sanboot command with http server iso

[bshogeman]

I try to boot a linux livecd with ipxe. It try's to boot but failed after loading the kernel.
What must a linux distro minimal contain to succesful boot from ipxe?

sanboot http:/webserver/somelinuxlivecd.iso

If using sanboot with a iscsi target then you must have somekind of iscsi initiator software installed. Same story for using AoE. But what about the address is non of both but a http url?

What must I change in the image?

[mcb30]

(2013-05-13 15:51)bshogeman Wrote:  If using sanboot with a iscsi target then you must have somekind of iscsi initiator software installed. Same story for using AoE. But what about the address is non of both but a http url?

What must I change in the image?

The image would have to contain some kind of HTTP block device driver.

It's almost certainly easier to use the distro's native facilities for network booting. Most distro installers will allow the kernel command line to specify a URL for locating the remaining files.

Michael

[bshogeman]

(2013-05-13 16:52)mcb30 Wrote:  The image would have to contain some kind of HTTP block device driver.

It's almost certainly easier to use the distro's native facilities for network booting. Most distro installers will allow the kernel command line to specify a URL for locating the remaining files.

The distro's I want to use don't have or don't have documented a kernel commandline for specifying the other files.

I am looking for a linux distro that is small, has freerdp 1.0.x
Porteus and TinyCore both look good but also both fail to locate the other files. One of the developers of porteus give me the hint that I must look in the linuxrc file.
So I was thinking wat makes other linux distro's work pxe boot out-of-the-box and what changes are needed to make this one work.
A http block device driver (httpfs2) is included in the distro.
Only I have no idea how to make it work with ipxe.
And even then the question remains what do other linux distro's have that it works direct out-of-the-box.
But first things first. Can you tell me or give me a hint where to look? What needs to be modified to make it work?

[robinsmidsrod]

If you look at my menu example, https://gist.github.com/robinsmidsrod/2234639, you can see how SystemRescueCD, Ubuntu LiveCD (casper from Debian) and a few other systems load external files by specifying it on the kernel command line. Most of the menu entries have additional links with more information.

In most cases I've had to hunt the wikis and forums of said projects to find out what options are available for use. I've tried TinyCoreLinux a few weeks ago, and their boot environment is not very streamlined for PXE, and the small amount of docs I found are about an old version. I've almost been able to figure it out, but it's still a work-in-progress item in my menu.

Most of the systems do require functioning NFS, and if that is a no-no in your environment you're up for a harder challenge. I do know SystemRescueCD supports loading the squashfs via HTTP (though it is a bit slower than NFS). Porteus I haven't tried yet.

What I do in most cases is that I look at the ISO, find the syslinux or grub config files, look at what kernel options are available, together with the initrds and perform a decent amount of trial and error. I usually get on IRC and ask people in the channel of the project for pointers if I can't find any PXE or kernel cmdline docs on my own.

In terms of getting FreeRDP, I think maybe a Ubuntu Live environment with a custom preseed (if that works with casper) that installs freerdp during bootup is probably the easier option.