etherboot-users — Discussion of user issues

Re: [Etherboot-users] Re: Re: Realtek rtl8169 not working

[Timothy L. <tl...@ro...>]

Bruno Cesar Ribas wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 30, 2005 at 02:54:45AM -0200, Bruno Cesar Ribas wrote:
> 
>>Timothy Legge wrote:
>>
>>>It looks like there have been some updates to the linux version of the 
>>>driver that include mac versions.  It looks like I will need to pull 
>>>that in.  Give me a few days.
> 
> 
>>I did a diff between the linux 2.4.21 driver and a current 2.6.13 driver 
>>and the result is not pretty.  The diff is 3 times the size of the 
>>driver.  ;-)
> 
> 
>>It will take a bit to separate what exactly is needed.  Since I don't 
>>have a copy of your card, it will take more time.  Feel free to contact 
>>me off list if you can provide a sample.
> 
> 
> Hi Tim,
> 
> Would you like some help to code rtl8169 stuff? I do need it working round here, and i think i might be able to provide some help coding the drive.
> 
> Bruno

Bruno

Have you tried the latest update from cvs?  I updated the driver about 5 
weeks ago to address new linux driver changes.

Tim

[Etherboot-users] Re: Re: Realtek rtl8169 not working

[Bruno C. R. <bru...@gm...>]

On Fri, Dec 30, 2005 at 02:54:45AM -0200, Bruno Cesar Ribas wrote:
>Timothy Legge wrote:
>> It looks like there have been some updates to the linux version of the 
>> driver that include mac versions.  It looks like I will need to pull 
>> that in.  Give me a few days.

>I did a diff between the linux 2.4.21 driver and a current 2.6.13 driver 
>and the result is not pretty.  The diff is 3 times the size of the 
>driver.  ;-)

>It will take a bit to separate what exactly is needed.  Since I don't 
>have a copy of your card, it will take more time.  Feel free to contact 
>me off list if you can provide a sample.

Hi Tim,

Would you like some help to code rtl8169 stuff? I do need it working round here, and i think i might be able to provide some help coding the drive.

Bruno


>Tim

>> 
>> Tim
>> 
>> Alexander Martins Silva wrote:
>> 
>>>             Hi Tim,
>>>
>>>          I cant to give you this information now because im not at 
>>> work, but the cards have the same chip realtek. One is a Planet ENW 
>>> 9605 and the second is Encore *ENL832-GB/ENLGA-1320.
>>>
>>>                   Alexander.
>>> *
>>> Timothy Legge wrote:
>>>
>>>> Alexander Martins Silva wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>       I've got a serious problem with network cards with the Realtk 
>>>>> 8169s/8101 chipset. With two differents cards I couldnt etherboot a 
>>>>> client machine, with the same error message: "Searching server 
>>>>> (DHCP)...No IP Address", but works when I use a machine with a 
>>>>> different network card (nvidia2). What's happening? The r8169 drive 
>>>>> dont work for the rtl8169? Someone got the same problem?
>>>>>
>>>>>        Thanks is advance,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hi
>>>>
>>>> Please provide the PCI ids for the card.
>>>>
>>>> Tim

-- 
Bruno Ribas - ri...@uf...

[Etherboot-users] Re: Re: Realtek rtl8169 not working

[Bruno C. R. <ri...@uf...>]

>Timothy Legge wrote:
>> It looks like there have been some updates to the linux version of the 
>> driver that include mac versions.  It looks like I will need to pull 
>> that in.  Give me a few days.

>I did a diff between the linux 2.4.21 driver and a current 2.6.13 driver 
>and the result is not pretty.  The diff is 3 times the size of the 
>driver.  ;-)

>It will take a bit to separate what exactly is needed.  Since I don't 
>have a copy of your card, it will take more time.  Feel free to contact 
>me off list if you can provide a sample.

Hi Tim,

Would you like some help to code rtl8169 stuff? I do need it working round here, and i think i might be able to provide some help coding the drive.

Bruno


>Tim

>> 
>> Tim
>> 
>> Alexander Martins Silva wrote:
>> 
>>>             Hi Tim,
>>>
>>>          I cant to give you this information now because im not at 
>>> work, but the cards have the same chip realtek. One is a Planet ENW 
>>> 9605 and the second is Encore *ENL832-GB/ENLGA-1320.
>>>
>>>                   Alexander.
>>> *
>>> Timothy Legge wrote:
>>>
>>>> Alexander Martins Silva wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>       I've got a serious problem with network cards with the Realtk 
>>>>> 8169s/8101 chipset. With two differents cards I couldnt etherboot a 
>>>>> client machine, with the same error message: "Searching server 
>>>>> (DHCP)...No IP Address", but works when I use a machine with a 
>>>>> different network card (nvidia2). What's happening? The r8169 drive 
>>>>> dont work for the rtl8169? Someone got the same problem?
>>>>>
>>>>>        Thanks is advance,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hi
>>>>
>>>> Please provide the PCI ids for the card.
>>>>
>>>> Tim
-- 
Bruno Ribas - ri...@uf...

[Etherboot-users] Re: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions (AoE)

[Hermann G. <eth...@mr...>]

On Wednesday 28 December 2005 12:00, Marty Connor wrote:
> The 3C905x with a LanWorks boot ROM does something like this (I think
> it's a different key combination).
>
> I think they must save some information to the Flash EEPROM BOOTROM,
> unless they are actually writing to the tiny serial EEPROM on card.
> Does anyone know for sure?  Not all cards have this, and some (the
> Intel EEPRO100 comes to mind) might need extra help to do this.

i have used such 3com cards with plain EPROM, and it was possible to
change the settings for the MBA code; so this info MUST be saved in=20
the little serial eeprom. (eprom is not writeable)

what i not know for sure:=20
where is the info about the selected interface of the card is saved
(3com combos with AUI, BNC and TP)
and where is the mac ad. saved (relativly sure also in the s. eeprom)

btw: a completly other questions:
are there any active bounties for features in etherboot?
(a want to spend some money! ;-)

mfg hermann

[Etherboot-users] RE: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions (AoE)

[James H. <jam...@be...>]

> On Dec 22, 2005, at 6:09 PM, James Harper wrote:
> > I'm (slowly) working on AoE (ATA over Ethernet) support, using
> > Etherboot
> > as a base.
>=20
> Neat.  I hope it's something we can integrate into Etherboot.

