Syslinux - Dec 2004 - SYSLINUX 3.00-pre1 released - RELEASE CANDIDATE

Okay, nothing like user mail at 3 am to keep one awake...

I have implemented a filename-based syntax for downloading from an 
alternate TFTP server in PXELINUX.  If the filename starts with
IP address:: it will:

a) Download from the alternate TFTP server;
b) Suppress the common pathname prefix.

I was considering also adding a configuration file option to set the 
default TFTP server, but I really would like to know:

1) How useful is that;
2) How should that interact with the pathname prefix feature.

Thus, I think that's a post-3.00 feature.

I probably will try to add a simple DNS resolver at some point, so one 
can use DNS names instead of IP addresses.  No promises, though.

3.00-pre1 is a release candidate build.  Please test it if you have a 
chance.

	-hpa

H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> Okay, nothing like user mail at 3 am to keep one awake...
>
> I have implemented a filename-based syntax for downloading from an 
> alternate TFTP server in PXELINUX.  If the filename starts with
> IP address:: it will:
>
> a) Download from the alternate TFTP server;
> b) Suppress the common pathname prefix.

might you consider a single colon ?
doing so would be consistent with NFS mounts, etc..

LABEL dosbootdisk
    kernel 192.168.0.1:memdisk
    append initrd=192.168.0.2:floppy.img

or is the difference a stand-in for that missing /tftpboot/ ??

Jim Cromie wrote:
> 
> might you consider a single colon ?
> doing so would be consistent with NFS mounts, etc..
> 
> LABEL dosbootdisk
>    kernel 192.168.0.1:memdisk
>    append initrd=192.168.0.2:floppy.img
> 
> or is the difference a stand-in for that missing /tftpboot/ ??
> 
No, the problem with colon is that DOS, Win or MacOS Classic all use the 
colon as part of their pathname syntax.

I was thinking about using a URL-like syntax, but decided it was a bit 
ambiguous: does

	tftp://192.0.2.1/foo/bar

... mean

192.0.2.1::/foo/bar

... or ...

192.0.2.1::foo/bar

Otherwise, how do you generate the second syntax?

	-hpa

H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> 
> I was thinking about using a URL-like syntax, but decided it was a bit 
> ambiguous: does
> 
>     tftp://192.0.2.1/foo/bar
> 
> ... mean
> 
> 192.0.2.1::/foo/bar
> 
> ... or ...
> 
> 192.0.2.1::foo/bar
> 
> Otherwise, how do you generate the second syntax?
> 
>     -hpa
Something like [mandatory protocol]://[mandatory address][:optional 
port]:[mandatory path] ??

tftp://192.0.2.1:/foo/bar
tftp://192.0.2.1:foo/bar

The two "::" can be used in IPv6 address (but not at the end of the 
address if I remember)...

-- 
RV

Herve Gautier wrote:
> 
> Something like [mandatory protocol]://[mandatory address][:optional 
> port]:[mandatory path] ??
> 
> tftp://192.0.2.1:/foo/bar
> tftp://192.0.2.1:foo/bar
> 
That would confuse people, plus, a single : in URL syntax is used to 
specify a port.
> The two "::" can be used in IPv6 address (but not at the end of
the
> address if I remember)...
True, but raw IPv6 addresses are generally enclosed in brackets (because 
: is used to specify ports.)

	-hpa

Herve Gautier wrote:
> 
> Something like [mandatory protocol]://[mandatory address][:optional 
> port]:[mandatory path] ??
> 
Oh right, I missed the [:optional port] here... this really makes it 
hard to parse, and adds even more ambiguity, especially if I ever add 
lookups for service records if they ever come into wide use.

	-hpa