Fog 1.0.1 - Fresh install - iPXE questions

[RipAU]

Hi guys,

I had a look through the forums and couldn’t see if my situation is the same as others having issues with iPXE.
I’ve actually been using iPXE for the last several years to PXE boot our previous 0.32 version of FOG as we don’t have direct control over our DHCP server points at a windows server I cannot change.

My question is:

As we previously installed iPXE to USB keys to bypass the default DHCP server I am wondering if it is possible to chain load the fog iPXE from the iPXE I can configure on our USB keys.

I’ve tried doing this manually via the iPXE command line and trying to load the undionly.kpxe/undionly.kkpxe but the both error out, untionly.kpxe drops its network interface and undionly.kkpxe from the truck keeps the net0 but can’t load the default.ipxe file.

Would anyone know if I’m going about this wrong?

Cheers,

[Junkhacker]

the undionly.kpxe file tries to load default.ipxe from the same location as itself. the only command in the undionly.kpxe is to load default.ipxe after getting dhcp. can you not use a dnsmasq to feed out pxe boot info?

[RipAU]

We don’t have access to control or change the existing DNS/DHCP server at all so I wouldn’t be able to use dnsmasq at all.
I worked around this with the USB key previously and booting pxelinux was easy with iPXE on the usbkeys we setup.

I’m in the process of building the iPXE build env but I’m having trouble embedding any scripts at the moment in CentOS.

[Junkhacker]

after you install, you don’t need to build anything if you don’t want to
just use your existing usb key and load up the included undionly.kpxe and the default.ipxe that fog generates and puts in the tftpboot folder.
you can even chain boot them from pxelinux if you’ve got tools in that you want to use, there’s a guide on chain booting from pxelinux on the forums somewhere.

[RipAU]

I’ve pointed the iPXE usbboot keys at the undionly.kpxe but when it boots via tftp it loads the undionly.kpxe and gives an error saying error… default.ipxe.
I am assuming it can’t read the default.ipxe file when it loads as I don’t think it is able to bring the network interface up (Using a Dell 755). So I’m also assuming I could be doing something wrong here.

I’ve worked around that buy building the default into the embedded script with iPXE using the latest version from the website.
So someone else might find this useful.

[CODE]#!ipxe
prompt --key 0x02 --timeout 1000 Press Ctrl-B for the iPXE command line… && shell ||
ifopen net0
set net0/ip 10.0.0.2
set net0/netmask 255.255.255.0
set net0/gateway 10.0.0.254
set dns 10.0.0.254
set next-server 10.0.0.253
cpuid --ext 29 && set arch x86_64 || set arch i386
params
param mac ${net0/mac}
param arch ${arch}
chain http://10.0.0.253/fog/service/ipxe/boot.php##params
[/CODE]

I don’t think the gateway or dns are needed but I left it in anyway.

After it boots I am getting some errors in linux saying “DHCP/BOOTP: Ignoring fragmented reply” Over and Over.
I am thinking this isn’t related to the iPXE issues at all and more related to driver issues with Linux as it doesn’t seem to have the network card pop up when trying to do a full inventory.

Thanks again guys for fog

[Jaymes Driver]

[quote=“RipAU, post: 29114, member: 24459”]We don’t have access to control or change the existing DNS/DHCP server at all so I wouldn’t be able to use dnsmasq at all.
I worked around this with the USB key previously and booting pxelinux was easy with iPXE on the usbkeys we setup.

I’m in the process of building the iPXE build env but I’m having trouble embedding any scripts at the moment in CentOS.[/quote]

This is why DNSMASQ is used in the first place. So if you can’t modify or control or change your DHCP sever, dnsmasq acts as a proxy dhcp server during pxe boot to help resolve the correct information.

LOOK The wiki article is even tailored towards DHCP servers that are unmoddifiable!!!
[url]http://fogproject.org/wiki/index.php/Using_FOG_with_an_unmodifiable_DHCP_server/_Using_FOG_with_no_DHCP_server[/url]

[Tom Elliott]

DNSMasq is an amazingly simple tool to help you out. I’d do as Jaymes and others are suggesting.

If you must use the USB method, place the default.ipxe file in the same location you placed the undionly.kpxe. Hopefully that will help.

