Halp with PXE boot
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@JazzyJosh said:
You don't have a or near?
That requires travel, might not be easy.
Also, 'd.Asus RT-N66R. Running stock (a Tomato fork).
Ah. Then there should probably be a section for custom DNSMasq configuration, you'll just need a few lines.Start up a thread in the General Help? I can probably walk you through it.
So yeah.
Ideally this is what the network would look like.
Router- primary DHCP, forwards DNS to another computer (got that already)
Windows Server - Running CCBoot (Windows), serves PXE
OR
Linux Server - Running... whatever, serves PXE
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Which would you prefer/are more comfortable with? At the core, all you need is a configured DHCP server and TFTPD, which should be doable right on your router.
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Why.
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This is a heavily over-engineered solution.
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Which would you prefer/are more comfortable with? At the core, all you need is a configured DHCP server and TFTPD, which should be doable right on your router.
I'd prefer Windows, because the Windows servers have more disk space (without shuffling disks, etc)
Why.
Why not? Expanding horizons I tell you!
^that, and because the computer I'm trying to install on only has a CD drive and my last easily available CD is apparently bad
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Also PXE would actually be useful for other reasons. Especially given 2 of the laptops I have don't actually have disk drives and finding a USB drive to boot from can be a pain.
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I'd prefer Windows, because the Windows servers have more disk space (without shuffling disks, etc)
What version?
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Server 2012.
Okay, then depending on how much versatility you want, your easiest bet would be to add the Windows Deployment Services role, which will configure everything for you, and then add the linux things into it.
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I used to use Serva for PXE boot at home, it handles all the DHCP/DNS redirect crap and works well. Or did, until I needed UEFI support.
At that point I gave up and made some USB install media.
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Windows Deployment Services
And.... TIL that uses PXE.
I used to use Serva for PXE boot at home, it handles all the DHCP/DNS redirect crap and works well. Or did, until I needed UEFI support.
Oh that's nice, might look into that too
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I set up a PXE boot thing at work. Our main Windows Server which functions as DNS/DHCP needed a setting to hand out an IP address and filename for the PXE server. The PXE server itself runs Ubuntu Server 14.04 and uses a TFTP server to host config files, kernels/ramdisks, and the ISOLINUX pre-boot environment used by our generic network boot loader. Finally, the PXE server also acts as an NFS server that is mounted by clients after booting, allowing them to have a persistent filesystem while still being diskless.
Dunno if that helps at all.
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Wait, so UEFI PXE boot is different than BIOS?
Of course it is...
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@loopback0 said:
until I needed UEFI support.
Luckily enough, WDS supports UEFI devices. ;P
Yeah, we use it at work. I just don't have any desire to pay for Windows Server at home just so I can occasionally PXE boot to reinstall Windows
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So, for either of those options, what would the router config look like?
Since I'd prefer to keep the router as the primary DHCP unless that's unnecessarily difficult
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Since I'd prefer to keep the router as the primary DHCP unless that's unnecessarily difficult
Well what essentially happens is that your DHCP server (the router) hands out an IP address normally. Then, WDS (or whatever) will offer up additional options that tell a network-booting machine where to download the binaries to boot from.
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OK. Do I need to modify router configs at all (assuming probably yes, since the router is the "master")
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OK. Do I need to modify router configs at all (assuming probably yes, since the router is the "master")
Maybe? Depends on how centralized you want it. WDS is able to run piggyback to your normal DHCP server, but it might be just as easy to configure it right there.For example the DHCP configuration on my own router has a line that looks like this:
dhcp-boot=boot.bin,storagesrv,192.168.1.77
Basically, this is a DNSMasQ line that says "If anyone asks for it, the network boot file is called boot.bin, and it's found at 192.168.1.77"
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Serva runs piggy back to DHCP too, if you don't need UEFI.
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Ah OK. Well, I'll be setting up WDS right now, will get back once that's done.
I can't find a DNSMasQ setting on the web interface though, looks like I might need to configure that via an SSH session on the router
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Status: Well that was interesting. RDP into my server for some fact-checking and apparently it's been so long that it crashed it. :/
Now to sit through some Windows Updates...
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RDP into my server for some fact-checking and apparently it's been so long that it crashed it.
woops
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I can't find a DNSMasQ setting on the web interface though, looks like I might need to configure that via an SSH session on the router
You might not need to, as mentioned before you should be able to just set it up to tag on to your normal DHCP broadcasts.
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You might not need to, as mentioned before you should be able to just set it up to tag on to your normal DHCP broadcasts.
Roger that.
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So...
It's (trying to) serve images from the router (10.25.1.1), not the server (10.25.2.12).
However, it's obviously already contacted the server, since it got the filename right.
Thoughts?
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The Next Server field is not set right, looks like it's 10.25.1.1 instead of your TFTP server.
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Right. And that's the router's fault right?
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Not sure, since it seems WDS is handing out the file name it should be using, which is in the same packet (IIRC).
My own server is dead in the water (connectivity wise), so I can't verify where the setting is for it.
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By default, next-server will be the same address as the BOOTP/DHCP server. You have to override that in the dnsmasq config.
I haven't played with this in a long time, but I recall dnsmasq being very particular about how data was presented. My config still has this line in it for next-server:
dhcp-option=66,"192.168.1.1"
with a note explaining that the double quotes are very important. Without them dnsmasq could interpret the IP address as a series of four bytes instead of an eleven character hostname.
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dnsmasq config.
Yeah, for some reason he couldn't find the DNSMasq configuration in his router pages.He mentioned it was Tomato, I don't know that firmware very well.
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My config still has this line in it for next-server:
I will try that, adjusting of course
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Any luck?
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@loopback0 said in Halp with PXE boot:
Serva runs piggy back to DHCP too, if you don't need UEFI.
Serva 3.0.0 now supports UEFI
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@patpat You joined the forum just to tell us after 4 months, so Thanks I guess?
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I suppose I might as well say that I went ahead and made the server the DHCP server for the network. So issue resolved via doing it the 'right' way :)