Luke Ledgerd
2014-Dec-25 07:07 UTC
[syslinux] Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server
Hey guys, We are going with WDS to fire up first to get the benefits of targeted M$ deployments. If you have the "handle unknown computers" off on your M$ Distribution point, then you can still use regular WDS which runs next as a PXE filter (DLL linked into WDS) to fire off anything you want to including PXELinux. The stuff I was talking about before with PXELinux not working in EFI-64 was related to the EFI Network Boot Rom trying to connect to the DHCP server on Port 4011 (PXE server). I could have kept hacking around with DHCP options, or forced DHCPD to listen on that port, or set up a proper PXEServer that complies with 3.X of the PXE spec, but it wasn't required for what we wanted in this environment so I moved on, and let WDS workaround the problem with EFI + PXELinux I had. Question. 1) Can you kick off PXELinux without a Unix DHCP Server (WDS), and make it jump to a different tftp server from WDS? That's what I'm going for. I want the default PATH to include the IP address of a different TFTP server in PXE Linux. The new implementation will have to have a separate folder for EFI64, EFI32, PXE 2.1 because that's what I think WDS demands - or at least for whatever chainloads the PXELinux off another TFTP server. 2) As a fallback, PXEChain as I understand requires another DHCP server http://www.vcritical.com/2011/06/peaceful-coexistence-wds-and-linux-pxe-servers/ http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/Common_Problems#pxechain.com-2 These docs look good by they don't explain how it all plays together with PXELinux dual booting with EFI/Non EFI shared configuration. Does PXEChain do everything I want? Can it even a pass configuration file for PXELinux to start with.pxechain This looks very interesting - This Russian knows what he is doing.... http://sysmagazine.com/posts/175669/ I'll let you know how I go today with it. We are going for the perfect setup where SCCM does it's thing if it needs to - else throws back to WDS -> PXELinux for a computer not targeted for any SCCM PXE Deployment task sequences, so it's going to be a bit different from the above article. Why a different TFTP server? We have a NAS that is already setup and tested and it does a good job of mounting lots of loopback ISO's and sharing them on TFTP, even if it doesn't support MTFTP and all that. Cheers, Luke
Gene Cumm
2014-Dec-26 03:40 UTC
[syslinux] Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server
On Dec 25, 2014 2:11 AM, "Luke Ledgerd" <luke.ledgerd at niteco.se> wrote:> > Hey guys, > > We are going with WDS to fire up first to get the benefits of targeted M$deployments. If you have the "handle unknown computers" off on your M$ Distribution point, then you can still use regular WDS which runs next as a PXE filter (DLL linked into WDS) to fire off anything you want to including PXELinux.> > The stuff I was talking about before with PXELinux not working in EFI-64was related to the EFI Network Boot Rom trying to connect to the DHCP server on Port 4011 (PXE server). I could have kept hacking around with DHCP options, or forced DHCPD to listen on that port, or set up a proper PXEServer that complies with 3.X of the PXE spec, but it wasn't required for what we wanted in this environment so I moved on, and let WDS workaround the problem with EFI + PXELinux I had.> > Question. > 1) Can you kick off PXELinux without a Unix DHCP Server (WDS), and makeit jump to a different tftp server from WDS? That's what I'm going for. I want the default PATH to include the IP address of a different TFTP server in PXE Linux. Certainly though the choices on how depend on BIOS versus EFI. If loaded properly from the second tftpd, this should set siaddr/sname to the second server. If you need to load the Syslinux binary from the first then use the second for the rest, you'll need option 210 (forced by DHCP or built-in options; no client normal would request this option from a DHCP).> The new implementation will have to have a separate folder for EFI64,EFI32, PXE 2.1 because that's what I think WDS demands - or at least for whatever chainloads the PXELinux off another TFTP server.> > 2) As a fallback, PXEChain as I understand requires another DHCP serverNot necessarily but "the devil is in the details".>http://www.vcritical.com/2011/06/peaceful-coexistence-wds-and-linux-pxe-servers/>http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/Common_Problems#pxechain.com-2This was a possible workaround I came up with to avoid pxechain.com after the timer bug was discovered and I resolved for 4.04-pre1 and won't work with Syslinux -5.00+. Side note: pxechain.com is unusable in Syslinux 6.00+ and pxechn.c32 is BIOS only.