Re: [Etherboot-developers] Thinking PXE compatibility thoughts....

[Peter L. <P.L...@sy...>]

> I just took a look at syslinux and all it really uses is are the PXE
> UDP functions, that are currently implemented for freebsd support.
> Though I believe it uses the 16bit API entry points.

There's actually no particular reason AFAICS that syslinux needs to use
pxe. It could be ported as an etherboot "menu module", to sit on top of
Etherboot's drivers so that people who want syslinux behaviour can have
a syslinux-in-firmware (which even has an IDE driver, dammit).

> So with a little care I think etherboot could implement pxe without
> many changes.  The task list would look like:
> 
> The todo list would be:
> - Working 16bit PXE/32bit PXE glue code.
> - Working raw download driver.
> - [optional] PXE hacked DHCP.
> - [optional] PXE TFTP.
> - [optional] PXE UNDI compatibility.

HPA has said that that the world needs a decent open source PXE
implementation, and I'm inclined to agree, though possibly not for the
same reasons.

I'd have said that UNDI is the most essential bit - that is why people
*want* PXE, I perceive - nic independent booting. They tend to use "PXE"
as shorthand for "nic independent network boot". They are looking for
"network in the BIOS", not a lecture on the ways in which PXE is broken.

> Just in case someone is ambitious or has worries about shipping a
> machine to someone who really wants PXE support.

I don't want PXE support as such  - I want open source firmware world
domination, and supporting PXE is an important step on that road.
Unbiased firmware which loads whatever environment is required to
support the OS is the aim; LinuxBIOS and Adam Sulmicki's PC BIOS work
can provide this for those who need an MS environments, and  EB with PXE
allows them to boot from the net.

The daft thing is that it should not be hard to provide even comitted MS
users with far *better* firmware than they get from the likes of Award,
and real choice about what sits on the mobo. And then, once open-source
code actually has control, the prospects are *really* interesting. :)