Yes. That's the idea :)

>=20
> > The idea is that when the rom executes first, it gives a 'hit ctrl-a
> > (?)
> > for setup' message and if the key combination is hit, enters into a
> > setup screen. Assuming that it is set to be active, it installs the
> > int19 handler and returns control to the O/S. (PnP obviously behaves
a
> > bit differently but same sort of thing)
>=20
> The 3C905x with a LanWorks boot ROM does something like this (I think
> it's a different key combination).
>=20
> I think they must save some information to the Flash EEPROM BOOTROM,
> unless they are actually writing to the tiny serial EEPROM on card.
> Does anyone know for sure?  Not all cards have this, and some (the
> Intel EEPRO100 comes to mind) might need extra help to do this.

I think I mentioned in a previous email that to be AoE compatible, maybe
we add a function to each driver to get and set config space. It would
be nice to have a way of doing auto-configuration, but I can't yet
imagine how. Maybe an extension to the AoE spec is in order...

> > The int19 handler then probes drives and assuming a drive is found
for
> > this machine, installs an int13 handler and then boots.
>=20
> Sounds plausible.

Good :)

> > At the moment I'm stuck in that when the rom vector is called, I
> > want to
> > call 32 bit code to run the setup etc (setup will need to be able to
> > probe drives etc so it needs to pretty much have the whole show
> > running). This much works, but I can't get it to return properly to
> > the
> > operating system... things hang at this point :(
>=20
> Michael Brown is head hacker, and he's distracted by other work right
> now.  There are probably other folks on the list who can answer the
> question better than I can.
>=20
> Michael highly recommends the use of Bochs, and Open Source x86
> emulator which he has used extensively for the development of
> Etherboot.  I have also used it, and it is impressive.
>=20
> It might make it easier for your to develop and test things.  The
> hardest part is getting it set up, since you have to do some
> networking magic to get the routing right, since it's a virtual
> machine.  I'm sure we can help you with that, though.

I'm already using Bochs for testing, that is the environment that I have
linux almost booting, and yes I agree that it makes testing _so_ much
easier. The network setup is actually much easier than you might think,
at least for the boot process, as all I have to do is run vblade
(virtual AoE device) against the tun/tap device, which keeps it off the
real network for testing.

I run Debian, and Bochs as packaged isn't compiled with the debugger
option. I recompiled it with the debugger option and it makes life so
much easier. The debugger is pretty primitive but I can still set
breakpoints and inspect memory etc so it does the job.

>=20
> We're gearing up for some serious Etherboot hacking in the next few
> months, so I hope you (and anyone else interested) will stick around.
>=20
> It's a funny analogy, but Open Source hacking is a little like
> surfing.  We wait for a wave, and we come out and ride it as long as
> we can.
>=20
> Right now, there are a number of us gearing up to hack.  We all have
> day jobs, and have to honor our other obligations, but it's great
> when we can work together on something that brings us joy and the
> satisfaction of doing.  I live for these times, and I work and save
> for them too.

I have 4 kids, 3 of them under 5. Not so much time to spend on such
things, so it makes sense to have a worthwhile project :)

> > <offtopic> Once I have an AoE int13 driver, which will be enough to
> > boot
> > DOS and bootstrap any O/S with a native AoE driver,
>=20
> I'm wondering if you could use Etherboot to boot PXELINUX, which
> would load MEMDISK (a DOS disk emulator), which would then load a DOS
> AoE driver?  You might want to check out:
>=20
>      http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/BootingMemdisk
>=20
> I think you can ignore all the mknbi stuff.  I you just want to get
> PXELINUX up and running, and let it load your floppy image.

This has been mentioned before, but I don't like it. In the environment
I am thinking of, it would be pure SAN. You would have an AoE hardware
storage device from coraid (http://coraid.org), and all servers would
use that. Using PXE would rely on a server already being up, which means
it would have to have its own disks.

> > I might take a deep
> > breath and have a crack at a Windows driver (the Linux driver
already
> > exists and is more than stable). There is a windows driver in the
> > pipeline, but I've had a look at a beta and it seems to come with a
> > huge
> > amount of overhead, and is almost certainly proprietry. I'm sure it
> > will
> > work great and probably perform a lot better than anything I can
> > come up
> > with, but I don't think is something that could be used as the
second
> > stage windows bootloader. </offtopic>
>=20
> Hopefully you'll have so much fun hacking Etherboot that you'll
> forget such thoughts ;-)
>=20
> I find hacking closed-source stuff to be much less interesting than
> in the old days.  It's neat to figure out what's going on inside the
> box and interface with it, but it often seems a hollow victory, since
> I am often operating one step removed from definitive information.

The windows driver would still be open sourced. The Microsoft driver
interface stuff is well documented, so it's not quite the reverse
engineering job you make out. But I see your point. I am writing
something that will interface to Etherboot. If there is something I need
changed in Etherboot to make it work for me I can suggest the change and
submit a patch. And (absolute worse case), if nobody likes my patch and
I can't work around it, I can take a copy of the Etherboot source and
fork it. With a closed source infrastructure you are pretty much stuck
with it.

