PXE Booting without download

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hey all,

A while back I set up TFTPD32 and apache on my windows machine to allow installation of openSUSE via PXE.

The client machine would boot, drag the kernel off tftp, then start the installation from http://windowsmachine/opensusedir, which was an apache alias to a mounted ISO of the 11.2 DVD. It worked quickly and easily.

That is the internationally recognised Condition for Vista to perform its main function: sh1tting the bed. Configuration lost.

Now, in a couple hours of searching and experimenting, I can’t find guidance on how to get that same setup back.

SDB:PXE boot installation - openSUSE covers 90% of it, but I don’t want the installation to connect to a repo and download new files - soundly killing my internet connection downloading files that are already on the install ISO I’m serving.

I want it to find all it needs in the served directory holding the ISO contents.

My pxelinux.cfg/default :

default install
prompt 1
timeout 30

Install i386 Linux

label install
kernel linux
append initrd=initrd splash=silent vga=0x314 showopts install=http://192.168.2.3/opensuse112

What do I change? Thanks in advance.

2

Hi Aynon. I will do my best to help.
This is directly copied and pasted from my pxe boot server. However I am using NFS instead of HTTP but it doesn’t download any packages off the internet:


LABEL 1
        MENU LABEL openSUSE 11.3 (64-bit) 
        KERNEL opensuse/11.3/amd64/linux
        APPEND initrd=opensuse/11.3/amd64/initrd install=nfs://10.1.2.12/srv/install/opensuse/11.3/amd64 splash=silent ramdisk_size=65535 vga=791 barrier=off
        TEXT HELP
        Install openSUSE 11.3 (64-bit)
        ENDTEXT

I have never tried TFTPD32 (Always used TFTP and NFS server on openSUSE)

Welcome to the forums BTW :slight_smile:

3

Thanks for the quick reply and welcome - longtime lurker, first time poster :smiley:

I’d prefer using HTTP over NFS, but I guess I’ll try to make that work if I can’t get HTTP to work.

I’m just constantly getting “no repository found” when I try to access it - I can ping the server from the installer’s shell and I’ve confirmed the directory’s being served but using another machine - perfectly accessible, so it should be the same as your accessible NFS share - I assume your …opensuse/11.3/amd64 folder just contains the ISO contents?

Argh - what a day to not have a USB DVD drive handy…

4

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Disregard all the above - it was Windows Firewall blocking access to Apache. The config works.

sigh

5

Glad you got it working rotfl!

To answer your question - Yes the directory contains the ISO contents