jeffzimmm

jeffzimmm

New install of Ubuntu 14.04.2 and Fog 1.20 on a Dell Optiplex 745 (192.168.1.20) using dnsmasq.

Finally got the host (192.168.1.128) to load the undionly.0 link as described in the dnsmasq instructions. But then it times out when loading default.ipxe.

As you can see below, Wireshark shows that the TFTP host successfully downloads undionly.kpxe from 192.168.1.20, but then it tries to TFTP to 192.168.1.1 (the default gateway).

Screen Shot 2015-09-01 at 5.44.42 PM.png

Why is it doing that?

jeffzimmm

That’s right, it’s a consumer-grade router–Asus RT-N66U. That is why I am using dnsmasq, because I lack the ability to configure its DHCP correctly.

Here is my ltsp.conf file:

# Don't function as a DNS server:
port=0

# Log lots of extra information about DHCP transactions.
log-dhcp

# Dnsmasq can also function as a TFTP server. You may uninstall
# tftpd-hpa if you like, and uncomment the next line:
# enable-tftp

# Set the root directory for files available via FTP.
tftp-root=/tftpboot

# The boot filename, Server name, Server Ip Address
dhcp-boot=undionly.kpxe,,192.168.1.20

# rootpath option, for NFS
#dhcp-option=17,/images

# kill multicast
#dhcp-option=vendor:PXEClient,6,2b

# Disable re-use of the DHCP servername and filename fields as extra
# option space. That's to avoid confusing some old or broken DHCP clients.
dhcp-no-override

# PXE menu.  The first part is the text displayed to the user.  The second is the timeout, in seconds.
pxe-prompt="Press F8 for boot menu", 3

# The known types are x86PC, PC98, IA64_EFI, Alpha, Arc_x86,
# Intel_Lean_Client, IA32_EFI, BC_EFI, Xscale_EFI and X86-64_EFI
# This option is first and will be the default if there is no input from the user.
pxe-service=X86PC, "Boot from network", undionly

# A boot service type of 0 is special, and will abort the
# net boot procedure and continue booting from local media.
#pxe-service=X86PC, "Boot from local hard disk", 0

# If an integer boot service type, rather than a basename is given, then the
# PXE client will search for a suitable boot service for that type on the
# network. This search may be done by multicast or broadcast, or direct to a
# server if its IP address is provided.
# pxe-service=x86PC, "Install windows from RIS server", 1

# This range(s) is for the public interface, where dnsmasq functions
# as a proxy DHCP server providing boot information but no IP leases.
# Any ip in the subnet will do, so you may just put your server NIC ip here.
# Since dnsmasq is not providing true DHCP services, you do not want it
# handing out IP addresses.  Just put your servers IP address for the interface
# that is connected to the network on which the FOG clients exist.
# If this setting is incorrect, the dnsmasq may not start, rendering
# your proxyDHCP ineffective.
dhcp-range=192.168.1.20,proxy

# This range(s) is for the private network on 2-NIC servers,
# where dnsmasq functions as a normal DHCP server, providing IP leases.
# dhcp-range=192.168.0.20,192.168.0.250,8h

# For static client IPs, and only for the private subnets,
# you may put entries like this:
# dhcp-host=00:20:e0:3b:13:af,10.160.31.111,client111,infinite

jeffzimmm

@cml Thanks, I will try it out!

EDIT: TOTALLY WORKED!

OK, so for my own education, can you explain where that “next-server” setting is? What would I have to change in order for the default undionly.kpxe to work correctly?

@cml 's file works great, but I shouldn’t have to request a unique binary every time I reconfigure the network.

jeffzimmm

@Wayne-Workman said:

Just to make it clear, Secure Boot is currently required to be OFF to network boot with FOG. Can you provide us with a screen shot of the error ? You might need to take a video to capture the error, often times the errors are only displayed for fractions of a second. What happens if you try to boot using ipxe.efi ??

At first, I didn’t know what you were talking about–the only efi file in my /tftpboot folder was snponly.efi. But then I read another suggestion from you elsewhere that maybe upgrading to trunk might help, so I tried that.

And, lo, my /tftpboot doth overflow with efi files! So I tried ipxe.efi, and it WORKS.

Also - see my old post below on the subject of using a USB dongle.

That looks like really useful info once I get this host registered. Amazing.

As you requested elsewhere, I will experiment with co-existing EFI and BIOS hosts using DD-WRT and see if I can’t contribute to the Wiki to pay it forward.

jeffzimmm

UPDATE: Very educational experience for all.

The Fog host database is… sensitive. It would not permit me to add all five NIC MACs to each host, because it does not allow any duplicate MACs anywhere in the database. When you add a MAC to one host which already exists on another, it deletes that MAC from the other host.