>=20
> And thank you for your message.  I hope you keep going.  The next
> wave will be coming, and I hope you're riding it with us.
>

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Now that Christmas is behind us I
might have some time to get back into it.

James

[Etherboot-users] Re: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions (AoE)

[Marty C. <md...@et...>]

On Dec 22, 2005, at 6:09 PM, James Harper wrote:
> I'm (slowly) working on AoE (ATA over Ethernet) support, using =20
> Etherboot
> as a base.

Neat.  I hope it's something we can integrate into Etherboot.

> The idea is that when the rom executes first, it gives a 'hit ctrl-a=20=

> (?)
> for setup' message and if the key combination is hit, enters into a
> setup screen. Assuming that it is set to be active, it installs the
> int19 handler and returns control to the O/S. (PnP obviously behaves a
> bit differently but same sort of thing)

The 3C905x with a LanWorks boot ROM does something like this (I think =20=

it's a different key combination).

I think they must save some information to the Flash EEPROM BOOTROM, =20
unless they are actually writing to the tiny serial EEPROM on card.  =20
Does anyone know for sure?  Not all cards have this, and some (the =20
Intel EEPRO100 comes to mind) might need extra help to do this.

> The int19 handler then probes drives and assuming a drive is found for
> this machine, installs an int13 handler and then boots.

Sounds plausible.

> At the moment I'm stuck in that when the rom vector is called, I =20
> want to
> call 32 bit code to run the setup etc (setup will need to be able to
> probe drives etc so it needs to pretty much have the whole show
> running). This much works, but I can't get it to return properly to =20=

> the
> operating system... things hang at this point :(

Michael Brown is head hacker, and he's distracted by other work right =20=

now.  There are probably other folks on the list who can answer the =20
question better than I can.

Michael highly recommends the use of Bochs, and Open Source x86 =20
emulator which he has used extensively for the development of =20
Etherboot.  I have also used it, and it is impressive.

It might make it easier for your to develop and test things.  The =20
hardest part is getting it set up, since you have to do some =20
networking magic to get the routing right, since it's a virtual =20
machine.  I'm sure we can help you with that, though.

> A previous incantation was more or less working but was extremely
> hardcoded (no setup screen etc) and completely butchered Etherboot =20
> in a
> way that made a compile time option (eg make -DAOE_BOOT ne.zrom) an
> impossibility. It did almost boot linux though.

I'd like to see this work, and will help where I can.  I'm not as =20
skilled in the low-level interface as some, but I want to learn, and =20
am getting better in my understanding of it.  It's only a matter of =20
time.

> If anyone is intimate with the whole 16 bit / 32 bit thing and =20
> might be
> able to offer some assistance with the bug I'm having, I'd love to =20
> hear
> from you!!!

We're gearing up for some serious Etherboot hacking in the next few =20
months, so I hope you (and anyone else interested) will stick around.

It's a funny analogy, but Open Source hacking is a little like =20
surfing.  We wait for a wave, and we come out and ride it as long as =20
we can.

Right now, there are a number of us gearing up to hack.  We all have =20
day jobs, and have to honor our other obligations, but it's great =20
when we can work together on something that brings us joy and the =20
satisfaction of doing.  I live for these times, and I work and save =20
for them too.

> <offtopic> Once I have an AoE int13 driver, which will be enough to =20=

> boot
> DOS and bootstrap any O/S with a native AoE driver,

I'm wondering if you could use Etherboot to boot PXELINUX, which =20
would load MEMDISK (a DOS disk emulator), which would then load a DOS =20=

AoE driver?  You might want to check out:

     http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/BootingMemdisk

I think you can ignore all the mknbi stuff.  I you just want to get =20
PXELINUX up and running, and let it load your floppy image.

> I might take a deep
> breath and have a crack at a Windows driver (the Linux driver already
> exists and is more than stable). There is a windows driver in the
> pipeline, but I've had a look at a beta and it seems to come with a =20=

> huge
> amount of overhead, and is almost certainly proprietry. I'm sure it =20=

> will
> work great and probably perform a lot better than anything I can =20
> come up
> with, but I don't think is something that could be used as the second
> stage windows bootloader. </offtopic>

Hopefully you'll have so much fun hacking Etherboot that you'll =20
forget such thoughts ;-)

I find hacking closed-source stuff to be much less interesting than =20
in the old days.  It's neat to figure out what's going on inside the =20
box and interface with it, but it often seems a hollow victory, since =20=

I am often operating one step removed from definitive information.

> Thanks
> James

And thank you for your message.  I hope you keep going.  The next =20
wave will be coming, and I hope you're riding it with us.

