PXE & Tiny core linux

[Evangelos]

I would like to know if is it possible to install tiny core linux remotely via pxe. my destination pc supports pxe boot.
Thanks

[tinypoodle]

Absolutely.

Also see

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tc-terminal-serverincluded in base.

[gerald_clark]

Please read the wiki.
http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:netbooting

[Evangelos]

So far (No More, No Less, means that I have done only the following steps on a fresh TCL installation):
Putting it all together

The tftp server is sourced at /tftpboot. We are going to setup workstation1. It is going to have a /mnt/nfs that corresponds to /tftpboot/nfs/ws1. On the server myserver:

    mkdir -p /tftpboot/nfs/ws1/tce

    copy nfs-utils.tcz to /tftpboot/nfs/ws1/tce
-> Here I downloaded nfs-utils.tcz on option folder and I copied to the /tftpboot/nfs/ws1/tce

    create the file /tftpboot/nfs/ws1/nfs.list that contains: ^/nfs/ws1/nfs-utils.tcz^
^/nfs/ws1/nfs-utils.tcz^ -> do I have to put the ^ character before and after the file path?

    Copy tinycore.gz and bzImage to /tftpboot/nfs/ws1

    add ”/tftpboot/nfs/ws1 *(rw,no_root_squash)” to /etc/exports, and “exportfs -a”.
/etc/exports didn't exist as a result I created. It contains the following lines

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/tftpboot/nfs/ws1 *(rw,no_root_squash)
exportfs -a    Create a PXE config file that contains the following:

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label ws1
  MENU LABEL WS1
  kernel /nfs/ws1/bzImage
  append initrd=/nfs/ws1/tinycore.gz nfsmount=myserver:/tftpboot/nfs/ws1 tftplist=myserver:/nfs/ws1/nfs.list tce=nfs/tceWhere I have to create this file?in which folder?What name should have?

When I solve my previous questions, I am going to do the following steps:
When you select ws1 from the PXE boot menu, the workstation does the following:

    Loads TCL.
    TFTP gets /nfs/ws1/nfs.list from myserver.
    TFTP gets each file listed in nfs.list and places it in /opt/tce.
    Mounts all applications in /opt/tce.
    Mounts myserver:/tftpboot/nfs/ws1 onto /mnt/nfs.

Any additional extensions installed by Appbrowser will be saved on the nfs share, and will be loaded during boot, just as you would expect with a local drive.

When you run the Backup-Restore utility, set the Device to nfs or nfs/tce.

[tinypoodle]

Running

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tc-terminal-servercould give you a basic idea to learn from

Try <netboot-dir>/pxelinux.cfg/default

[gerald_clark]

There should be no "^" characters in your nfs.lst.
Do not put the boot files in the nfs tce directory.
/etc/exports should not contain "exportfs -a"
You do not need a tce= boot option.

Please re-read the netboot article.
Start with the absolute minimum method.

[Evangelos]

I started again to install the TCL using PXE boot.

Server (Ubuntu 10.04) -> destination Thin Client PXE boot.

In Ubuntu:
I installed tftpd-hda dhcpd3-server

then the configuration file /etc/default/tftpd-hpa

TFTP_USERNAME="tftp"
TFTP_DIRECTORY="/var/lib/tftpboot"
TFTP_ADDRESS="0.0.0.0:69"
TFTP_OPTIONS="-s"
TFTP_DIRECTORY="/var/lib/tftpboot"

Then

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wget http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/3.x/release/tinycore-current.iso
Next step :

mkdir /var/lib/tftpboot/tinycore

Next step :

mount -o loop tinycore-current.iso /var/lib//tftpboot/tinycore

folder boot contains:

/var/lib/tftpboot/tinycore/boot$ ls
bzImage  isolinux  tinycore.gz

my pxelinux.cfg now ONLY contains:

ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:/var/lib/tftpboot$ cat pxelinux.cfg
LABEL tinycore
MENU LABEL Tiny Core 3.6
kernel /var/lib/tftpboot/tinycore/boot/bzImage
append initrd=/var/lib/tftpboot/tinycore/boot/tinycore.gz

ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:~$ cat /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf
option domain-name-servers 8.8.8.8;
default-lease-time 86400;
max-lease-time 604800;
authoritative;

subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.1.70 192.168.1.100;
filename "pxelinux.0";
next-server 192.168.0.3;
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
option broadcast-address 192.168.1.255;
option routers 192.168.0.1;
}

[Evangelos]

ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:/etc/dhcp3$ sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
 * Reconfiguring network interfaces...                                          There is already a pid file /var/run/dhclient.eth0.pid with pid 5223
killed old client process, removed PID file
Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client V3.1.3
Copyright 2004-2009 Internet Systems Consortium.
All rights reserved.
For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/

Listening on LPF/eth0/00:1e:68:da:ed:02
Sending on   LPF/eth0/00:1e:68:da:ed:02
Sending on   Socket/fallback
Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client V3.1.3
Copyright 2004-2009 Internet Systems Consortium.
All rights reserved.
For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/

Listening on LPF/eth0/00:1e:68:da:ed:02
Sending on   LPF/eth0/00:1e:68:da:ed:02
Sending on   Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 7
DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 20
DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 21
DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 13
No DHCPOFFERS received.
No working leases in persistent database - sleeping.
                                                                         [ OK ]

    sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/dhcp3-server restart
 * Stopping DHCP server dhcpd3    [fail]
 * Starting DHCP server dhcpd3  probably OK
 * check syslog for diagnostics.     [fail]

Question:

my thin client doesnt find something and skipped PXE boot.

