HP 210 Netbook (RealTek NIC) - DHCP Failed on PXE Boot

[george1421]

@noelpd Well if you are using the dhcp server on the fog server, then that is where you would change it. Most people don’t run it this way so I assumed incorrectly. But if the fog server is also running dhcp, then change it in the config file for isc dhcp and then restart the dhcpd service.

[noelpd]

@george1421 Changing it to ipxe.kpxe is not working either. Still works on the RealTek 8136 NIC but not the 8168

[george1421]

@noelpd Do you have another one of these devices with a 8168 NIC? I guess the next question is, is the issue this physical computer or all HP 210 notebooks with the 8168 NIC?

I can’t remember if I asked this already, is the firmware up to date on this computer?

[noelpd]

@george1421 I have a whole stack of the HP 210 8168 NIC laptops that are not working. I have updated BIOS and NIC Driver on them as well. Still no go. It appears to be a hardware issue with the 8168.

[george1421]

@noelpd welp that’s not good if they all don’t work.

How about trying a plan B? i.e. Booting FOS off a usb flash drive and bypassing iPXE all together.

https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/7727/building-usb-booting-fos-image

I can get you to Part 2a step 6 pretty quick

[Tom Elliott]

@george1421 what about trying the 7156?

Never mind those are for efi.

How exactly are you changing the bootfile?

[george1421]

@Tom-Elliott said in HP 210 Netbook (RealTek NIC) - DHCP Failed on PXE Boot:

what about trying the 7156?

Ah, yes the magic historical iPXE kernel that works with wonderfully mystical devices

[Tom Elliott]

@noelpd How, exactly, are you changing the boot file?

What’s providing your 10.200.x.x IP? It shows a DHCP IP of 10.225.0.0, but your in a class B network (255.255.0.0 netmask).

This would mean, 10.225.0.0 network is handling IP addressing, but from what I gather on this thread you’re only making the boot file change in the /opt/fog/.fogsettings file. Nothing you’ve tried is working or even doing anything different. This would lead me to think your FOG Server is not what’s handling IP addressing for your client machine.

Please provide as much information as to how your systems are informed where to look at a boot file.

[noelpd]

@Tom-Elliott The boot file I am having changed on our separate DHCP Server. Not the FOG Server since we are not using it for DHCP Addresses.

[noelpd]

@Tom-Elliott One problem we may have with 8168 driver is that even when trying to build a custom Kernel, all the RealTek NICS are supported except for the 8168. It is not even an option to include in the build

[noelpd]

@noelpd said in HP 210 Netbook (RealTek NIC) - DHCP Failed on PXE Boot:

@Tom-Elliott One problem we may have with 8168 driver is that even when trying to build a custom Kernel, all the RealTek NICS are supported except for the 8168. It is not even an option to include in the build

Edit: This is with the latest 4.9 Kernel base from Linux directly.

[george1421]

@noelpd Just an FYI the kernel in question is the iPXE kernel, and not the FOS (linux) kernel. You haven’t made it to FOS yet in the pxe boot sequence.

If you want to usb boot into FOS I can help you with that, if that is the direction you want to head.

Also for building custom iPXE kernels you can use the rom-o-matic site: https://rom-o-matic.eu/

[noelpd]

@george1421 So rebuilding a custom bzImage file will not effect it at all? I think I am just getting confused between what needs to change with our DHCP Server versus the FOG Server itself.

[george1421]

@noelpd said in HP 210 Netbook (RealTek NIC) - DHCP Failed on PXE Boot:

So rebuilding a custom bzImage file will not effect it at all

No it won’t

The typical flow is PXE ROM -> tftpserver -> iPXE kernel (what you see in the OP post, and why the iPXE error message) -> FOG httpserver -> bzImage + init.xz (FOS image)

The issue is for some reason iPXE can find the nic (no problem) but it can’t pick up a dhcp address. To me this still screams of being a spanning tree issue, but you have tested otherwise.