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Thread: PXE booting knoppix 6.4.4 on dell 710

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    4

    PXE booting knoppix 6.4.4 on dell 710

    Not sure if this is the correct topic to post under, but here goes...

    I have searched the forums and not found any reference to this problem.

    I need help in troubleshooting a pxe boot issue. I have not been using knoppix long, so am not sure exactly how to diagnose the problem.

    I am having issues booting Knoppix 6.4.4 via PXE onto a dell 710. The pxe server is setup correctly as I use it for installs on a regular basis and am able too boot this version of knoppix and 6.2.2 onto other types of systems (dell models - 1850, T3400, 390). But on the 710 it to gets hung up at the following:

    Loading network device module(s) .....

    It starts with the bnx driver, sits there for a while, then moves on to the yellowfin driver, and never actually gets itself configured...

    I originally tried with 6.2.2, then 6.4.4 with the same results. If I go back to 6.0.1, it boots fine..

    For my pxe config I have copied the following files into my tftpboot infrastructure...
    boot/isolinux/linux
    boot/isolinux/minirt.gz

    Here are the relevant kernel lines from my pxelinux.cfg file:

    kernel utilities/knoppix_6.4.4/linux
    Append nfsdir=10.10.10.145:/var/ftp/pub/Knoppix/6.4.4/mnt nodhcp lang=us ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init apm=power-off nomce vga=791 quiet initrd=utilities/knoppix_6.4.4/minirt.gz BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix

    The system boots fine from the CD and sees the network. Here is what lspci shows on the system booted via the 6.4.4 CD.


    00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5520 I/O Hub to ESI Port (rev 13)
    00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev 13)
    00:03.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev 13)
    00:04.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev 13)
    00:05.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 5 (rev 13)
    00:06.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 6 (rev 13)
    00:07.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 7 (rev 13)
    00:09.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub PCI Express Root Port 9 (rev 13)
    00:14.0 PIC: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub System Management Registers (rev 13)
    00:14.1 PIC: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub GPIO and Scratch Pad Registers (rev 13)
    00:14.2 PIC: Intel Corporation 5520/5500/X58 I/O Hub Control Status and RAS Registers (rev 13)
    00:1a.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 (rev 02)
    00:1a.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 (rev 02)
    00:1a.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
    00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
    00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 02)
    00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 (rev 02)
    00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev 92)
    00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801IB (ICH9) LPC Interface Controller (rev 02)
    00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801IB (ICH9) 2 port SATA IDE Controller (rev 02)
    01:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 20)
    01:00.1 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 20)
    02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 20)
    02:00.1 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme II BCM5709 Gigabit Ethernet (rev 20)
    03:00.0 RAID bus controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic LSI MegaSAS 9260 (rev 05)
    08:03.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G200eW WPCM450 (rev 0a)

    /proc/modules contains

    ipv6 209265 24 - Live 0xf817b000
    parport_pc 25074 0 - Live 0xf807d000
    ppdev 4279 0 - Live 0xf8067000
    lp 6299 0 - Live 0xf8041000
    parport 22038 3 parport_pc,ppdev,lp, Live 0xf8054000
    8250_pnp 3348 0 - Live 0xf8433000
    ghes 2865 0 - Live 0xf83d2000
    tpm_tis 5429 0 - Live 0xf83bd000
    tpm 8561 1 tpm_tis, Live 0xf83ad000
    tpm_bios 3769 1 tpm, Live 0xf8396000
    8250 15504 1 8250_pnp, Live 0xf8371000
    dcdbas 3840 0 - Live 0xf834c000
    serial_core 12752 1 8250, Live 0xf8329000
    power_meter 6774 0 - Live 0xf8319000
    serio_raw 2978 0 - Live 0xf830a000
    hed 1179 1 ghes, Live 0xf82dd000
    ses 4752 0 - Live 0xf81d5000
    enclosure 4207 1 ses, Live 0xf81b6000
    bnx2 54813 0 - Live 0xf811b000
    i7core_edac 12057 0 - Live 0xf8100000
    megaraid_sas 32775 0 - Live 0xf80e2000
    edac_core 25774 1 i7core_edac, Live 0xf80c3000
    joydev 7072 0 - Live 0xf803d000

    Any input would be greatly appreciated..

