Arch Linux

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 1,089

Why use an ISO when there is netboot ?

May I throw in a related question: Why download an ISO in the first place? As Arch is a rolling release distro one only really needs is a small bootstrap like netboot. Install uses internet anyway. Or do I miss something here?

Moderator note :  split off from https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=286556

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2024-06-11 09:26:18)

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 13,038

Re: Why use an ISO when there is netboot ?

Some reasons :

- ISOs can be used offline as rescue system

- netboot requires a wired connection, see https://archlinux.org/releng/netboot/
If a device only supports wireless, netboot won't work.

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky

Funny0facer

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2022-12-03

Posts: 158

Re: Why use an ISO when there is netboot ?

for me, netboot does not work everytime. Sometimes it just can't connect to the server.

see me failing here: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=286578

Last edited by Funny0facer (2024-06-12 19:08:41)

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cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 1,089

Re: Why use an ISO when there is netboot ?

@Lone_Wolf
That's not quite correct: To the PXE environment - or rather its IP stack - it's all just Layer2 ethernet which is independet of the Layer1 physical layer (in fact when reading the 802.11 spec the gist is: it wraps regular ethernet frames into some carrier which is then fed through the wifi circuits). So it's up to the firmware to provide means to load and configure any type of NIC as long as it presents it as UNDI to the PXE stack - no matter if its twisted pair, wifi, fibre channel, serial or something else.

@Funny0facer
As your topic looks like some dns name resolution issues that's either an issue of the local network - or, as mentioned in the github issue: some issue upstream in busybox. Nothing related to PXE as a "technology" in itself. You can ping IPs but not domain names - so your issue is somewhere in Layer4 and above - nothing PXE deals with down at Layer2 and Layer3 - as long as your PXE is able to get an IP from a DHCP server, talk to the TFTP server to download the NPB and start it then PXE has done its job.

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 13,038

Re: Why use an ISO when there is netboot ?

So it's up to the firmware to provide means to load and configure any type of NIC

Technically you are correct.
For practical use by PXE boot what matters is whether the firmware is able to provide that  without OS-support .

What percentage of WiFi adapters do you expect to be supported that way by firmware ?

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Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.

clean chroot building not flexible enough ?
Try clean chroot manager by graysky