Booting Ubuntu Live CD

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 9:31 AM

Hi,

I’ve set up FOG using this guide here: https://github.com/marcbizal/FOG-Install-Guide

I’ve set up DNSMASQ in ProxyDHCP mode.

Booting a couple of ISOs - Acronis TrueImage 2016 and the Ubuntu Net installer CD work fine.

However, I’m trying to get the Ubuntu Live CD to boot. I’ve done the following:

in /tftpboot, created a path of /os/ubuntu/16.04/mate. So in /tftpboot/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate, I’ve then copied initrd.lz and vmlinuz.efi.

In /var/www/fog, I’ve created a dist folder for holding distributions. So for Ubuntu MATE, I’ve st up the following: /var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate

I’ve copied the contents of the ISO to here.

I’ve also set up the NFS export to /var/www/fog/dist - this is accessible from another Linux machine.

I have also tested TFTP by retrieving vmlinuz.efi from /tftpboot/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate from another Linux machine.

I’ve set up a menu entry with the following details:

Menu Item: fog.ubuntu-mate
Description: Ubuntu 16.04 MATE
Parameters:
kernel tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/vmlinuz.efi
initrd tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz.efi root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=t-pxe:/var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate/ locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us quiet splash ip=dhcp rw

However, when my test VM boots via PXE and I choose the Ubuntu 16.04 MATE, I get the following:

Any help would be much appreciated!

Many thanks,
Neil

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 4:15 PM

You may consider to review this link: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/10944/using-fog-to-pxe-boot-into-your-favorite-installer-images

You need to be mindful of the protocols in use and the base directories of those protocols. tftp:// and http:// have two different base directories.

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 4:36 PM

This post is deleted!

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 4:39 PM

@george1421

Thanks - but that’s the guide I followed - which hasn’t worked. I’m not using http here.

TFTP seems to be working - otherwise surely I wouldn’t be getting ok for both vmlinuz.efi and initrd.lz in the screen grab in my original post.

In my boot options, I’m using NFS and I can connect to that NFS export/share just fine from another workstation. I am using the same parameters - modified for my setup as in the example in the URL.

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 5:47 PM

@nsherin looking at your OP a bit more I see that iPXE is complaining about no parameter list. This is a bit strange. I also notice that your nfsroot is wrong, but you are not that far in the booting process just yet.

Will you do this for me. Key in the following into a browser, url will display the iPXE menu text behind the fog iPXE boot menu.
http://t-pxe/fog/service/ipxe/boot.php?mac=00:00:00:00:00:00

Post the results here so we can review it.

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 6:11 PM

@george1421 said in Booting Ubuntu Live CD:

http://t-pxe/fog/service/ipxe/boot.php?mac=00:00:00:00:00:00

Thanks for the speedy reply. The output is:

#!ipxe
set fog-ip 192.168.0.22
set fog-webroot fog
set boot-url http://${fog-ip}/${fog-webroot}
cpuid --ext 29 && set arch x86_64 || set arch i386
goto get_console
:console_set
colour --rgb 0x00567a 1 ||
colour --rgb 0x00567a 2 ||
colour --rgb 0x00567a 4 ||
cpair --foreground 7 --background 2 2 ||
goto MENU
:alt_console
cpair --background 0 1 ||
cpair --background 1 2 ||
goto MENU
:get_console
console --picture http://192.168.0.22/fog/service/ipxe/bg.png --left 100 --right 80 && goto console_set || goto alt_console
:MENU
menu
colour --rgb 0xff0000 0 ||
cpair --foreground 1 1 ||
cpair --foreground 0 3 ||
cpair --foreground 4 4 ||
item --gap Host is NOT registered!
item --gap – -------------------------------------
item fog.local Boot from hard disk
item fog.memtest Run Memtest86+
item fog.quickdel Quick Host Deletion
item fog.sysinfo Client System Information (Compatibility)
item fog.ubuntu-net Ubuntu 16.04 Net Installer
item fog.acronis Acronis TrueImage 2016
item fog.ubuntu-mate Ubuntu MATE 16.04
choose --default fog.local --timeout 3000 target && goto ${target}
:fog.local
sanboot --no-describe --drive 0x80 || goto MENU
:fog.memtest
chain memtest
param sysuuid ${uuid}
kernel memdisk initrd=memtest.0 iso raw
initrd memtest.0
boot || goto MENU
:fog.quickdel
login
params
param mac0 ${net0/mac}
param arch ${arch}
param username ${username}
param password ${password}
param delhost 1
isset ${net1/mac} && param mac1 ${net1/mac} || goto bootme
isset ${net2/mac} && param mac2 ${net2/mac} || goto bootme
param sysuuid ${uuid}
:fog.sysinfo
kernel bzImage32 loglevel=4 initrd=init_32.xz root=/dev/ram0 rw ramdisk_size=127000 web=http://192.168.0.22/fog/ consoleblank=0 rootfstype=ext4 storage=192.168.0.22:/images/ storageip=192.168.0.22 loglevel=4 mode=sysinfo
imgfetch init_32.xz
boot || goto MENU
:fog.ubuntu-net
initrd http://t-pxe/fog/iso/ubuntu/ubuntu-amd64-net.iso
chain http://t-pxe/fog/iso/ubuntu/memdisk iso raw
param sysuuid ${uuid}
:fog.acronis
initrd http://t-pxe/fog/iso/acronis/acronis2016.iso
chain http://t-pxe/fog/iso/acronis/memdisk iso raw
param sysuuid ${uuid}
:fog.ubuntu-mate
kernel tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/vmlinuz.efi
initrd tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz.efi root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=t-pxe:/var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate/ locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us quiet splash ip=dhcp rw
param sysuuid ${uuid}
:bootme
chain -ar http://192.168.0.22/fog/service/ipxe/boot.php##params ||
goto MENU
autoboot

Many thanks again for your help.

