Archboot Over PXE root device issue

setkeh · 2011-07-28 18:17:24

Hey guys

I have installed a PXE server onto an existing archlinux server and have it setup and able to start an archlinux boot but about half way through the initial boot i get this error.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42 … error.jpg/

I have googled around and read through allot of PXE setup guides and havent been able to come up with an answer to the problem this happens on physical machines as well as in virtualbox.

My configs are as follows

pxelinux.cfg/arch.cfg

SERIAL 0 38400
DEFAULT vesamenu.c32
PROMPT 0
MENU TITLE Arch Linux (archboot)
MENU BACKGROUND /arch/boot/splash.png

F1 /arch/boot/syslinux/boot.msg
F2 /arch/boot/syslinux/options.msg

MENU WIDTH 78
MENU MARGIN 4
MENU ROWS 10
MENU VSHIFT 9
MENU TIMEOUTROW 15
MENU TABMSGROW 16
MENU CMDLINEROW 17
MENU HELPMSGROW 18
MENU HELPMSGENDROW -1

# Refer to http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/Doc/menu

MENU COLOR border       30;44   #40ffffff #a0000000 std
MENU COLOR title        1;36;44 #9033ccff #a0000000 std
MENU COLOR sel          7;37;40 #e0ffffff #20ffffff all
MENU COLOR unsel        37;44   #50ffffff #a0000000 std
MENU COLOR help         37;40   #c0ffffff #a0000000 std
MENU COLOR timeout_msg  37;40   #80ffffff #00000000 std
MENU COLOR timeout      1;37;40 #c0ffffff #00000000 std
MENU COLOR msg07        37;40   #90ffffff #a0000000 std
MENU COLOR tabmsg       31;40   #30ffffff #00000000 std

LABEL return
  MENU LABEL Return to Main Menu
  KERNEL vesamenu.c32
  APPEND pxelinux.cfg/default

LABEL help
TEXT HELP
For general information press F1 key.
For troubleshooting and other options press F2 key.
ENDTEXT
MENU LABEL Help

LABEL arch
TEXT HELP
Boot the Arch Linux (i686) archboot medium. 
It allows you to install Arch Linux or perform system maintenance.
ENDTEXT
MENU LABEL Boot Arch Linux (i686)
LINUX /arch/boot/i686/vmlinuz26
APPEND initrd=/arch/boot/i686/archiso.img rootdelay=10

LABEL arch64
TEXT HELP
Boot the Arch Linux (x86_64) archboot medium. 
It allows you to install Arch Linux or perform system maintenance.
ENDTEXT
MENU LABEL Boot Arch Linux (x86_64)
LINUX /arch/boot/x86_64/vmlinuz26
APPEND initrd=arch/boot/x86_64/archiso.img rootdelay=10

LABEL ArchOne Openbox
TXT HELP
Boot the ArchOne Linux Openbox Edition. 
Designed for use with Acer Aspire One Netbooks.
ENDTEXT
MENU LABEL Boot ArchOne Openbox
LINUX /arch/boot/vm64lts
APPEND initrd=arch/boot/initrd64lts.img rootdelay=10

im only concerned with the first entry "LABEL Arch" at the moment as im still working on images for the rest of the entrys

pxelinux.cfg/default

# SETKEH'S TFTP / PXE NETWORK BOOT SERVER.

DEFAULT /vesamenu.c32
MENU INCLUDE /pxelinux.cfg/default.inc
prompt 0


label bootlocal
  menu label ^Boot from default harddisk
  menu default
  KERNEL chain.c32
  APPEND hd0 0

LABEL Fedora 15
  MENU LABEL ^Fedora Installation Menu
  KERNEL /vesamenu.c32
  APPEND /pxelinux.cfg/fedora.conf
  TEXT HELP
  Fedora installers.
  ENDTEXT

LABEL slackware64
  MENU LABEL Slackware^64 x64 Installation menu
  KERNEL vesamenu.c32
  APPEND pxelinux.cfg/slackware64.conf
  TEXT HELP
  Slackware 64 bits installers.
  ENDTEXT

LABEL archlinux
  MENU LABEL ^Arch Linux Installation menu
  KERNEL vesamenu.c32
  APPEND pxelinux.cfg/arch.cfg
  TEXT HELP
  Arch Linux installers.
  ENDTEXT

LABEL ubcd
  MENU LABEL ^Ultimate Boot CD v5.02
  TEXT HELP
  A CD full with all kinds of disgnostics toos for the PC.
  This one takes a long time to load....
  ENDTEXT
  LINUX /memdisk
  INITRD /iso/ubcd502.iso
  APPEND iso

LABEL sysrcd
  MENU LABEL ^System Rescue CD
  KERNEL vesamenu.c32
  APPEND pxelinux.cfg/sysrcd.cfg
  TEXT HELP
  System Rescue CD, utilities.
  ENDTEXT

LABEL thin
  MENU LABEL ^Thinstation 2.2.2
  KERNEL lts/vmlinuz
  APPEND ramdisk_blocksize=4096 initrd=lts/initrd root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=524288 console=ttyS3 splash=silent vga=791
  TEXT HELP
  Thin X client.
  ENDTEXT