[RipAU]

So I could use DNSMasq on a network that is already managed (with DHCP/DNS/etc.) by an outside party and not interfere with the existing DHCP server?
I could only find references to replace existing DHCP and DNS forwarding but I haven’t tried using it next to an existing DHCP server?

EDIT: Sorry didn’t see James reply. I didn’t realise DNSMasq could do this as I haven’t use it before. The only issue is every single computer is set to pxeboot in our environment and the existing Windows solution already has a imaging solution in place for other employees that aren’t part of our department but exist on the same network. (yay for lack of control over your own network)

The default.ipxe file is in correct location , but it seems that as soon as I load undionly.kpxe via the iPXE usbkey it drops the network interface and can’t find the required files. It seems to load the network interface with undionly.kkpxe but then freezes with the word menu on the screen after it starts to load. I am suspecting it doesn’t like iPXE booting iPXE

Cheers,

[RipAU]

Thanks guys,

Just doing a few tests with DNSMasq but I’m getting the same error with it not being able to load the default.ipxe file.
both the undionly.kpxe and default.ipxe exist in the same directory so I am not sure what the issue would be as it looks like undionly.kpxe is loading net0 and pulling a mac address. I’ll have a poke around a bit more.

Cheers,

[RipAU]

I for the life of me cannot figure out why this isn’t booting and locks up just after it loads.
I am guessing it is a configuration error on my behalf as it does the same thing on Desktops and Laptops.
From what I gather in other forum posts and the wikipage.
This should work ok?

I removed the commented out options for the sake of this post not over flowing.
[CODE]
################################################

FOG iPXE settings 5/6/2014 -

################################################

port=0

log-dhcp

tftp-root=/tftpboot

dhcp-boot=undionly.kpxe,10.0.0.253

dhcp-no-override

dhcp-range=10.0.0.253,proxy

[/CODE]

[RipAU]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/kdaG6T5.jpg[/IMG]

I wasn’t sure of the best place to upload an image so I used Imgur.

[Jaymes Driver]

[quote=“RipAU, post: 29278, member: 24459”]So I could use DNSMasq on a network that is already managed (with DHCP/DNS/etc.) by an outside party and not interfere with the existing DHCP server?
I could only find references to replace existing DHCP and DNS forwarding but I haven’t tried using it next to an existing DHCP server?

EDIT: Sorry didn’t see James reply. I didn’t realise DNSMasq could do this as I haven’t use it before. The only issue is every single computer is set to pxeboot in our environment and the existing Windows solution already has a imaging solution in place for other employees that aren’t part of our department but exist on the same network. (yay for lack of control over your own network)

The default.ipxe file is in correct location , but it seems that as soon as I load undionly.kpxe via the iPXE usbkey it drops the network interface and can’t find the required files. It seems to load the network interface with undionly.kkpxe but then freezes with the word menu on the screen after it starts to load. I am suspecting it doesn’t like iPXE booting iPXE

Cheers,[/quote]

I use dnsmasq to override the WDS settings my other co-workers have infringed upon my building. Without dnsmasq I can’t boot my server. The whole overcoming Novell’s 6.5 limitations are another story.

You may wish to look into the other files that Tom has been providing as fixes in the undionly.kpxe and ipxe.kpxe files. [url]https://mastacontrola.com/ipxe/[/url]
thread [url]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/040ee119-error-on-boot.10493[/url]

I would also edit your ltsp.conf. I know some environments will not boot if that those two boot lines aren’t present.
It appears that it still wants to connect and that it is even finding the undionly file but it doesn’t like it.

[code]
pxe-prompt=“Press F8 for boot menu”, 3
pxe-service=X86PC, “Boot from network”, undionly[/code]

[RipAU]

Thanks for that, I did have those options initially but disabled them to bypass the timeout.
I’ll add them back in and test the new iPXE from the posts.
As it seems to me a iPXE issue and not a network issue as I have STP disabled on my current switch I’ll have a read and see if I can get it working. Thanks for the help.

[RipAU]

I found a work around and tested a few things I found from the forum and iPXE website
It seems seems to be working well on all the computers I have tested so far -
[url]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/ipxe-issues-work-around.10727/[/url] Just FYI if it helps anyone.