> These docs look good by they don't explain how it all plays together withPXELinux dual booting with EFI/Non EFI shared configuration. SYSLINUX for EFI is new compared to those docs.> Does PXEChain do everything I want? Can it even a pass configuration filefor PXELinux to start with.pxechain pxechain.com only allows one required parameter, the file. pxechn.c32 allows you to specify a strings to change behaviors.> This looks very interesting - This Russian knows what he is doing.... >http://sysmagazine.com/posts/175669/ > > I'll let you know how I go today with it. We are going for the perfectsetup where SCCM does it's thing if it needs to - else throws back to WDS -> PXELinux for a computer not targeted for any SCCM PXE Deployment task sequences, so it's going to be a bit different from the above article.> > Why a different TFTP server? We have a NAS that is already setup andtested and it does a good job of mounting lots of loopback ISO's and sharing them on TFTP, even if it doesn't support MTFTP and all that. Syslinux won't directly use MTFTP anyways. --Gene
Gene Cumm
2014-Dec-26 18:56 UTC
[syslinux] Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server
On Dec 25, 2014 2:11 AM, "Luke Ledgerd" <luke.ledgerd at niteco.se> wrote:> > Hey guys, > > We are going with WDS to fire up first to get the benefits of targeted > MS deployments. If you have the "handle unknown computers" off on your > MS Distribution point, then you can still use regular WDS which runs > next as a PXE filter (DLL linked into WDS) to fire off anything you > want to including PXELinux. > > The stuff I was talking about before with PXELinux not working in > EFI-64 was related to the EFI Network Boot Rom trying to connect to > the DHCP server on Port 4011 (PXE server). I could have kept hacking > around with DHCP options, or forced DHCPD to listen on that port, > or set up a proper PXEServer that complies with 3.X of the PXE spec, > but it wasn't required for what we wanted in this environment so I > moved on, and let WDS workaround the problem with EFI + PXELinux I had. > > Question. 1) Can you kick off PXELinux without a Unix DHCP Server > (WDS), and make it jump to a different tftp server from WDS? That's > what I'm going for. I want the default PATH to include the IP address > of a different TFTP server in PXE Linux.Certainly though the choices on how depend on BIOS versus EFI. If loaded properly from the second tftpd, this should set siaddr/sname to the second server. If you need to load the Syslinux binary from the first then use the second for the rest, you'll need option 210 (forced by DHCP or built-in options; no client normal would request this option from a DHCP).> The new implementation will have to have a separate folder for EFI64, > EFI32, PXE 2.1 because that's what I think WDS demands - or at least > for whatever chainloads the PXELinux off another TFTP server. > > 2) As a fallback, PXEChain as I understand requires another DHCP serverNot necessarily but "the devil is in the details".> http://www.vcritical.com/2011/06/peaceful-coexistence-wds-and-linux-pxe-servers/ > http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/Common_Problems#pxechain.com-2This was a possible workaround I came up with to avoid pxechain.com after the timer bug was discovered and I resolved for 4.04-pre1 and won't work with Syslinux -5.00+. Side note: pxechain.com is unusable in Syslinux 6.00+ and pxechn.c32 is BIOS only.> These docs look good by they don't explain how it all plays together > with PXELinux dual booting with EFI/Non EFI shared configuration.SYSLINUX for EFI is new compared to those docs.> Does PXEChain do everything I want? Can it even a pass configuration > file for PXELinux to start with.pxechainpxechain.com only allows one required parameter, the file. pxechn.c32 allows you to specify a strings to change behaviors.> This looks very interesting - This Russian knows what he is doing.... > http://sysmagazine.com/posts/175669/ > > I'll let you know how I go today with it. We are going for the perfect > setup where SCCM does it's thing if it needs to - else throws back > to WDS -> PXELinux for a computer not targeted for any SCCM PXE > Deployment task sequences, so it's going to be a bit different from > the above article. > > Why a different TFTP server? We have a NAS that is already setup and > tested and it does a good job of mounting lots of loopback ISO's and > sharing them on TFTP, even if it doesn't support MTFTP and all that.Syslinux won't directly use MTFTP anyways. --Gene
Possibly Parallel Threads
- Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server
- Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server
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- Chain-loading from WDS to PXELinux on a different tftp server