Syslinux - Feb 2009 - [gpxelinux] How to use sanboot.c32 to attach a iscsi lun and then boot from CD

Hi,

I've been trying a couple of day now, but I can't seem to figure it out.
On www.etherboot.org, I found the example of configuring gPXE so that 
it mounts an iSCSI lun and then boot from CDROM so you are able to 
install on the LUN. But if I use gpxelinux.0 (latest release 3.73), 
with sanboot.c32 like this:

label sanboot2008srv
	menu label ^[iscsi] Windows server 2008
	kernel sanboot.c32
	append iscsi:server.name::::iqn.2009-02.name.server:LUNNAME

Then I seen that the LUN get's attached:

Registered as BIOS drive 0x80
Booting from BIOS drive 0x89
Boot failed
Preserving connection to SAN disk
Could not boot from  
iscsi:server.name::::iqn.2009-02.name.server:LUNNAME: Operation 
cancelled (0x0b8080a0) SAN boot failed.
boot:

And then i am getting sent back to my pxelinux config menu... If i then 
try to boot of the local disk, gPXE closes, says no more network 
locations to boot from, then the PXE exits, and then the machine 
crashes and reboots.

(I wanted to test this so I use VMware workstation and VMware Server 
2.0, but neither work...)

Is this scenario valid what I'm trying to do? Is it possible to boot 
from CD after gPXE?

I'd like to get this working, it really seems like a great combination!

Kind regards,

-Bart

On Wednesday 25 February 2009 19:46:26 Bart van den Oetelaar
wrote:
> I've been trying a couple of day now, but I can't seem to figure it
out.
> On www.etherboot.org, I found the example of configuring gPXE so that
> it mounts an iSCSI lun and then boot from CDROM so you are able to
> install on the LUN. But if I use gpxelinux.0 (latest release 3.73),
> with sanboot.c32 like this:
>
> <snip>
>
> Is this scenario valid what I'm trying to do? Is it possible to boot
> from CD after gPXE?
Booting from CD after gPXE is definitely possible.  Booting from CD after 
gpxelinux.0 and sanboot.c32, I have no idea about.

Michael

Bart van den Oetelaar schrieb:
> Is this scenario valid what I'm trying to do? Is it possible to boot 
> from CD after gPXE?
syslinux or pxelinux has not the ability to chainboot cd after BIOS (or
gpxe) has booted harddisk or lan.

No idea about iSCSI and how mounting has harddisk will work. It provides
a BIOS service? Does it provide a faked controller (I doubt it)? However...

Sometime ago I looked into gpxe, it's a open source firmeware to replace
proprietary/buggy boot rom's. You can use it to boot from pxe (LAN).

You can use gpxe to boot grub4dos, see
http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/pxe.htm
>From grub4dos you have the ability to boot CD-ROM, see
http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/boot.htm#cd As long you are in
real mode everything should be fine, but it's up to the operating system
to arrange with the network.

For example gpxe + grub4dos + floppy/iso image with freedos and
netbootdisk.com over lan booting works great. As long you are in real
mode everything is fine, but in other modes you are on your own.

regards,
-mr

> I've been trying a couple of day now, but I can't seem to figure it
out.
> On www.etherboot.org, I found the example of configuring gPXE so that
> it mounts an iSCSI lun and then boot from CDROM so you are able to
> install on the LUN. But if I use gpxelinux.0 (latest release 3.73),
> with sanboot.c32 like this:
>
> <snip>
>
> Is this scenario valid what I'm trying to do? Is it possible to boot
> from CD after gPXE?
Booting from CD after gPXE is definitely possible.  Booting from CD after
gpxelinux.0 and sanboot.c32, I have no idea about.

Michael

Booting from CD after gPXE is definitely possible.  Booting from CD after
gpxelinux.0 and sanboot.c32, I have no idea about.

Michael
> I'm now going to try and copy a vmware-disk to a san disk. Maybe that
> works, but installing a OS on a SAN disk that way takes far more time,
> so if it would be possible to get the 'direct to san' installation
> (talking about server 2008 as the OS) to work would be great.
Direct to SAN installation *does* work with gPXE.  The procedure is documented
at

  http://etherboot.org/wiki/sanboot/win2k8_iscsi_install

and I have personally tested it (and created the documentation).

Michael
> I've just finished copying the vmwaredisk to the SAN-disk using dd (as
> documented on the etherboot wiki), it seems to boot, however, it's
> taking a very long time.. (Loading screen of 2008 server keeps on going)
> Wait, oh crap, a BSOD, maybe I'm still missing some driver or so...
I'l
> investigate that now..
If your VM is set up to use a completely flat disk file (i.e. preallocated
space, not split at 2GB boundaries), then the .vmdk file is already a valid
disk image that can just be exposed via iSCSI.  Might make things faster for
your testing.

Michael


These are the missing messages for the maillist.

On Thursday 26 February 2009 17:32:33 Kevin Landreth
wrote:
> So once the patch is in gPXE, it would look something like this?
>
> label sanbootex01
>   MENU LABEL [^iscsi] Boot from SAN
>   kernel gpxe.lkrn
>
>   append root-path=iscsi:192.168.0.1:
> :::iqn.2006-09.com.example.myhost:storage
More likely to be

 label sanbootex01
   menu label [^iscsi] Boot from SAN
   kernel gpxe.lkrn
   append sanboot iscsi:192.168.0.1::::iqn.2006-09.com.example.myhost:storage

It will also need to be possible to somehow specify "keeppxe" so that
pxelinux
leaves the PXE stack intact, but without causing "keeppxe" to show up
in the
command line for gpxe.lkrn.

Michael