>
>
> 2_ Change the link, from:
>
>      ├── debian
>      │   ├── buster
>      │   │   ├── debian-installer
>      │   │   ├── ldlinux.c32 ->
>  debian-installer/i386/boot-screens/ldlinux.c32
>
>
> to:
>
>      ├── debian
>      │   ├── buster
>      │   │   ├── debian-installer
>      │   │   ├── ldlinux.c32 ->
>  debian-installer/i386/ldlinux.c32
>
> (where pxelinux.0 is actually located)
>
>
> 3_ After performing the above two steps, please re-test netbooting 
> Buster and report back.
>
> Any changes? Does it go further? Does it fail in the same exact manner 
> as before? Is the TFTP server's log exactly the same as before?
>
> Regards,
> Ady.
>
>
I'll happily run any test.

Relocating ldlinux.c32 as you suggested didn't have any visible effect
on the boot process. Error message and TFTP log entries are the same.

Thanks,
Malte