Because of issues I was having with 2.4.5-23, I attempted to test the newer versions, including the testing version. None of the newer versions, using the same setup process, will properly hand an IP off to the clients booting in PXE mode. I took screenshots of each menu item and created a document to follow the process last year when I got it working. I suspect it's something to do with the client end? Because I can plug my laptop in and it will get an IP address from the DRBL server. Both server and client are mini embedded PCs with Intel 915 chipsets, dual NICs and Celeron-M processors. The switch is a simple 8 port unmanaged Netgear 10/100 switch. It only has the 2 devices plugged in. The DRBL host runs off a USB key created with Universal USB Installer and the ISO image and the clone images reside on a separate USB key. The clients are the same make and model as the host. They are set up in the bios to PXE boot on LAN2 before looking for any other boot sources. I use "LAN2" on each machine because Linux detects that one first and it shows up as ETH0. When I set up the host in Clonezilla Server mode, I pick static IP 192.168.100.1/255.255.255.0/192.168.100.254/8.8.8.8 and tell it not to configure the second Ethernet (no cable plugged in) and "No" that only PXE clients will connect and request IP addresses (No internet access and no external DHCP servers). With Wireshark running on my laptop (laptop DHCP'ed 192.168.100.3 from the server), I see a DHCP request from the client and a DHCP offer from the Server.. but these pairs of back and forth just occur about 8 times over 10 seconds, then the PXE boot on the client times out without getting a valid IP address.
I tried the i686 and i686-PAE versions of 2.5.1-7 testing, 2.4.7-7 stable and 2.4.6-7 stable. One time it actually did get an IP from the 2.4.7-7 i686-pae and got to the DRBL selection screen, but when the timer ran out, the screen went blank (awake, not in sleep) and never returned. After about half an hour of waiting, I powered it off and rebooted.
Rolling back to 2.4.5-23-i686-pae on the server but changing nothing else, the client gets an IP address within about 3 seconds and is able to run the image process. But, something in the OS causes the server to not want to reimage another batch of machines once the first batch completes, unless I reboot. (Yes, I close out the server and restart it between batches.)
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Tested "testing version 2.5.1-15" and get a different result. It gets an IP now and gets partway through the boot process, then fails.. Seems maybe the driver for the Ethernet port is missing from this version.
Because of issues I was having with 2.4.5-23, I attempted to test the newer versions, including the testing version. None of the newer versions, using the same setup process, will properly hand an IP off to the clients booting in PXE mode. I took screenshots of each menu item and created a document to follow the process last year when I got it working. I suspect it's something to do with the client end? Because I can plug my laptop in and it will get an IP address from the DRBL server. Both server and client are mini embedded PCs with Intel 915 chipsets, dual NICs and Celeron-M processors. The switch is a simple 8 port unmanaged Netgear 10/100 switch. It only has the 2 devices plugged in. The DRBL host runs off a USB key created with Universal USB Installer and the ISO image and the clone images reside on a separate USB key. The clients are the same make and model as the host. They are set up in the bios to PXE boot on LAN2 before looking for any other boot sources. I use "LAN2" on each machine because Linux detects that one first and it shows up as ETH0. When I set up the host in Clonezilla Server mode, I pick static IP 192.168.100.1/255.255.255.0/192.168.100.254/8.8.8.8 and tell it not to configure the second Ethernet (no cable plugged in) and "No" that only PXE clients will connect and request IP addresses (No internet access and no external DHCP servers). With Wireshark running on my laptop (laptop DHCP'ed 192.168.100.3 from the server), I see a DHCP request from the client and a DHCP offer from the Server.. but these pairs of back and forth just occur about 8 times over 10 seconds, then the PXE boot on the client times out without getting a valid IP address.
I tried the i686 and i686-PAE versions of 2.5.1-7 testing, 2.4.7-7 stable and 2.4.6-7 stable. One time it actually did get an IP from the 2.4.7-7 i686-pae and got to the DRBL selection screen, but when the timer ran out, the screen went blank (awake, not in sleep) and never returned. After about half an hour of waiting, I powered it off and rebooted.
Rolling back to 2.4.5-23-i686-pae on the server but changing nothing else, the client gets an IP address within about 3 seconds and is able to run the image process. But, something in the OS causes the server to not want to reimage another batch of machines once the first batch completes, unless I reboot. (Yes, I close out the server and restart it between batches.)
How about DRBL live 2.5.1-15?
http://drbl.org/download/
Any differences?
Steven
Tested "testing version 2.5.1-15" and get a different result. It gets an IP now and gets partway through the boot process, then fails.. Seems maybe the driver for the Ethernet port is missing from this version.
It's this PC http://www.lannerinc.com/products/all-purpose-box-computers/digital-signage/lec-7230
with Dual Intel i210AT NIC ports. I'm specifically using "LAN2" because Linux detects that as ETH0
So you have two ethernet cards? If so, when the 1st one timeout, DRBL should try the 2nd one. If you want to force to use one of them, you can use boot parameter "live-netdev" to assign that. Check:
http://clonezilla.org/fine-print-live-doc.php?path=./clonezilla-live/doc/99_Misc/00_live-boot-parameters.doc#00_live-boot-parameters.doc
Steven