Fog 1.3.0 : PB with Mac NetBoot

[george1421]

You can ignore the tftp client does not accept options, that is a warning not an error and is always there.

It downloads the ipxe.efi file and then stops, is there any error message or the system just freezes?

Instead of using (as a test) ipxe.efi, please try this boot file ipxe7156.efi. This is a legacy ipxe boot kernel that seems to work well with some other hardware (like surface pros).

[dfuriet]

Yes, my mac is just freeze, or waiting something
I’ll try ipxe7156.efi

Thank you

[dfuriet]

same freeze screen with ipxe7156.efi …
My install is a upgrade from previus 1.3.0RCxx release. I’ll try with a new fresh install of 1.3.0.

[george1421]

@dfuriet There is another forum user that currently has a different issue with Macs and FOG, but it appears that he has been able to pxe boot Macs in the past. I don’t have personal experience with Macs. https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/9269/imac-27-ipxe-boot

But I find it really strange that your system just freezes and the iPXE kernel fails to initialize devices or anything. Does the Mac console display the iPXE banner text.

[dfuriet]

@george1421 Yes, On the Mac, I have the ipxe banner text

[george1421]

@dfuriet Will you provide a clear screen shot of the failure?

[dfuriet]

@george1421 No

[dfuriet]

@dfuriet No, because there a no errror showing, just banner text

[dfuriet]

I have updated fog to last version 1.3.3, I can boot with a PC. On mac I hare this error (sorry for revesed picture) :

[Sebastian Roth]

@dfuriet I think we need the exact model of your iMac to be able to help any further. Please have a look on this website and tell us the exact model you have: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/index-imac.html

To identify your iMac you can look up important system information via Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> System Report. And while you have this window open may I ask you to also take a screenshot of the Hardware -> Ethernet Cards view (https://www.tonymacx86.com/attachments/fake-screenshot-png.124954/) and post it here.

The better we know your exact model and ethernet card the more we are able to help by digging through the net and even ask the iPXE developers to help - definitely not the first time I’ve done this!

[dfuriet]

@Sebastian-Roth
My iMac is Imac14,1.
Here is my Ehernet Card (in french) :

[Sebastian Roth]

@dfuriet I have been ill in bed for a couple of days. Sorry for the delay. In the iPXE boot screen you posted I see net1 while it usually starts counting with zero. So I guess there is another network card (most probably wireless) in that iMac, right? Although I can’t see one in the System Report picture you posted. Can you post another picture with the details of the wireless adapter?

[dfuriet]

@Sebastian-Roth

Here my wifi card. But I’m dont using wifi on my iMac, only ethernet card.

[dfuriet]

I have a new iMac (imac17,1) with another ipxe problem :
On ipxe boot there are no freeze, like my imac14,1, but net0 cannot link up. See picture.

I have no problem, when macOS is loaded : IP address is comming with isc dhcp. Network cable connected correctly.

My new iMac17,1 have same Broadcom 57766-A1 and same wifi card on my iMac14,1

[Sebastian Roth]

@dfuriet I have not forgotten about this. Just time is a bit short at hand at the moment.

Seems like we have another one with the same issue. He also posted in the FOG forums but as well took the issue to the iPXE developers forum already: http://forum.ipxe.org/showthread.php?tid=8296

So the iMac17,1 definitely has issues. Not exactly sure if a fix would work for the iMac14,1 as well. Nevertheless I think it’s worth to focus on the iMac17,1 for now.

[dfuriet]

@Sebastian-Roth I would prefer my imac14,1 work with fog… My iMac17,1 is showed on this topic as a example.

[Tom Elliott]

@dfuriet The messages appear clear to me. At least in the last picture. Essentially, it’s unable to bring the nic up to actually try and use it.

Have you tried entering the iPXE shell and just waiting for about 30 sends, then try to configure by running the command dhcp?

[Sebastian Roth]

@dfuriet Did you see the postings in the iPXE forum? We are trying to gather more information and surely hope to fix things for both iMac14,1 and iMac17,1 but it will be a long way I suppose.

Could you try out something for us? As Tom said, could you enter the shell when you see the message on screen (“DHCP failed, hit 's' for the iPXE shell; ...”). There type the following commands and take a picture:

ipxe> dhcp
...
ipxe> ifstat

After the first command (dhcp) you’ll need to wait for some seconds and might see the same errors as before. The type the ifstat command and take a picture of it all.

[dfuriet]

On my iMac14,1, I can’t go into the menu because there a no errror showing, only banner text :

iPXE initialising device...ok

iPXE 1.0.0+ (26050) -- Open Source Network Boot Firmware -- http://ipxe.org
Features : DNS FTP HTTPS iSCSI NFS TFTP SRP VLAN AoE EFI Menu

then crashed with nothing else

Sometime I have more, like my first (reversed) picture

My second picture is on a iMac17,1, but I don’t have it anymore

[dfuriet]

Immediately after banner text is displayed, Ethernet Card power off a few seconds, then Ethernet Card power on… It’s at this time that ipxe crash