Re: [Thinstation-general] Issue with fastboot

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After many more tests, I finally managed to get fastboot working.

As Elio Coutinho wrote in his last mail, I had to add the fastboot_url 
options to the append line in my pxelinux.cfg/default file.
BUT it didn't work with the web server's name : I had to use its IP 
Address. It seems that name resolution isn't ready at the time 
lib.squash should be downloaded.

However, it doesn't work if I activate this option in 
thistation.conf.buildtime, even with IP Address in place of server's 
name. I tried many syntaxes for the server's address (with or without 
quotes, with or without http:// at the beginning...). I can't understand 
why.

I have two more questions :
In build.conf file (comments to param fastboot), you talk about "squash 
lag". Does this option affect performances of clients ?

I noticed http (wget) loading of files is much more faster on my network 
than tftp (that's why I tried fastboot option). Maybe I should only have 
used the net_file_method=wget ? Does it work for initrd loading, or only 
for conf files, later ?

To summarize what I finally did (it could eventually be usefull for 
others) :
- Activate in build.conf :
param fastboot true

package autonet
(package networkmanager was already commented, and stays like this)

param initrdcmd "gzip -9"
(this option contained "squashfs" first, I found this on a forum (Don's 
advice that solved someone's issue with fastboot). I'm not sure it's 
usefull, but I didn't try back with "squashfs" since it works for me)

- In pxelinux.cfg/default :
add "FASTBOOT_URL=http://ip.of.web.server/" (without quotes) at the end 
of the APPEND... line
(put the lib.squash file in this place on the web server, of course.

Thanks for your help
E.T.

Le 19/05/2017 à 15:54, Don Cupp a écrit :
> Fastboot needs to know where to look to find the lib.squash. We tell 
> where by putting LM=# at the end of the kernel cmd line. I think 4 is 
> for PXE, but the cmd is updated with every build. You just need to 
> copy the pxelinux.cfg with every build in addition to vmlinuz, initrd 
> and lib.squash
>
>
> On Friday, May 19, 2017 5:45 AM, Eric Trezel <eri...@un...> 
> wrote:
>
>
> Hi,
>
> Le 19/05/2017 à 13:03, Elio Coutinho a écrit :
> > On my experience, that usually means you didn't include support for
> > your network card. Make sure you have the needed module on the machine
> > list.
> >
>
> This is not my case. I made the tests with the same PC I use for all my
> thinstation tests, for a long time.
> I only changed fast boot options in conf files.
> I looked at net conf on the client after boot (I launched busybox on
> tty2 and used ifconfig) : everything was OK)
> Just for the record : I also tested with autonet rather than netwokmanager
>
> E.T.
>
> > Elio
> >
> >
> > On 19-05-2017 10:31, Eric Trezel wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I discovered a fastboot option, and I'm trying to enable it on my
> >> thinstation server.
> >> I activated "param fastboot true" in build.conf, and put lib.squash in
> >> tftpboot dir.
> >> But it just doesn't work :
> >> At client boot, I got this message :
> >> mount : /tmp/lib.squash: failed to setup loop device : no such file or
> >> directory
> >>
> >> (just before that, I got an error message from cp, just as when you 
> type
> >> a wrong cp command)
> >>
> >> Then no such device or directory messages about /etc/rc.2 and rc.5, and
> >> finally "can't run '/sbin/agetty' : no such file or directory" infinite
> >> looping message.
> >>
> >> I tried adding a fast_boot_url option in thinstation.conf.buildtime,
> >> pointing to a web server, with no more luck (exactly the same behaviour
> >> at client boot).
> >>
> >> I can't see no request for lib.squash in tftp server log (tail -f
> >> /var/log/syslog during client boot).
> >>
> >> I tried to activate package autonet too, with no more result, though
> >>
> >> What am I missing ? Could someone explain me the correct way to make it
> >> work ?
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks for your help
> >> E.T.
> >>
> >
>
> -- 
> Eric Trezel
> -----------
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-- 
Eric Trezel
-----------
Technicien de maintenance informatique
Direction du Système d'Information
Université de Limoges
123 Av. Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex
Tél : 05 87 08 08 41
Num de poste : 38 41
Accueil : 05 87 08 08 00
Web : http://www.unilim.fr/