Syslinux - Nov 2014 - Windows PE booting without chainloading ipxe

Adding an option for initrdfile= boot argument to be ignored by wimboot worked
just fine.
They can add this patch, which is probably most sane, or syslinux could add the
INITRDFILE configuration option instead of having to append the option for
linux.c32

   wimboot-2.4.0/src/cmdline.c @ Line ~107
             } else if ( key == cmdline ) {
                        /* Ignore unknown initial arguments, which may
                         * be the program name.
                         */
                } else if ( strcmp( key, "initrdfile") == 0 ) {
                        /* Ignore this to make this kernel work with sylinux */
                } else {
                        die ( "Unrecognised argument
\"%s%s%s\"\n", key,
                              ( value ? "=" : "" ), ( value
? value : "" ) );
                }

I can now boot Windows 8.1 Enterprise PE with Sysinux :)

Luke.


-----Original Message-----
From: Luke Ledgerd 
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 1:10 PM
To: 'syslinux at zytor.com'
Subject: Windows PE booting without chainloading ipxe

I have an interest in booting Windows PE from PXELinux, and it seems that
wimboot from ipxe project is the solution.
http://ipxe.org/wimboot

MENU LABEL Windows 8.1 Enterprise PE Rescue (wimboot)
com32 linux.c32 /wimboot
APPEND
initrdfile=/windows/win81/bootmgr,/windows/win81/boot/bcd,/windows/win81/boot/boot.sdi,/windows/win81/sources/boot.wim

The initrdfile= is supported in Syslinux from patches to5.03 onwards on the
mailing list but it seems wimboot has moved on from last year so the
documentation on various blogs saying this can be done is obsolete.
http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2012-October/018708.html

What I'm trying to do is outlined here:
http://www.howtogeek.com/162070/it-geek-how-to-network-boot-pxe-the-winpe-recovery-disk-with-pxelinux-v5-wimboot/

Cmdline.c in wmiboot is not happy, it's freaking out at the presence of the
initrdfile= option in the boot arguments.
This I'll patch now and see what happens.
I'm going to go onto the ipxe chainloading way of solving this problem if I
can't patch wimboot into submission.

I just thought I'd let you know that it would be great if you developers
could add an INITRDFILE option to the syslinux config that loads raw initrd
disks the ipxe way, without appending stuff to the kernel boot argument. That
way an unpatched wimboot from ipxe could be made to work.

Cheers,

Luke




Luke Ledgerd / Internal IT

Add: 156 Xa Dan II, 14th Floor, 
?????????Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Mobile Vietnam: +84 (0) 995304270
Email: luke.ledgerd at niteco.se
Skype: luke-ledgerd-niteco
Web: http://niteco.se

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Luke Ledgerd 
> Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 1:10 PM
> To: 'syslinux at zytor.com'
> Subject: Windows PE booting without chainloading ipxe
> 
> I have an interest in booting Windows PE from PXELinux, and it seems that
wimboot from ipxe project is the solution.
> http://ipxe.org/wimboot
> 
> MENU LABEL Windows 8.1 Enterprise PE Rescue (wimboot)
> com32 linux.c32 /wimboot
> APPEND
initrdfile=/windows/win81/bootmgr,/windows/win81/boot/bcd,/windows/win81/boot/boot.sdi,/windows/win81/sources/boot.wim
> 
> The initrdfile= is supported in Syslinux from patches to5.03 onwards on the
mailing list but it seems wimboot has moved on from last year so the
documentation on various blogs saying this can be done is obsolete.
> http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2012-October/018708.html
> 
> What I'm trying to do is outlined here:
>
http://www.howtogeek.com/162070/it-geek-how-to-network-boot-pxe-the-winpe-recovery-disk-with-pxelinux-v5-wimboot/
> 
> Cmdline.c in wmiboot is not happy, it's freaking out at the presence of
the initrdfile= option in the boot arguments.
> This I'll patch now and see what happens.
> I'm going to go onto the ipxe chainloading way of solving this problem
if I can't patch wimboot into submission.
> 
> I just thought I'd let you know that it would be great if you
developers could add an INITRDFILE option to the syslinux config that loads raw
initrd disks the ipxe way, without appending stuff to the kernel boot argument.
That way an unpatched wimboot from ipxe could be made to work.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Luke
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Luke Ledgerd / Internal IT
> 
> Add: 156 Xa Dan II, 14th Floor, 
> ?????????Dong Da District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
> Mobile Vietnam: +84 (0) 995304270
> Email: luke.ledgerd at niteco.se
> Skype: luke-ledgerd-niteco
> Web: http://niteco.se
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Syslinux mailing list
> Submissions to Syslinux at zytor.com
> Unsubscribe or set options at:
> http://www.zytor.com/mailman/listinfo/syslinux
> 
> Adding an option for initrdfile= boot argument to be ignored by wimboot
worked just fine.
> They can add this patch, which is probably most sane, or syslinux could add
the INITRDFILE
configuration option instead of having to append the option for
linux.c32
> 
>    wimboot-2.4.0/src/cmdline.c @ Line ~107
>              } else if ( key == cmdline ) {
>                         /* Ignore unknown initial arguments, which may
>                          * be the program name.
>                          */
>                 } else if ( strcmp( key, "initrdfile") == 0 ) {
>                         /* Ignore this to make this kernel work with
sylinux */
>                 } else {
>                         die ( "Unrecognised argument
\"%s%s%s\"\n", key,
>                               ( value ? "=" : "" ), (
value ? value : "" ) );
>                 }
> 
> I can now boot Windows 8.1 Enterprise PE with Sysinux :)
> 
> Luke.
> 
> 
 
 
Just a minor "presentation" change, so perhaps Michael Brown would be
more receptive to accept
your patch.

AFAIK and FWIW, the syntax used in Syslinux ('append initrdfile=') used
to work before wimboot
2.00.

(PS: The "howtogeek" tutorial you linked-to has several issues.
Let's not publicize it as being
accurate.)

---
diff U3b a/src/cmdline.c b/src/cmdline.c
--- a/src/cmdline.c	Fri Nov 07 02:27:56 2014
+++ b/src/cmdline.c	Mon Nov 24 15:18:15 2014
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@
 			/* Ignore unknown initial arguments, which may
 			 * be the program name.
 			 */
+		} else if ( strcmp( key, "initrdfile") == 0 ) {
+			/* Ignore this keyword so to make this kernel work with sylinux */
 		} else {
 			die ( "Unrecognised argument \"%s%s%s\"\n", key,
 			      ( value ? "=" : "" ), ( value ? value :
"" ) );
--

On 25/11/14 02:01, Ady wrote:
> --- a/src/cmdline.c	Fri Nov 07 02:27:56 2014
> +++ b/src/cmdline.c	Mon Nov 24 15:18:15 2014
> @@ -104,6 +104,8 @@
>   			/* Ignore unknown initial arguments, which may
>   			 * be the program name.
>   			 */
> +		} else if ( strcmp( key, "initrdfile") == 0 ) {
> +			/* Ignore this keyword so to make this kernel work with sylinux */
>   		} else {
>   			die ( "Unrecognised argument \"%s%s%s\"\n", key,
>   			      ( value ? "=" : "" ), ( value ? value :
"" ) );
Thanks; applied and pushed as wimboot v2.4.1.

Michael