Syslinux - Feb 2003 - syslinux booting problem with 3Com PXE server

I use 3Com's PXE server to deploy the RedHat Linux network boot disk for
an ftp install.  I have done this for RedHat 7.2 and 7.3.  I followed
the same procedure I used for the other RedHat boot disks using the
RedHat 8.0 boot disk and syslinux didn't work.  Syslinux boots the
system, gets the boot: prompt and dies.  The error message is can not
find ramdisk image and then cannot find kernel.  If I type vmlinuz at
the boot: prompt, the kernel loads and panics because it can't find the
ramdisk.  I pass all of the command options and it still can't find the
ramdisk.  I downloaded every version of syslinux from 1.52 to 2.01 and
tried them.  Version 1.52 through 1.67 work with 3Com PXE server. 
Version 1.70 did not.  Version 1.71 did work.  Versions 1.72 - 2.01 do
not work.  Something happened in 1.70 that broke when using the 3Com PXE
server.  The problem was fixed in 1.71 and 1.72, and then broken again
in 1.73.  My guess at the problem is the generalize the definition of a
boot sector, but I do not enough to be sure.  I will work with any one
on trying to fix this problem.

I use the 3Com PXE server so I don't have to make 50 copies of floppies
or 50 sets of CDs to give to the students.    

Jason Dravet

> I use the 3Com PXE server so I don't have to make 50 copies of floppies
> or 50 sets of CDs to give to the students.    
This is a reason for using a network boot, not for using a particular
server. Why are you bothered with "3com PXE server"? For a recipe on
doing Red Hat Kickstarts with PXE.

http://www.stanford.edu/~alfw/PXE-Kickstart/PXE-Kickstart.html

I am sorry I should have explained more.  We offer courses where the
students install MS 2000 server and RedHat Linux.  The students need to
have media for these operating systems so they can install the operating
system onto their removable hard drives.  I don't want to make 300 CDs
(50 students times 3CDs for redhat 8, plus 50 CDs each of Windows 2000
Pro, XP Pro, and 2000 server) every semester so the students have the
latest version and replace any that were taken.  

So we started to install RedHat from a ftp server we setup.  The ftp
site is on a windows 2000 server that has the 3com PXE server loaded. 
We use 3Com PXE server becuase we have a list of 9 different images of
floppy disks that we need to use on a regular basis.  7 of the 9 images
are DOS disk of various types.  Some flash the video card bios, others
let you access the 3com network card flash memory for testing and
settings configuration.  The last 2 floppy images are the bootnet images
from the redhat cds.  

The goal of all of this is to provide the student with the experience of
installing the OS from CD without actually giving the students CDs. 
Once windows 2003 server comes out we are going to try to get RIS
working so we don't have to burn windows server CDs any more.  Windows
2003 RIS is suppose to support server installs over RIS, windows 2000
server does not have this support without a few hacks.  We currently
have the windows 2000 server using RIS to deploy 2000 Pro, and it sort
of works.  We are hoping 2003 server will work better.  

Anyway, that the reasoning behind all of this.  If RedHat PXE and
Kickstart will allow us to install windows XP and 2003 server we will
switch.  I am by no means a linux guru, but I don't think RedHat PXE and
kickstart support this.  Since this worked in eariler versions, I
consider this functionality to be broken and in need of fixing.  I could
very well be wrong about this.  I will be happy to use rawrite to create
the floppies using the redhat images and replacing the syslinux loader
that came with it with a version I know that works the way I need it
to.  I consider this a bug, but if the rest of the world says NO, who am
I argue?

Jason