Marty

>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: eth...@li...
> [mailto:etherboot-
>> dev...@li...] On Behalf Of Marty Connor
>> Sent: Friday, 23 December 2005 09:17
>> To: Etherboot Developers List
>> Cc: Etherboot Users List
>> Subject: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions
>>
>> Holiday Greetings to everyone!
>>
>> As it looks like I will finally have more time to actively work on
>> Etherboot again, I thought I'd write down some thoughts, and invite
>> conversation.  All ideas are welcome, so feel free to speak up.
>>
>> One of the most satisfying things about programming (or really any
>> collaborative activity) is talking to people who are interested in
>> it.  I've been programming for over 30 years now, and it is still =20
>> fun.
>>
>> So, I've been thinking quite a lot of late about what we can do to
>> make Etherboot better.
>> It's a hard question, because it immediately brings to mind the
>> questions:
>>
>>      better for who?
>>      better in what ways?
>>
>> For me, making Etherboot useful to people is important.  Most of the
>> things I've added to Etherboot have been because I felt they would
>> allow it to be useful to more people.
>>
>> At this point, however, I'm taking a hard look at Etherboot, and
>> thinking that I'd like to strip out some of the things that have been
>> added over the years.  Just as Mozilla spawned Firefox and
>> Thunderbird, I'd like to create GPXE from Etherboot.
>>
>> Basically, what I have in mind is to create a new module called gpxe,
>> and take Etherboot 5.4, and using it as a base, strip out things that
>> don't work, or aren't supported, or that no longer make sense for a
>> PXE-centric bootloader.
>>
>> 5.4 will continue to be actively maintained, of course, and there
>> have been some really nice contributions lately.  One reason to
>> create another module is because it's really hard to change Etherboot
>> without disrupting people who depend on one feature or another.
>>
>> Speaking of development, Michael Brown is going to be continuing work
>> on 5.5 in the not-too-distant future, which has a lot of nice
>> improvements and simplifications, and now seems like a good time to
>> work on gpxe.  Having Michael actively back in the development mix
>> will be great, as he knows the internals of Etherboot better than
>> anyone at present.
>>
>> I'd also like to find out who else is interested in actively
>> programming on Etherboot / GPXE.  Most of our programming is done by
>> a few people, and that's probably always going to be the case, just
>> because it's a rather specialized kind of work.  But I also think
>> that there might be some people who would like to learn, and if there
>> are, please let me know, or just join in the discussion.  Programming
>> bare-metal and close to the machine can be a lot of fun, and is very
>> educational.  I hope if you have an interest, you'll join this
>> conversation.
>>
>> Another thing that comes to mind is whether the separation between
>> Etherboot-Developers and Etherboot-Users still makes sense.  Given
>> rom-o-matic.net, I wonder if we should just have Etherboot-Discuss
>> for people interested in keeping up with the project, and Etherboot-
>> Announce for people who just want to know about new releases.
>> Etherboot-Developers has over 100 people on it, but only a handful
>> actively developing.
>>
>> So that's what's on my mind.  What's on yours?
>>
>> Let's get some conversation going, and see where it leads.
>>
>> Warmest Greetings of the Season to all,
>>
>> Marty
>>
>> --
>>      Try: http://rom-o-matic.net/ to make Etherboot images instantly.
>>
>>     Name: Marty Connor
>> US Mail: Entity Cyber, Inc.; P.O. Box 391827;
>>           Cambridge, MA 02139; USA
>>    Voice: (617) 491-6935; Fax: (617) 491-7046
>>    Email: md...@et...
>>      Web: http://www.etherboot.org/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------
>> This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc. Do you grep through =20=

>> log
>> files
>> for problems?  Stop!  Download the new AJAX search engine that makes
>> searching your log files as easy as surfing the  web.  DOWNLOAD
> SPLUNK!
>> http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=3D7637&alloc_id=3D16865&op=3Dclick
>> _______________________________________________
>> Etherboot-developers mailing list
>> Eth...@li...
>> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-developers
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
> This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc. Do you grep through =20
> log files
> for problems?  Stop!  Download the new AJAX search engine that makes
> searching your log files as easy as surfing the  web.  DOWNLOAD =20
> SPLUNK!
> http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_idv37&alloc_id=16865&op=3Dclick
> _______________________________________________
> Etherboot-developers mailing list
> Eth...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-developers

[Etherboot-users] (no subject)

[Petar I. <p_...@ho...>]

hi, I'm  having some trouble with recompiling a kernel and using mknbi to 
get it to boot over network with etherboot diskette...my etherboot works 
just fine but there is something going wrong after that....I recompiled a 
linux 2.4 kernel provided with damn small linux distrobution to include 
support for "root filesystem on NFS" "IP: kernel level autoconfiguration"  
"enable bootp support" "RARP support" and "DHCP support" and also provided 
kernel level support for boot clients NIC...I then run the command:
"mkelf-linux 
--ip=192.168.2.1:192.168.2.240:192.168.2.255:255.255.255.0:D1000 
bzImage-2.4.31 --output=kernel --rootdir=nfsroot"
and place the generated file "kernel" into the 
"c\tftpd32\knoppix\boot\isolinux" folder of the damn small linux 
distrobution which I am serving via DHCP to my bootclient off of a windows 
machine...I also have same folder exported via NFS as "/tftpboot/nfsroot" 
Upon bootup the kernel begins to load successfully but halts with the 
following error:

Looking up port of RPC 10003/2 on 192.168.2.240
VFS: Mounted root (nfs filesystem).
Freeing unused kernel memory: 148k freed
Warning: unable to open an initial console.
Kernel panic: No init found. Try passing init= option to kernel.

aslo, my NFS server displays the following information:

Mountd(v1): 192.168.2.1 requests mount of /tftpboot/nfsroot.
Mount request accepted.
09:43:16 (nfsv2) getattr(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX) ==> 16ms
09:43:16 (nfsv2) statfs(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX) ==> 15ms
09:43:16 (nfsv2) getattr(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX) ==> 0ms
09:43:16 (nfsv2) getattr(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX) ==> 0ms
09:43:16 (nfsv2) lookup(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX, dev) => [Not found]
09:43:16 (nfsv2) lookup(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX, sbin) => [Not found]
09:43:16 (nfsv2) lookup(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX, etc) => [Not found]
09:43:16 (nfsv2) lookup(C:\tftpd32\KNOPPIX, bin) => [Not found]
gc: XN-E=89% N=535872 O+=0

I try using the command:
"mkelf-linux init=kernel 
--ip=192.168.2.1:192.168.2.240:192.168.2.255:255.255.255.0:D1000 
bzImage-2.4.31 --output=kernel --rootdir=nfsroot"
and recieve the error: "init=kernel: file not found"

any feedback greatly appreciated.

[Etherboot-users] RE: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions (AoE)

[James H. <jam...@be...>]

I'm (slowly) working on AoE (ATA over Ethernet) support, using Etherboot
as a base.

