PXE boot not working

Y

Yamaki

Gawd
Joined
Dec 27, 2002
Messages
741
I'm trying to do a PXE boot from a diskless machine using notfred's guide (http://reilly.homeip.net/folding/diskless.html), but I'm having problems getting the DHCP server in tftpd32 to work.

On the server, it repeats:
Rcvd DHCP Discover Msg for IP 0.0.0.0, Mac 00:1A:4D:5B:2E:21 [18/02 08:27:31.406]
DHCP: proposed address 192.168.1.120 [18/02 08:27:33.265]
Rcvd DHCP Discover Msg for IP 0.0.0.0, Mac 00:1A:4D:5B:2E:21 [18/02 08:27:33.406]
DHCP: proposed address 192.168.1.120 [18/02 08:27:34.906]
Rcvd DHCP Discover Msg for IP 0.0.0.0, Mac 00:1A:4D:5B:2E:21 [18/02 08:27:37.421]
DHCP: proposed address 192.168.1.120 [18/02 08:27:39.265]
Rcvd DHCP Discover Msg for IP 0.0.0.0, Mac 00:1A:4D:5B:2E:21 [18/02 08:27:45.437]
DHCP: proposed address 192.168.1.120 [18/02 08:27:47.265]

The client uses nVidia Boot Agent 249.0542
It outputs:
DHCP.... (with /|\- going around at the end)

And eventually gives me an error: PXE-E51: No DHCP or proxyDHCP offers were received.

I can't tell what's going on here. It seems that either the client is refusing the IP addresses or the client and server just aren't communicating thoroughly.

Thoughts?

-Yamaki
 
What kind of router or switch are you using on your diskless folding setup?
 
Yama,

I had a bitch of a time getting my onboard NIC to work and settled for a PCI card that works fine. Not sure if that is the same error I had, but I wanted to throw the system out the window. Then a tried a $4 NIC and ta-da!

Hope this might help. I got a bit of a lead.... but If you get everything you have up you will catch me soon enough :p

 
Even though I am the diskless person here ... i have never used tftp ......

Hope your get it fixed ...

One reason I love the USB backup
 
EvilAlchemist said:
Even though I am the diskless person here ... i have never used tftp ......

Hope your get it fixed ...

One reason I love the USB backup
Click to expand...

I want to hit office depot and get a 3 pack of 32mb thumb drives for the diskless systems. :D
Get my useful ones out of the rigs :p
 
Kendrak said:
I want to hit office depot and get a 3 pack of 32mb thumb drives for the diskless systems. :D
Get my useful ones out of the rigs :p
Click to expand...


FYI - The Diskless CD was designed with 64 MB sticks or larger.
I would suggest using 128MB or above. I use 128MB.

The only flaw is that SMP client does not clean it self up.
 
Killer[MoB];1032077723 said:
What kind of router or switch are you using on your diskless folding setup?
Click to expand...
Gigafast Ethernet 10/100 8-port switch connecting all of my personal comps to the network. That switch is connected through the wall to a Linksys wired/wireless router. The only other comp on the network is my mom's, which I already set up to have a static IP (DHCP is disabled)
Kendrak said:
Yama,

I had a bitch of a time getting my onboard NIC to work and settled for a PCI card that works fine. Not sure if that is the same error I had, but I wanted to throw the system out the window. Then a tried a $4 NIC and ta-da!

Hope this might help. I got a bit of a lead.... but If you get everything you have up you will catch me soon enough :p

Click to expand...
I have a PCI NIC (picnic?!) that refuses to work. The port lights up, but "Local Area Connection 2" in windows isn't showing itself as connected. My onboard LAN does support PXE though, I'm pretty sure of that.
EvilAlchemist said:
Even though I am the diskless person here ... i have never used tftp ......

Hope your get it fixed ...

One reason I love the USB backup
Click to expand...
I tried the USB sticks and I couldn't get them to boot. My mobo supports it, but I'd always get a "Missing Operating System" error...I've tried numerous times to get it to work too. Maybe I'm just not doing something correctly?