# -------------------------------------------------------------------------

MENU BEGIN
  TEXT HELP
  Dell Diagnistics and Utilities for M65, E520 and 600SC models.
  ENDTEXT
  MENU TITLE Dell Diagnistics and Utilities

Label return
  MENU LABEL Return to main menu
  MENU EXIT

LABEL Dell_M65
  MENU LABEL Dell Utilities for Precision M65
  TEXT HELP
  Diagnostics disk for Dell Precision M65
  ENDTEXT
  LINUX  memdisk
  INITRD dell/dell_utility_m65.disk

LABEL Dell_E620
  MENU LABEL Dell Utilities for Dimension E520
  TEXT HELP
  Diagnostics disk for Dell Dimension E520
  ENDTEXT
  LINUX  memdisk
  INITRD dell/dell_utility_E520.disk

LABEL Dell_600SC
  MENU LABEL Dell Utilities for Server 600SC
  TEXT HELP
  Diagnostics disk for Dell 600SC Server
  ENDTEXT
  LINUX  memdisk
  INITRD dell/dell_utility_600sc.disk

MENU END

# -------------------------------------------------------------------------

LABEL reboot
  MENU LABEL Reboot
  TEXT HELP
  Reboot this client computer
  ENDTEXT
  COM32 reboot.c32

LABEL poweroff
  MENU LABEL Power Off
  TEXT HELP
  Power off this client computer
  ENDTEXT
  COMBOOT poweroff.com

Again only worried about the arch section still working on getting the others going

i have not tried with another distro just yet im in the process of downloading a couple now to see if im stuck with the same issue

any help would be much appreciated.

EDIT:
I just added a fedora installer to the PXE Server and it booted perfectly fine with no issues at all im about to try backtrack linux and ubuntu once the downloads are finished to see how they go but it seems i just need to fix the arch issue.

cheers
Setkeh

Last edited by setkeh (2011-07-28 19:22:18)

ga01f4733 · 2011-07-28 22:42:44

Hi, I'm not a PXE guru, but I'been playing around some diskless nodes over this week. By default (of course) it relies on the default file in pxelinux.cfg/ folder to read the boot folder, otherwise it reads files idential to the MAC adress of the connection, or some fishy IP conversion, thats why you can start Fedora, how do you expect to read arch.cfg? .

Had you tried to rename arch.cfg with the MAC adress of the incoming connection, adding 01- at the beggining of it?
There are some Gentoo's HOW TOs about it, if I recall properly. Hope this helps

meop · 2011-08-03 03:44:33

Hi, which version of '*archboot.iso' did you use to extract your boot kernels you put in '/arch/boot/{i686,x86_64}' in your tftpboot directory? I ask because those are not the default names used in the most recent archboot.iso released a few days ago. You cannot use the regular Arch installation ISO files for PXE installs.

I just tried the latest archboot.iso with the latest Virtualbox and it seemed to boot and install fine.. takes more memory than other install methods though. Do you have some sort of device that's plugged into your VBox USB adapter that's being recognized as a VBox USB Tablet? Do you have 'System->Motherboard->Enable absolute pointing device' on in VBox?

Last edited by meop (2011-08-03 04:01:08)

setkeh · 2011-08-04 06:00:09

I havent had a look at the setup in a few days but im using the latest archboot image and yes i have absolute pointing device enabled not sure how mouse settings are able to effect the root image sqfs files.

although i was reading the gparted live setup guid (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livepxe.php) for pxe server and im thinking mybe there method of getting the root images may work using
fetch=http://$webserverIP/filesystem.squashfs
after copying the sqfs files onto my webserver
when i get home from tafe i will try this method and see how it goes

Cheers
SETKEH

meop · 2011-08-04 12:36:36

Hi, I thought that maybe disabling that setting would affect if/how VBox would treat the mouse as a usb device. Your screenshot shows a 'USB HID v1.10 Mouse' being detected during the output for detecting boot devices.

Your method of getting the images over PXE seems fine: tftp only needs to get the vmlinuz and initrd.img equivalents through pxelinux. I just don't see how your boot initialization is running hooks [archiso] and [archiso_pxe_nbd], or how your file is named 'archiso.img' unless you renamed it.. the newest archboot kernels don't use those hooks and work fine for me on VBox.

You are using these files?: ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/iso/archboot/latest/boot/

Last edited by meop (2011-08-04 20:44:24)

setkeh · 2011-08-05 13:54:57

well im still unsure of the issue but i deleted all the arch related stuff and redownloaded the archboot images and the system boots but i get kernel panics in virtualbox not 100% why gonna see if the images boot physical machine and see if it works if it does ill mark this solved if not ill pick your brains some more thanks guys for the help

Arch Linux

#1 2011-07-28 18:17:24

Archboot Over PXE root device issue

#2 2011-07-28 22:42:44

Re: Archboot Over PXE root device issue

#3 2011-08-03 03:44:33

Re: Archboot Over PXE root device issue

#4 2011-08-04 06:00:09

Re: Archboot Over PXE root device issue

#5 2011-08-04 12:36:36

Re: Archboot Over PXE root device issue

#6 2011-08-05 13:54:57

Re: Archboot Over PXE root device issue

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