The idea is that when the rom executes first, it gives a 'hit ctrl-a(?)
for setup' message and if the key combination is hit, enters into a
setup screen. Assuming that it is set to be active, it installs the
int19 handler and returns control to the O/S. (PnP obviously behaves a
bit differently but same sort of thing)

The int19 handler then probes drives and assuming a drive is found for
this machine, installs an int13 handler and then boots.

At the moment I'm stuck in that when the rom vector is called, I want to
call 32 bit code to run the setup etc (setup will need to be able to
probe drives etc so it needs to pretty much have the whole show
running). This much works, but I can't get it to return properly to the
operating system... things hang at this point :(

A previous incantation was more or less working but was extremely
hardcoded (no setup screen etc) and completely butchered Etherboot in a
way that made a compile time option (eg make -DAOE_BOOT ne.zrom) an
impossibility. It did almost boot linux though.

If anyone is intimate with the whole 16 bit / 32 bit thing and might be
able to offer some assistance with the bug I'm having, I'd love to hear
from you!!!

<offtopic> Once I have an AoE int13 driver, which will be enough to boot
DOS and bootstrap any O/S with a native AoE driver, I might take a deep
breath and have a crack at a Windows driver (the Linux driver already
exists and is more than stable). There is a windows driver in the
pipeline, but I've had a look at a beta and it seems to come with a huge
amount of overhead, and is almost certainly proprietry. I'm sure it will
work great and probably perform a lot better than anything I can come up
with, but I don't think is something that could be used as the second
stage windows bootloader. </offtopic>

Thanks

James
=20

> -----Original Message-----
> From: eth...@li...
[mailto:etherboot-
> dev...@li...] On Behalf Of Marty Connor
> Sent: Friday, 23 December 2005 09:17
> To: Etherboot Developers List
> Cc: Etherboot Users List
> Subject: [Etherboot-developers] Development directions
>=20
> Holiday Greetings to everyone!
>=20
> As it looks like I will finally have more time to actively work on
> Etherboot again, I thought I'd write down some thoughts, and invite
> conversation.  All ideas are welcome, so feel free to speak up.
>=20
> One of the most satisfying things about programming (or really any
> collaborative activity) is talking to people who are interested in
> it.  I've been programming for over 30 years now, and it is still fun.
>=20
> So, I've been thinking quite a lot of late about what we can do to
> make Etherboot better.
> It's a hard question, because it immediately brings to mind the
> questions:
>=20
>      better for who?
>      better in what ways?
>=20
> For me, making Etherboot useful to people is important.  Most of the
> things I've added to Etherboot have been because I felt they would
> allow it to be useful to more people.
>=20
> At this point, however, I'm taking a hard look at Etherboot, and
> thinking that I'd like to strip out some of the things that have been
> added over the years.  Just as Mozilla spawned Firefox and
> Thunderbird, I'd like to create GPXE from Etherboot.
>=20
> Basically, what I have in mind is to create a new module called gpxe,
> and take Etherboot 5.4, and using it as a base, strip out things that
> don't work, or aren't supported, or that no longer make sense for a
> PXE-centric bootloader.
>=20
> 5.4 will continue to be actively maintained, of course, and there
> have been some really nice contributions lately.  One reason to
> create another module is because it's really hard to change Etherboot
> without disrupting people who depend on one feature or another.
>=20
> Speaking of development, Michael Brown is going to be continuing work
> on 5.5 in the not-too-distant future, which has a lot of nice
> improvements and simplifications, and now seems like a good time to
> work on gpxe.  Having Michael actively back in the development mix
> will be great, as he knows the internals of Etherboot better than
> anyone at present.
>=20
> I'd also like to find out who else is interested in actively
> programming on Etherboot / GPXE.  Most of our programming is done by
> a few people, and that's probably always going to be the case, just
> because it's a rather specialized kind of work.  But I also think
> that there might be some people who would like to learn, and if there
> are, please let me know, or just join in the discussion.  Programming
> bare-metal and close to the machine can be a lot of fun, and is very
> educational.  I hope if you have an interest, you'll join this
> conversation.
>=20
> Another thing that comes to mind is whether the separation between
> Etherboot-Developers and Etherboot-Users still makes sense.  Given
> rom-o-matic.net, I wonder if we should just have Etherboot-Discuss
> for people interested in keeping up with the project, and Etherboot-
> Announce for people who just want to know about new releases.
> Etherboot-Developers has over 100 people on it, but only a handful
> actively developing.
>=20
> So that's what's on my mind.  What's on yours?
>=20
> Let's get some conversation going, and see where it leads.
>=20
> Warmest Greetings of the Season to all,
>=20
> Marty
>=20
> --
>      Try: http://rom-o-matic.net/ to make Etherboot images instantly.
>=20
>     Name: Marty Connor
> US Mail: Entity Cyber, Inc.; P.O. Box 391827;
>           Cambridge, MA 02139; USA
>    Voice: (617) 491-6935; Fax: (617) 491-7046
>    Email: md...@et...
>      Web: http://www.etherboot.org/
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> -------------------------------------------------------
> This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc. Do you grep through log
> files
> for problems?  Stop!  Download the new AJAX search engine that makes
> searching your log files as easy as surfing the  web.  DOWNLOAD
SPLUNK!
> http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=3D7637&alloc_id=3D16865&op=3Dclick
> _______________________________________________
> Etherboot-developers mailing list
> Eth...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-developers

[Etherboot-users] Development directions

[Marty C. <md...@et...>]

Holiday Greetings to everyone!

As it looks like I will finally have more time to actively work on  
Etherboot again, I thought I'd write down some thoughts, and invite  
conversation.  All ideas are welcome, so feel free to speak up.

One of the most satisfying things about programming (or really any  
collaborative activity) is talking to people who are interested in  
it.  I've been programming for over 30 years now, and it is still fun.

