User manual

Etherboot User Manual
filenames are ignored by Etherboot. Remember to restart the server if you have edited the config file
and the server does not automatically reread when it discovers an updated config file.
Another thing to check is that the BOOTP or DHCP server is allowed to receive the query. You may
have some protection mechanism such as tcpwrappers or a firewall in front of it. As the booting
computer does not have an IP address, the request will come from 0.0.0.0 so your rules must allow
through packets from this address.
If the BOOTP or DHCP server is on another Ethernet segment, things get more complicated. You
need to run a BOOTP or DHCP relay. You will probably also need to set the gateway field in the
reply so that TFTP will work across the gateway. You should read a good explanation of how these
work, in say, W. Richard Steven’s book TCP/IP Illustrated.
3. Etherboot gets the BOOTP/DHCP parameters but cannot find a TFTP server.
Do you have a TFTP server installed and running and is it allowed to serve the client in question?
For example the tcpwrapper rules may not allow TFTPD to respond to the IP address the booting
computer is at. You should look at the log files on the server for any clues.
4. The TFTP server is found but it replies Access violation.
Access violation is a blanket reply for many different problems but essentially the TFTP server
cannot give Etherboot the file requested. Did you put the file where TFTPD expects to find it, e.g. on
a directory that is on its path? Did you make the file world readable? Case of the filename is
important too. Check the log files on the TFTP server to see what the actual filename it tried to open
was, sometimes directory prefixes are prepended to the name due to the program options specified.
5. I made this kernel and put it in /tftpdir like you wrote but Etherboot says Unable to load file.
Is the file a boot image? You cannot use a ordinary kernel image, you must process it with
mkelf-linux (../mknbi.html) first.
6. I have this proprietary boot ROM (e.g. LanWorks, PXE, etc) and I used mkelf-linux or mknbi-linux
to make a boot image, (or I got this boot image from the LTSP project), but the boot ROM doesn’t
load it, or it fails to run.
The boot image format is specific to Etherboot. It will not work with proprietary boot ROMs. You
have to find out from the supplier what boot procedures you should use. For example, if you are
using a LanWorks boot ROM, the information you need is here (http://www.3com.com/managedpc).
For PXE the utility you need is PXELINUX.
9.3. Hardware capabilities
1. What network cards are supported?
16