So I registered the first 5 laptops, and then added all MACs to Laptop #1. The result was deleting the MACs from Laptops #2-5, which bugged their entries and caused them not to show up in the All Hosts list anymore. I had to manually enter the URL command to delete the host entries for the other laptops.

The better solution, for now, was to manually create the hosts for each of the 1st five laptops, copy-pasting their WiFi MAC address as their primary MACs. Now my 1st five laptops are registered, and none of them have Ethernet NIC MACs at all. This causes their Fog Clients to behave correctly, too–E.g., I can change their hostnames from Fog Management.

This will permit me to register and deploy the remaining 5 laptops using the NICs without problems. It just requires the additional step of changing each one’s MAC to its WiFi and deleting the Ethernet MACs.

jeffzimmm

Fascinating. I wish Dell would print the MAC address on its USB NICs. I’ll start off imaging the first five laptops just to get their NICs registered, then I’ll go into each host and copy-paste the MACs from each NIC.

So, I take it that the WiFi MAC will be the only one that does not have the “Ignore Client” checkbox checked?

jeffzimmm

So, everything is going swimmingly with FOG and my mix of UEFI Dell laptops and their BIOS Dell desktop cousins.

Now I’m running into a complication caused by a cost-saving measure. We only bought 5x Ethernet USB adapters to help me reimage 10 laptops. This means that laptops are sharing NICs, and therefore, MAC addresses.

When I boot from a new laptop using an already-registered NIC, obviously, it’s going to already think it’s registered because the MAC address is the same.

So here’s my query:

Is it possible to register all 10 laptops as unique hosts in Fog even though some of them will share Ethernet MAC addresses? Do I use the “Ignore MAC” options on the individual hosts pages?
What kinds of mischief will this cause me?

jeffzimmm

@Wayne-Workman said:

Just to make it clear, Secure Boot is currently required to be OFF to network boot with FOG. Can you provide us with a screen shot of the error ? You might need to take a video to capture the error, often times the errors are only displayed for fractions of a second. What happens if you try to boot using ipxe.efi ??

At first, I didn’t know what you were talking about–the only efi file in my /tftpboot folder was snponly.efi. But then I read another suggestion from you elsewhere that maybe upgrading to trunk might help, so I tried that.

And, lo, my /tftpboot doth overflow with efi files! So I tried ipxe.efi, and it WORKS.

Also - see my old post below on the subject of using a USB dongle.

That looks like really useful info once I get this host registered. Amazing.

As you requested elsewhere, I will experiment with co-existing EFI and BIOS hosts using DD-WRT and see if I can’t contribute to the Wiki to pay it forward.

jeffzimmm

Hi Wayne, Thanks for all of your generous attention.

I have tried every possible boot configuration.

With kpxe: The farthest I get is with Legacy BIOS, Secureboot Off. It takes me to “Initializing Devices,” then beeps and reboots.

With kkpxe: The farthese I get is with Legacy BIOS, Secureboot Off. It gets me as far as “Configuring (MAC address) …” Then times out and reboots.

It looks just like the screencap in @hlcstudy 's post https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/5721/ipxe-intialising-devices-ok-then-reboots. The difference is that kkpxe is already in use and I get the same symptom.

I note that you recommended in that thread to turn off firewalls. I thought I did that but will recheck.

jeffzimmm

I would just like to note that I have the same exact “Problem 1” with an almost identical configuration, with the exception that my host is a Dell XPS 13 (also with a USB dongle).

undionly.kkpxe did not solve it.

jeffzimmm

@Wayne-Workman

All right! I have successfully installed DD-WRT on the N66u and configured it to point to undionly.kkpxe. When all the teachers go home today, I’ll swap it in.

Just a couple questions:

As mentioned, I’ve got legacy BIOS Dell Inspiron Ones, and UEFI Dell XPS 13s. Should undionly.kkpxe theoretically work for both of them?
Dumb question. Right now, the Fog server is configured with its own DHCP and DNS turned off and dnsmasq enabled. Do I just uninstall dnsmasq now, or are there more steps needed to gracefully revert to a standard Fog installation?

jeffzimmm

@Tom-Elliott

I may do that. All about the open source solutions. Wow, this is such an incredibly helpful forum!

But now there’s a new issue–possibly unrelated, because some of my hosts are behaving differently.

My test host was a Dell Inspiron One 20" all-in-one running Windows 7. That one works fine (although I find that I have to manually restart TFTP on the server first).

The real challenge are the new XPS 13 laptops. They have Dell-branded PXE-booting Ethernet-USB adapters. They are set to legacy BIOS, secureboot off.

They get as far as “IPXE Initializing Devices,” then give a beep, flash a long number for a milisecond (4.0003somethingsomething) and reboot. Unless any of that sounds familiar to you, I’ll have to do another wireshark capture.

jeffzimmm