So, I've been thinking quite a lot of late about what we can do to  
make Etherboot better.
It's a hard question, because it immediately brings to mind the  
questions:

     better for who?
     better in what ways?

For me, making Etherboot useful to people is important.  Most of the  
things I've added to Etherboot have been because I felt they would  
allow it to be useful to more people.

At this point, however, I'm taking a hard look at Etherboot, and  
thinking that I'd like to strip out some of the things that have been  
added over the years.  Just as Mozilla spawned Firefox and  
Thunderbird, I'd like to create GPXE from Etherboot.

Basically, what I have in mind is to create a new module called gpxe,  
and take Etherboot 5.4, and using it as a base, strip out things that  
don't work, or aren't supported, or that no longer make sense for a  
PXE-centric bootloader.

5.4 will continue to be actively maintained, of course, and there  
have been some really nice contributions lately.  One reason to  
create another module is because it's really hard to change Etherboot  
without disrupting people who depend on one feature or another.

Speaking of development, Michael Brown is going to be continuing work  
on 5.5 in the not-too-distant future, which has a lot of nice  
improvements and simplifications, and now seems like a good time to  
work on gpxe.  Having Michael actively back in the development mix  
will be great, as he knows the internals of Etherboot better than  
anyone at present.

I'd also like to find out who else is interested in actively  
programming on Etherboot / GPXE.  Most of our programming is done by  
a few people, and that's probably always going to be the case, just  
because it's a rather specialized kind of work.  But I also think  
that there might be some people who would like to learn, and if there  
are, please let me know, or just join in the discussion.  Programming  
bare-metal and close to the machine can be a lot of fun, and is very  
educational.  I hope if you have an interest, you'll join this  
conversation.

Another thing that comes to mind is whether the separation between  
Etherboot-Developers and Etherboot-Users still makes sense.  Given  
rom-o-matic.net, I wonder if we should just have Etherboot-Discuss  
for people interested in keeping up with the project, and Etherboot- 
Announce for people who just want to know about new releases.   
Etherboot-Developers has over 100 people on it, but only a handful  
actively developing.

So that's what's on my mind.  What's on yours?

Let's get some conversation going, and see where it leads.

Warmest Greetings of the Season to all,

Marty

-- 
     Try: http://rom-o-matic.net/ to make Etherboot images instantly.

    Name: Marty Connor
US Mail: Entity Cyber, Inc.; P.O. Box 391827;
          Cambridge, MA 02139; USA
   Voice: (617) 491-6935; Fax: (617) 491-7046
   Email: md...@et...
     Web: http://www.etherboot.org/

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Tim F. <ti...@pa...>]

On Thu, 2005-12-22 at 11:42 +0000, Adam Retter wrote:
> Thanks, Tim - yes I would be very interested. At the moment I am using
> the standard Windows DHCP server that is part of our Active Directory...

I have had it working off an active directory only system but I can't
actually remember anything about setting it up sorry.

> I could set up a local linux dhcp though that just responds to the MAC
> of the machine I am trying to get Windows installed on...
> 
> Would love to see your config for DHCPD...

The cutdown version of our dhcpd.conf file can be found here, I have cut
out most of the unnecessary stuff that was in there and just left in out
2 boot options that we use.

File is here: http://parrswood.manchester.sch.uk/~tim/dhcpd.conf.cutdown

-- 
Tim Fletcher
Learning Technologies Manager - Parrs Wood High School

ti...@pa...

Tel: 0161 445 8786

Tim Fletcher
C/O Parrs Wood High School
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 5PG

RE: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Timothy L. <tim...@al...>]

Hi

It seems to me that there was an issue with Windows DHCP/RIS.  If I
recall correctly, there may have been two places (options) to define the
boot file.

Tim=20

> -----Original Message-----
> From: eth...@li...=20
> [mailto:eth...@li...] On=20
> Behalf Of Adam Retter
> Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 7:42 AM
> To: Tim Fletcher
> Cc: eth...@li...
> Subject: Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?
>=20
> Thanks, Tim - yes I would be very interested. At the moment I=20
> am using the standard Windows DHCP server that is part of our=20
> Active Directory...
>=20
> I could set up a local linux dhcp though that just responds=20
> to the MAC of the machine I am trying to get Windows installed on...
>=20
> Would love to see your config for DHCPD...
>=20
> cheers Adam.
>=20
> On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 19:54 +0000, Tim Fletcher wrote:
> > On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 13:03 +0000, Adam Retter wrote:
> > > I am slightly confused as to whether Etherboot supports=20
> RIS or not=20
> > > and I have read conflicting accounts on different webpages.
> > >=20
> > > I have tried many different ROM compilation settings for making=20
> > > bootable ISO's. Boot with no sucess so far, I understand that it=20
> > > seems most likely I have to set the options -
> > >=20
> > > PXE_DHCP_STRICT
> > > ZPXE_SUFFIX_STRIP
> > >=20
> > > However when I boot the Etherboot image I keep getting=20
> the message=20
> > > "no filename in DHCP packet..."
> > >=20
> > > Can anyone tell me simply whether this is possible or not=20
> and if so=20
> > > what am I missing?
> >=20
> > I regularly use etherboot to install windows via PXE, I use a plain=20
> > vanilla etherboot 5.4 snapshot (current cvs) with a Linux isc dhcp=20
> > server. I can supply the config file if that helps too.
> >=20
> > Which software are you using as a DHCP server? as the error you are=20
> > seeing indicates that the dhcp server isn't telling the=20
> client which=20
> > file to get form the tftp server.
> >=20
>=20
>=20
> -------------------------------------------------------
> This SF.net email is sponsored by: Splunk Inc. Do you grep=20
> through log files for problems?  Stop!  Download the new AJAX=20
> search engine that makes searching your log files as easy as=20
> surfing the  web.  DOWNLOAD SPLUNK!
> http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=3D7637&alloc_id=3D16865&op=3Dclick
> _______________________________________________
> Etherboot-users mailing list
> Eth...@li...
> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/etherboot-users
>=20

