[syslinux] Still fighting localboot on EFI - looping

Alan Sparks
Tue, 27 Oct 2015 17:44:29 -0000

On 10/26/2015 7:47 PM, Gene Cumm wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 2:09 PM, Alan Sparks via Syslinux
> <syslinux at zytor.com> wrote:

>> For reference this is on different models of HP Proliant Gen-9 systems
>> with UEFI.   Firmware as up to date as it comes.   The UEFI boot order
>> has the hard drives and OS ESPs before the PXE interfaces (the
default).
>>   A boot-from-cold loads the OS no problem.
>
> So PXE is the last option?  Are you manually selecting PXE from this
> NIC or is the server automatically selecting this?

More details:
* The local disks were first in the boot order.   NICs (more than one)
were at the bottom of the boot order.
* This is a "one time boot" from PXE.   Same whether I choose network
boot from the console (F12 on a ProLiant) or via a remote IPMI "bootdev
pxe" sort of control.
* I've tried reordering the boot order.   See below.

>
>> Here's what I've tried so far:
>
> Did you try inserting another boot selection after PXE, even if it's a
> repeat like CD?  My current theory is it's either a bug in Syslinux
> calling back incorrectly or it's the firmware not using the data right
> and looping.
>

With Gene's recent test binaries, localboot (0 or 1) for argument:
* I've tried reordering the boot order, putting disks after the NICs.
Basically putting the PXE interface that can boot at the top, other
stuff (disks, USB, etc) last.
* The boot menu is displayed.   When the localboot option is triggered,
it /appears/ that the system may be trying to move to the next PXE
option - for this system, the PXE nic also has a IPv6 option that I left
at the end of the boot order - so what appears to have happened is after
the localboot executing, the system skipped over the disk items, and
found the next PXE option in the list.   It did not try to boot the disk.