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 6:42 PM

@nsherin I’m sorry its taking me so long to answer but I’m checking on something. So please stick with me for a minute.

Also can you tell me what version of FOG (specifically) you are using?

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 6:59 PM

This menu item is from my working production server

:os.Ubuntu.Desktop.17.10
kernel nfs://${fog-ip}:/images/os/ubuntu/Desk17.10/casper/vmlinuz.efi
initrd nfs://${fog-ip}:/images/os/ubuntu/Desk17.10/casper/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz.efi root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=${fog-ip}:/images/os/ubuntu/Desk17.10/ locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us quiet splash ip=dhcp rw
boot || goto MENU

Here is from your ipxe menu

:fog.ubuntu-mate
kernel tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/vmlinuz.efi
initrd tftp://t-pxe/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz.efi root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=t-pxe:/var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate/ locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us quiet splash ip=dhcp rw
param sysuuid ${uuid}

I did notice that your menu is missing the boot instruction

boot || goto MENU

I did also notice an out of place sysuuid parameter, but I think FOG is doing that. That extra parameter is not hurting your boot process, I think the missing boot command is.

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 7:02 PM

@george1421

Thanks for your help. I’m running version 1.5.2

My /etc/exports file:

/images *(ro,sync,no_wdelay,no_subtree_check,insecure_locks,no_root_squash,insecure,fsid=0)
/images/dev *(rw,async,no_wdelay,no_subtree_check,no_root_squash,insecure,fsid=1

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 1:09 PM

@nsherin Those settings are correct. What I’m pointing out is wrong is this parameter: netboot=nfs nfsroot=t-pxe:/var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate/

The FOG server is only sharing out /images/… yet you are telling the client to get its files from /var/www/fog/dist… That isn’t going to work. Plus the /var/www/… path is the base directory for the web server.

My instructions that I posted show you expanding the ubuntu iso image to /images/os/ubuntu/… which IS in the nfs export path.

With iPXE you can use any of several protocols to get to your files.
if you use
tftp:// the base path is /tftpboot
http:// the base path is /var/www/html
nfs:// the base path is /images

The issue is the kernel it self has to reach out to this path you defined
nfsroot=t-pxe:/var/www/fog/dist/ubuntu/16.04/mate/
Yet it can’t get there because /var/www is not exported from the FOG server only /images and /images/dev is.

Look at my menu item I posted below, you can see the nfs:// is used for ipxe to deliver the files as well as the nfsroot path for ubuntu’s kernel.

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 7:10 PM

@george1421 said in Booting Ubuntu Live CD:

I’ve got a bit further - I’ve added

boot || goto MENU

I now get a message ‘Unable to find a live file system on the network’:

Also, do you know the parameters I’d need in locale= and keyboard-configuration/layoutcode for a UK keyboard?

Many thanks.

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 7:11 PM

@nsherin The problem you now see is exactly what I described below. Fix your nfsroot path and file locations.

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 7:15 PM

@nsherin said in Booting Ubuntu Live CD:

Also, do you know the parameters I’d need in locale= and keyboard-configuration/layoutcode for a UK keyboard?

I would say the local for your side of the pond would be en_GB.UTF-8

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 7:19 PM

@george1421

Thanks for that - I’ve moved the files from the DVD into /images/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate and modified the parameters to read:

kernel nfs://t-pxe/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/casper/vmlinuz.efi
initrd nfs://t-pxe/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/casper/initrd.lz
imgargs vmlinuz.efi root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=t-pxe:/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/mate/ locale=en_US.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=us quiet splash ip=dhcp rw
boot || goto MENU

It’s still complaining about the lack of a file system on the network.

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 7:22 PM

@nsherin said in Booting Ubuntu Live CD:
ok next change (understand I’m swagging it a little)

Possibly it doesn’t like the dns names here of t-pxe. Replace the t-pxe value with the iPXE menu variable of ${fog-ip} That will then set the ip address of the fog server in there instead of the dns names. Refer to my working menu. on how to place the ipxe variable.

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 7:27 PM

Thanks! That worked! I replaced t-pxe with the server’s IP 192.168.0.22 and I now have a booted live CD!

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 7:45 PM

Oh and for a UK keyboard, the syntax is:

locale=en_GB.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=gb

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 2:04 PM

@nsherin Issue solved then?

nsherin · Apr 17, 2018, 2:28 PM

@george1421

Almost - I’m just trying Ubuntu Server now and have added another menu option:

Menu Item: fog.ubuntu-server
Description: Ubuntu Server 16.04
Parameters:
kernel nfs://192.168.0.22/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/server/install/vmlinuz
initrd nfs://192.168.0.22/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/server/install/initrd.gz
imgargs vmlinuz root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=192.168.0.22:/images/os/ubuntu/16.04/server/ locale=en_GB.UTF-8 keyboard-configuration/layoutcode=gb quiet splash ip=dhcp rw
boot || goto MENU

I have copied the Ubuntu Server CD contents into /images/os/ubuntu/16.04/server/

It boots to the Ubuntu installer and then asks me to insert a CD-ROM.

Any ideas would be great. Thanks!

george1421 · Apr 17, 2018, 8:31 PM

@nsherin Again please review this post (especially Note1 where the installer asks for the cdrom during installation. And then note2 where it says where to get what you need): https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/10944/using-fog-to-pxe-boot-into-your-favorite-installer-images/6

Booting Ubuntu Live CD

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