**********************************************************************
This E-mail message (including attachments, if any) is intended for the use=
 of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain infor=
mation that is privileged, proprietary, confidential and exempt from disclo=
sure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any diss=
emination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohib=
ited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the s=
ender and erase this E-mail message immediately.=20

Le present message electronique (y compris les pieces qui y sont annexees, =
le cas echeant) s'addresse au destinataire indique et peut contenir des ren=
seignements de caractere prive ou confidentiel. Si vous n'etes pas le desti=
nataire de ce document, nous vous signalons qu'il est strictement interdit =
de le diffuser, de le distribuer ou de le reproduire. Si ce message vous a =
ete transmis par erreur, veuillez en informer l'expediteur et le  supprimer=
 immediatement.

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Alexander H. <mai...@gm...>]

> Would love to see your config for DHCPD...

try this:
http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~ukhi/ris/dhcpd.conf

Cheers
Alex

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Adam R. <ada...@de...>]

Thanks, Tim - yes I would be very interested. At the moment I am using
the standard Windows DHCP server that is part of our Active Directory...

I could set up a local linux dhcp though that just responds to the MAC
of the machine I am trying to get Windows installed on...

Would love to see your config for DHCPD...

cheers Adam.

On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 19:54 +0000, Tim Fletcher wrote:
> On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 13:03 +0000, Adam Retter wrote:
> > I am slightly confused as to whether Etherboot supports RIS or not and I
> > have read conflicting accounts on different webpages.
> > 
> > I have tried many different ROM compilation settings for making bootable
> > ISO's. Boot with no sucess so far, I understand that it seems most
> > likely I have to set the options -
> > 
> > PXE_DHCP_STRICT
> > ZPXE_SUFFIX_STRIP
> > 
> > However when I boot the Etherboot image I keep getting the message "no
> > filename in DHCP packet..."
> > 
> > Can anyone tell me simply whether this is possible or not and if so what
> > am I missing?
> 
> I regularly use etherboot to install windows via PXE, I use a plain
> vanilla etherboot 5.4 snapshot (current cvs) with a Linux isc dhcp
> server. I can supply the config file if that helps too.
> 
> Which software are you using as a DHCP server? as the error you are
> seeing indicates that the dhcp server isn't telling the client which
> file to get form the tftp server. 
> 

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Tim F. <ti...@pa...>]

On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 17:19 -0600, Carl Karsten wrote:
>  > server. I can supply the config file if that helps too.
> 
> Please post what you have at
> 
> http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/SampleConfigs

I'll strip the config down and comment it before I upload it

> If you don't have an account: http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/AddingContent

I do have an account from a while ago, I'll dig up the details

-- 
Tim Fletcher
Learning Technologies Manager - Parrs Wood High School

ti...@pa...

Tel: 0161 445 8786

Tim Fletcher
C/O Parrs Wood High School
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 5PG

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Carl K. <ca...@pe...>]

 > server. I can supply the config file if that helps too.

Please post what you have at

http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/SampleConfigs

If you don't have an account: http://wiki.etherboot.org/pmwiki.php/Main/AddingContent

^Carl Karsten

Re: [Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Tim F. <ti...@pa...>]

On Wed, 2005-12-21 at 13:03 +0000, Adam Retter wrote:
> I am slightly confused as to whether Etherboot supports RIS or not and I
> have read conflicting accounts on different webpages.
> 
> I have tried many different ROM compilation settings for making bootable
> ISO's. Boot with no sucess so far, I understand that it seems most
> likely I have to set the options -
> 
> PXE_DHCP_STRICT
> ZPXE_SUFFIX_STRIP
> 
> However when I boot the Etherboot image I keep getting the message "no
> filename in DHCP packet..."
> 
> Can anyone tell me simply whether this is possible or not and if so what
> am I missing?

I regularly use etherboot to install windows via PXE, I use a plain
vanilla etherboot 5.4 snapshot (current cvs) with a Linux isc dhcp
server. I can supply the config file if that helps too.

Which software are you using as a DHCP server? as the error you are
seeing indicates that the dhcp server isn't telling the client which
file to get form the tftp server. 

-- 
Tim Fletcher
Learning Technologies Manager - Parrs Wood High School

ti...@pa...

Tel: 0161 445 8786

Tim Fletcher
C/O Parrs Wood High School
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 5PG

Re: [Etherboot-users] etherboot and pxelinux working together

[Jason K. <ja...@cs...>]

Carl Karsten wrote:
>  > especially since the PXE client is in the BIOS, and there is no control
>  > over it.   I wonder if I might be able to insert etherboot somehow
> 
> Not sure what you can/cant do, so...
> 
> Is replacing/flashing the nic PXE eprom an option?

Probably not.

> Is replacing/flashing the motherboard BIOS eprom an option?

Probably not.

Just FYI, in both cases, most boards are directly Intel 865 or Intel 915 
boards.

> Is disabeling the nic PXE boot and booting something (like grub or 
> etherboot) from the HD an option?

Yes.  However, I think this means that I lose the ability to talk to the 
boot server and determine the state that the machine should be in.

Jas.

Re: [Etherboot-users] etherboot and pxelinux working together

[Carl K. <ca...@pe...>]

 > especially since the PXE client is in the BIOS, and there is no control
 > over it.   I wonder if I might be able to insert etherboot somehow

Not sure what you can/cant do, so...

Is replacing/flashing the nic PXE eprom an option?

Is replacing/flashing the motherboard BIOS eprom an option?

Is disabeling the nic PXE boot and booting something (like grub or etherboot) from 
the HD an option?

