PXE diskless boot fails


 
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# 1  
Old 06-04-2010
PXE diskless boot fails

Hi,

I am trying to setup a server for a diskless boot of a computer class (with ubuntu)
I followed the guidelines in https://help.ubuntu.com/community/DisklessUbuntuHowto

I have two computers: one is the server I installed and the other is my macbook on which I run a virtual machine (using VMWare fusion) that does the net boot. I have additional VM on it with ubuntu 10.4 installed on it for other tests. The server runs ubuntu 10.4 server and the client image for network boot is ubuntu 10.4 desktop that I previously prepared as explained in the link above on a VM on my laptop.

The problem is that after loading the kernel and initrd (and outputting many things that I can't read because it happens too fast) I get the following error:
Code:
IP-Config: eth0 hardware address 00:0c:29:79:86:c1 mtu 1500 DHCP
[    2.775718] eth0: link up
IP-Config: no response after 60 secs - giving up
/init: .: line 3: can't open /tmp/net-eth0.conf
[   69.073555] Kernel panic- not syncing" Attempted to kill init!
[   69.073859] Pid: 1, comm: init Not tainted 2.6.32-22-generic #35-Ubuntu
< call trace - if it can help I can grab a screenshot >

At first I thought it means that the NFS is not accessible but I was able to mount it and access its files from the other VM so it is not the problem.

I have no idea what this error practically means, I saw in some google hits that it means that the network driver is missing. However, I created the initrd file on the same VM that now tries to boot and as explained in the tutorial. I tried both ways (mkinitramfs and update-initramfs) with no success.

Anyone can help?

Thanks!
Yotam
# 2  
Old 06-04-2010
Your diskless machine is not getting an IP address:
Code:
IP-Config: no response after 60 secs - giving up

So yes, network problems for one reason or another.

The call trace is probably irrelevant. What happens is that 'init' is unable to grab an IP address, gives up and quits, which causes a kernel panic since init should never ever quit.
This User Gave Thanks to Corona688 For This Post:
# 3  
Old 06-04-2010
But it should already have an IP address - it gets it during boot from DHCP....
(I see that happening at the beginning of boot - it gets the IP I assigned to its MAC address)

Last edited by yotamhc; 06-04-2010 at 02:29 PM..
# 4  
Old 06-04-2010
But the kernel doesn't know that. Check to see if it's set to autoconfig again or use passed parameters.
# 5  
Old 06-04-2010
For this reason I did what is written in the manual - here is the client's /etc/network/interfaces:
Code:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

iface eth0 inet manual

# 6  
Old 06-04-2010
The configuration in the nfsroot only matters once you already have network. If it's never connecting to NFS, this is happening before it. I wonder if the kernel has kernel-level autoconfiguration done -- meaning it will attempt to get DHCP by itself. Or if IP-Config is a proprietary ubuntu program, you will need to ask them.
# 7  
Old 06-04-2010
thanks, I posted a specific question on that in their forum
however, I have the same main question posted there from hours ago and nobody answers... I'll have to wait patiently...

---------- Post updated 05-06-10 at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous update was 04-06-10 at 10:55 PM ----------

Maybe it is related to the NFS?
Before the error message I see info on that but I don't really know how to read it:
Code:
Loading, please wait...
Begin: Loading essential drivers... ...
Done.
[    2.415110] udev: starting version 151
Begin: Running /scripts/init-premount ...
Done.
Begin: Mounting root file system... ...
Begin: Running /scripts/nfs-top ...
Done.
[    2.659652] RPC: Registered udp transport module.
[    2.659716] RPC: Registered tcp transport module.
[    2.659781] RPC: Registered tcp NFSv4.1 backchannel transport module.
[    2.721320] pcnet32.c:v1.35 21.Apr.2008 tsbogend@alpha.franken.de
[    2.721454] pcnet32 0000:01:01.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19
[    2.721730] pcnet32: PCnet/PCI II 79C970A at 0x2000, 00:0c:29:79:86:c1 assigned IRQ 19.
[    2.722151] eth0: registered as PCnet/PCI II 79C970A
[    2.722284] pcnet32: 1 cards_found.
IP-Config: eth0 hardware address 00:0c:29:79:86:c1 mtu 1500 DHCP
[    2.775718] eth0: link up

Then after a minute:
Code:
IP-Config: no response after 60 secs - giving up
/init: .: line 3: can't open /tmp/net-eth0.conf
[   69.073555] Kernel panic- not syncing" Attempted to kill init!
[   69.073859] Pid: 1, comm: init Not tainted 2.6.32-22-generic #35-Ubuntu

Hope it helps...
Thanks!
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