    -MichaelC

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    242
    Hi again,

    Different (Dell) machines have different devices and these require different drivers and firmware. This probably accounts for why you have problems with your 710 and not with other machines.

    Over the last few years, the drivers and the firmware they load at start up have been separated for copyright reasons. This probably accounts for why your 710 works with 6.0.1 but not with 6.4.4.

    When you boot the Live CD, Linux is able to find the the right driver and the driver is able to find the right firmware but when you boot using PXE this fails for some reason. Does that sound reasonable so far ?

    Can I ask if your PXE boot set up boots Knoppix or some other OS ? If you are booting Knoppix are you using the Knoppix 'terminal server' ?

    I remember (vaguely now) using PXE boot and the tftpboot directory but in those days I was booting embedded Linux using some desktop Linux. I recently tried the Knoppix terminal server to boot PXE Knoppix, as it were. The server and client were the same Linux and I did not need to set up a tftpboot infrastructure. It some ways that might seem a daft thing to do.

    If you are booting Knoppix using PXE then I suggest you try moving your tftpboot infrastructure to one side and try the Knoppix terminal server. That should boot /boot/vmlinuz from the running Knoppix (which you will find exactly the same kernel as you copied off the CD). I think this mounts /KNOPPIX over nfs and the rest, as they as, is Knoppix.

    If you can't do that then you'll have to extend you tftpboot infrastructure to include the firmware for your 710. I think you'll find the driver is not a loadable module but it is already in the kernel. One way to find out what firmware you need is the boot the Live CD, open a console terminal and examine the output of dmesg. All the network drivers I have that load firmware actually report which file they have loaded from /lib/firmware.

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    4
    Quote Originally Posted by Forester View Post
    Hi again,

    Different (Dell) machines have different devices and these require different drivers and firmware. This probably accounts for why you have problems with your 710 and not with other machines.

    Over the last few years, the drivers and the firmware they load at start up have been separated for copyright reasons. This probably accounts for why your 710 works with 6.0.1 but not with 6.4.4.

    When you boot the Live CD, Linux is able to find the the right driver and the driver is able to find the right firmware but when you boot using PXE this fails for some reason. Does that sound reasonable so far ?

    Can I ask if your PXE boot set up boots Knoppix or some other OS ? If you are booting Knoppix are you using the Knoppix 'terminal server' ?

    I remember (vaguely now) using PXE boot and the tftpboot directory but in those days I was booting embedded Linux using some desktop Linux. I recently tried the Knoppix terminal server to boot PXE Knoppix, as it were. The server and client were the same Linux and I did not need to set up a tftpboot infrastructure. It some ways that might seem a daft thing to do.

    If you are booting Knoppix using PXE then I suggest you try moving your tftpboot infrastructure to one side and try the Knoppix terminal server. That should boot /boot/vmlinuz from the running Knoppix (which you will find exactly the same kernel as you copied off the CD). I think this mounts /KNOPPIX over nfs and the rest, as they as, is Knoppix.

    If you can't do that then you'll have to extend you tftpboot infrastructure to include the firmware for your 710. I think you'll find the driver is not a loadable module but it is already in the kernel. One way to find out what firmware you need is the boot the Live CD, open a console terminal and examine the output of dmesg. All the network drivers I have that load firmware actually report which file they have loaded from /lib/firmware.
    - The info about drivers and firmware is very helpful. I have tried to install on a few more systems and across the board older systems install, newer ones don't. A dell 2850 works, a 2950 does not. A dell 1850 works, a 1950 does not...

    - I am running a pxe server on a redhat machine, not a knoppix terminal server.

    - I will try setting up a knoppix terminal server and booting from it next week.

    - Thanks also for the tip on where to find the firmware info.

    I'll follow up when I know more..

    -MichaelC

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