-Yama
 
Yamaki said:
I tried the USB sticks and I couldn't get them to boot. My mobo supports it, but I'd always get a "Missing Operating System" error...I've tried numerous times to get it to work too. Maybe I'm just not doing something correctly?

-Yama
Click to expand...

Here is the trick.... Both Evil and myself run the cd version. If you have the usb stick in it back up to it, but no need to bang your head against the wall trying to get it to boot from the usb.

Use the CD, just make sure there is a usb stick in, boot and leave it be. Your backed up, no worries, and it's easy.

I got the same no OS BS for half a day. Just use the CD :)

 
if you have the usb sticks lying around ready, make sure you have usb boot set in your BIOS....most bios that i've had won't automatically add usb drives to the boot priority, but adding them manually tends to work fine.
 
Looks like its taking 1.5 to 2 seconds for the DHCP server to offer a IP. That time combined with any delays in the switch and/or router caused by the spanning tree protocol (or something else) could result in the PXE client to time out waiting on a response. If there are any options on the pxe client to increase the timeout period, that my help. The problem may be in the firmware/boot agent and may take a flash to fix if it was a common problem with your board.
You could also try connection both systems to just the switch or just a basic hub to see if the problem is in the router/switch setup you are using.
 
Kendrak said:
Here is the trick.... Both Evil and myself run the cd version. If you have the usb stick in it back up to it, but no need to bang your head against the wall trying to get it to boot from the usb.

Use the CD, just make sure there is a usb stick in, boot and leave it be. Your backed up, no worries, and it's easy.

I got the same no OS BS for half a day. Just use the CD :)

Click to expand...
It looks like I may have to resort to using the CD pretty soon. You see, my goal was to spend less money and have a small amount less power consumption by using only USB sticks....but since I can't get USB or PXE to work, it seems that the CD may be my only option left.
schenksmill said:
if you have the usb sticks lying around ready, make sure you have usb boot set in your BIOS....most bios that i've had won't automatically add usb drives to the boot priority, but adding them manually tends to work fine.
Click to expand...
It is set in BIOS as USB-HDD. I don't think the problem is that it doesn't see it as a boot device, rather that it does see it and the USB stick won't offer any bootable files. As to why this is happening, I have no idea.
Killer[MoB];1032079524 said:
Looks like its taking 1.5 to 2 seconds for the DHCP server to offer a IP. That time combined with any delays in the switch and/or router caused by the spanning tree protocol (or something else) could result in the PXE client to time out waiting on a response. If there are any options on the pxe client to increase the timeout period, that my help. The problem may be in the firmware/boot agent and may take a flash to fix if it was a common problem with your board.
You could also try connection both systems to just the switch or just a basic hub to see if the problem is in the router/switch setup you are using.
Click to expand...
I'll try that, thanks.

EDIT: Wow, all I had to do was increase the timeout and now it works! Thanks! I'm still having one problem though. It outputs:

wget: www.stanford.edu: Host name lookup failure
Failed to download the client from Stanford's website: [client URL]
Please double check your gateway and DNS information.
Gateway:
awk: /etc/resolv.conf: No such file or directory
DNS Servers:
_ [allows me to input text but none of it does anything, just scrolls to the next line when i hit enter, even if i put in my dns servers]

Any ideas?
 
Here is a suggestion:

Boot one system with the CD .... and use the Install to USB drives on boot

Taken from the Site"
"If you select the install option, if it finds any USB drives at boot, it will write a copy to the USB drive and also write a Master Boot Record making the USB drive bootable."

From what I understand, you can then remove the CD-Rom from the system and boot.

"Should" sovle the NO OS problem ..

 
Yamaki said:
wget: www.stanford.edu: Host name lookup failure
Failed to download the client from Stanford's website: [client URL]
Please double check your gateway and DNS information.
Gateway:
awk: /etc/resolv.conf: No such file or directory
DNS Servers:
_ [allows me to input text but none of it does anything, just scrolls to the next line when i hit enter, even if i put in my dns servers]

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Your DNS and gateway should be the IP of the computer you are using as your server. That's all I got.
 
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