I connected the thin client to my Laptop not to my router.
Do you think I have to connected it to my router?

[Evangelos]

I connect my thin client to router.

I changed the interface file from eth0 to wlan0
and now the

    sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

gave

Listening on LPF/wlan0/00:16:ea:d5:4f:20
Sending on   LPF/wlan0/00:16:ea:d5:4f:20
Sending on   Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 3
DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 3
DHCPDISCOVER on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 4
DHCPOFFER of 192.168.0.3 from 192.168.0.1
DHCPREQUEST of 192.168.0.3 on wlan0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67
DHCPACK of 192.168.0.3 from 192.168.0.1
bound to 192.168.0.3 -- renewal in 42341 seconds

but again the thin client could not find anything.

PROBABLY there is something wrong in my

ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:~$ cat /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf
option domain-name-servers 8.8.8.8;
default-lease-time 86400;
max-lease-time 604800;
authoritative;

subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.1.70 192.168.1.100;
filename "pxelinux.0";
next-server 192.168.0.3;
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
option broadcast-address 192.168.1.255;
option routers 192.168.0.1;
}

Could someone examine the above lines to see if something goes wrong.

my router ip is 192.168.0.1 and my server 192.168.0.3

thanks.

[Rich]

Hi Evangelos
I don't know PXE, just an observation.

PROBABLY there is something wrong in my
Quote
ebrachos@ebrachos-hp:~$ cat /etc/dhcp3/dhcpd.conf
option domain-name-servers 8.8.8.8;
default-lease-time 86400;
max-lease-time 604800;
authoritative;

subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.1.70 192.168.1.100;
filename "pxelinux.0";
next-server 192.168.0.3;
option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
option broadcast-address 192.168.1.255;
option routers 192.168.0.1;
}

I see both  192.168.1  and  192.168.0  listed. Is that a typo or are you really running two networks?

[Evangelos]

Ok I am going to change it and I will come back with my results.

Thank you very much.

[madeno]

Hello
I've tried to run over PXE new TC, but X didn't start, system boots to command line. I think Ive got problem with loading tcz extensions ...
Ive tried almost everything loading them over tftp, nfs, http, boot tinycore iso over pxe but no success.
I've tried also tinycore 3.6 and it works great but I need to load new version because I need it with vmware view client

I tried to do this in this configuration:
pxeserver - VMware, SLES, syslinux-4.06, tftp-hpa-5.2

my pxe menu:
---------------
LABEL 4
        MENU LABEL TinyCore nfs
        KERNEL /nfs/ws1/boot/vmlinuz
        APPEND initrd=/nfs/ws1/boot/core.gz nfsmount=(ip_dhcp_server):/tftpboot/nfs/ws1
        TEXT HELP
        Boot the TinyCore nfs
        ENDTEXT
LABEL 3
        MENU LABEL VMWare View
        KERNEL vmview/memdisk
        APPEND iso initrd=vmview/vmview.iso raw
        TEXT HELP
        Boot the VM
        ENDTEXT
LABEL 2
        MENU LABEL TinyCore 3.6
        KERNEL tinycore/boot/bzImage
        APPEND initrd=tinycore/boot/tinycore.gz
        TEXT HELP
        Boot the TinyCore 3.6
        ENDTEXT
LABEL 1
        MENU LABEL TinyCore 4.7
        KERNEL image/boot/vmlinuz
        APPEND initrd=image/boot/core.gz cde
        TEXT HELP
        Boot the TinyCore new
        ENDTEXT

Can someone help me to resolve this problem?
Thank you very much

[genec]

Hello
I've tried to run over PXE new TC, but X didn't start, system boots to command line. I think Ive got problem with loading tcz extensions ...
Ive tried almost everything loading them over tftp, nfs, http, boot tinycore iso over pxe but no success.
I've tried also tinycore 3.6 and it works great but I need to load new version because I need it with vmware view client

If you're not the original poster, I'd suggest creating a new thread/topic.

That said, I'd advise:
1) rereading http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:netbooting http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:remastering and http://wiki.tinycorelinux.net/wiki:dynamic_root_filesystem_remastering
2) I've done full PXE payloads with dynamic remastering for VMware View open client and Symantec Ghost with no issues.

[Rich]

Hi madeno
The GUI for Tinycore was broken out as separate components somewhere in the TC4.x release. It now requires
that the  Xvesa, Xprogs, Xlibs, flwm_topside, and wbar  extensions are available when booting. I don't know
if a  cde  directory is appropriate for PXE booting, but if it is, those extensions probably belong there. I don't
use PXE so someone else may have some better advice.

If you're not the original poster, I'd suggest creating a new thread/topic.

If these last three posts belong in their own thread, an administrator will have to move them.

[sodface]

madeno, see:
This thread.

Basically, take the x extensions from the .iso and make another initramfs so that they extract into /tmp/builtin/optional, add it to your boot menu as a second initramfs and you should be good.