NFS PXE boot not working in 5.3.1

**skellert** · 04-04-2008, 05:43 AM

I've just installed new 5.3.1 KNOPPIX and KNOPPIX2 images over the top of my old 5.1.1 versions. PXE booting no longer works.

As the knoppix kernel tries to mount the NFS directory, it bombs out telling me...

Code:

Trying to mount cd on 172.16.1.1:/netboot/pxe...Failed
Trying to mount cd on 172.16.1.1...Failed
Please enter NFS directory path (aka "192.168.0.1:/cdrom") :

A look at my /var/log/messages file on the NFS server tells me that the boot loader is actually trying to mount 172.16.1.1:/knoppix - which of course doesn't exist.

Back to the failed knoppix box - If I manually type the correct path, that is 172.16.1.1:/netboot/pxe - it then magically mounts the directory properly and boots into 5.3.1 OK.

This looks like a bug in the 5.3.1 kernel image to me - but I'm open to suggestions.

For grins, here is the kernel options lines my tftp server is feeding the knoppix client

Code:

DEFAULT Knoppix
TIMEOUT 300
PROMPT 1
DISPLAY boot.msg

LABEL Knoppix
KERNEL vmlinuz-knoppix-netboot
APPEND nfsdir=172.16.1.1:/netboot/pxe nodhcp lang=us ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init apm=power-off nomce vga=ext screen=1280x1024 initrd=initrd-knoppix-netboot.img quiet BOOT_IMAGE=knoppix dma

Any suggestions on whether this is a bug or whether its me?

**skellert** · 04-04-2008, 07:24 AM

Just for grins, I created a /knoppix directory on my boot server and filled it with an identical copy of the /netboot/pxe directory which the knoppix kernel tells me that it can't mount..... it booted just fine.

But I noticed that it still does the following before booting...

Code:

Trying to mount cd on 172.16.1.1:/netboot/pxe...Failed
Trying to mount cd on 172.16.1.1

In my logs, I can see a SINGLE mount request for /knoppix - which is obviously happening on the second attempt when the knoppix kernel tells me that its trying to mount the cd on 172.16.1.1 - the mount request for /netboot/pxe is never being transmitted.

What gives???