^Carl K

[Etherboot-users] etherboot and pxelinux working together

[Jason K. <ja...@cs...>]

I have a question that I was hoping someone might be able to help me with.

I have a computer lab where groups of computers can be in either Linux 
mode/Windows mode at any particular time.  I would like to be able to 
control the operating system that will load when the machines boot.  I 
am able to do this with pxelinux alone since all of the machines support 
PXE, and by dynamically adjusting the configuration file on the server, 
I can adjust which operating system will be booted when the machine is 
turned on or restarted.

Unfortunately, while my solution seems to be the most basic, and it 
definately works, there's a real problem that I'm trying to solve. 
Going fully the PXE route means that a student could unplug one of our 
machines from our network, plug it into their laptop, and send a rogue 
pxelinux.0 with configuration for doing nasty things like formatting the 
hard disk.  Unfortunately, the problem is that there is no way to 
authenticate the image that is sent from PXE to ensure that it is from 
the intended server.  This is where (I hope) etherboot comes into the 
picture.

At present, PXE loads pxelinux.0 which loads the appropriate 
pxelinux.cfg file, and there is no authentication at any point, 
especially since the PXE client is in the BIOS, and there is no control 
over it.   I wonder if I might be able to insert etherboot somehow into 
this sequence in such a way that etherboot would be able to authenticate 
that the PXE module actually came from our server, and then boot it.... 
  Please pardon my sketchiness...
(I also note that there is a method for doing this directly with 
syslinux and comboot modules, but unfortunately, I can't find the 
details I need (at this time) to write the module I would need, so I'm 
looking for alternatives that might be more "out of the box").

Jason.

[Etherboot-users] Does Etherboot support RIS via. PXE?

[Adam R. <ada...@de...>]

I am slightly confused as to whether Etherboot supports RIS or not and I
have read conflicting accounts on different webpages.

I have tried many different ROM compilation settings for making bootable
ISO's. Boot with no sucess so far, I understand that it seems most
likely I have to set the options -

PXE_DHCP_STRICT
ZPXE_SUFFIX_STRIP

However when I boot the Etherboot image I keep getting the message "no
filename in DHCP packet..."

Can anyone tell me simply whether this is possible or not and if so what
am I missing?

Thanks

-- 
Adam Retter

Devon Portal Developer

Devon Portal Project
County Hall
Exeter
Devon
EX11 1PU

t: 01392 38 3683
f: 01392 38 2966
e: ada...@de...
w: http://www.devonline.gov.uk

[Etherboot-users] Can't remove install windows 2000

[Alex_Chiang <ale...@at...>]

Hi all

 

           I used D-link 530 TX NIC card, and want to remove install windows
200. But it had problem. It show error message "NTLDR is corrupt. System
can't boot".

I use ethereal to see the ether packets. When I want to download the fourth
file "\setup\chiness\Images\win2000\i386\templates\ntldr" is wrong, it send
"\setup\chiness\Images\win2000\i386\templates\" to sever. And in the same
environment, windows XP and windows 2003 is success installed.

 

Etherboot version: 5.4.1

NIC card: D-link 530 TX

Sever: windows 2003 sever and install RIS

 

Any ideas?
 
Thank you in advance,

 

ALEX


-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.

[Etherboot-users] Linux Toys II

[Timothy L. <tl...@ro...>]

Hi All

I just saw a new book "Linux Toys II : 9 Cool New Projects for Home,
Office, and Entertainment" that has a LTSP chapter and includes
information about Etherboot (5.4.0) and Rom-o-matic.  I only skimmed it
but the chapter seemed complete.  I hear from Jim McQuillan that he had 
a hand in the editing.

The amazon link is

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764579959/002-8394267-2886434?v=glance&n=283155

Tim

[Etherboot-users] Not found ethernet card on intel 82562ez

[Oleg <ol...@ko...>]

Hello.
I have m/b ASUS P5GD1-VM with integrated ethernet controller on intel 82562ez.
I make floppy for up this card with eepro100.zrom (etherboot 5.4.1).
But ethernet card not found this bootroms.
Tell me, please, this card worked with current version etherboot?

-- 
With respect, Oleg.

Re: [Etherboot-users] Using Etherboot with alternate BOOTP/DHCP ports

[Cristian M. <cri...@on...>]

Cristian Mitrana wrote:
>  hello,
> 
>  I'm trying to use a second DHCPD server for some LTSP stations and I 
> don't want to disturb the already existing dhcp setup. So I modified in 
> src/Config and enabled the option to use the 1067/1068 port for the 
> newly created ethernet boot files.
> [..]

  FWIW, I solved this issue by invoking dhcpd with '-p 1067' command 
line arguments, regardless of the 'local-port' option in the dhcpd.conf. 
Now Etherboot gets the necessary info and loads the NBI file.


mitu

[Etherboot-users] Using Etherboot with alternate BOOTP/DHCP ports

[Cristian M. <cri...@on...>]

  hello,

  I'm trying to use a second DHCPD server for some LTSP stations and I 
don't want to disturb the already existing dhcp setup. So I modified in 
src/Config and enabled the option to use the 1067/1068 port for the 
newly created ethernet boot files.
   I boot using a zlilo file and I see that the client sends the right 
dhcp request (on port 1067) and the dhcpd server sends back a dhcp offer 
with the right fields (next-server, filename, client address, routers, 
etc), but Etherboot reports 'No IP address' and the boot process cannot 
continue.
  I set up the second dhcpd server (ISC v3.0.2) with 'local-port 1067' 
in dhcpd.conf and since it offers a DHCP lease for Etherboot this 
clearly works.
   I cannot see the reason Etherboot does not see the dhcp response 
(offer) and is not taking it into consideration, is there anyting else 
the dhcpd server must send back ?

  tia,

mitu