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Linux/Win install from .iso over FTPT

netboot linux nfs .iso

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#1 Gouzi

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Posted 18 February 2014 - 12:50 PM

Good day everyone,

 

I want to install PC's remotely by booting over PXE +FTPT from .ISO files *netboot, nfsroot*.

 

i have running, working and configured Synology diskstation with PXE, DHCP boot.

I can Load and install Ubuntu or SuSe...., but it require connection to internet, also I can load of course .iso to memdisk, but some clients can have 512RAM so than I cant use memdisk.

 

 

This lines in txt.cfg - MENU for PXE boot works well as I described.
 

LABEL XP
KERNEL memdisk
APPEND raw iso initrd=images/WindowsXPSP3.iso
TEXT HELP
    Windows XP SP3 install
ENDTEXT

 

label Ubuntu 13.1 WWW OK
kernel ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
append vga=788 initrd=ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz
 

LABEL Parition Magic OK
KERNEL memdisk
APPEND iso initrd=images/pmagic_2013_05_01.iso
TEXT HELP
    Parition Magic
ENDTEXT
 

LABEL Netlinux.boo SuSee
kernel linux.boo
append shtowopts install=/suse-net/net panic=20 ip=dhcp initrd=initrd.boo
TEXT HELP
    UNIVERSAL BOOT
ENDTEXT
 

------------------------------------------------

I need to load such Initrd., so it can accept NFS /netboot/ in fact TFTP as a source.

Theoreticly I need to explain to LOADER that TFT is like CD-ROM cause from principe it should work like that.

 

I had read MAN pages, forums but no one lead to use the .iso file directly. I had also try to unpack /.iso file

but also w/o result - using FTPT as a source/repository.

 

Here some combinations which I tried - some of them are mismatched, cause mixing of SuSe ubuntu and who knows what distribution - it seems they use little different paramteters. For example seems that SuSe accept "install=" and Ubuntu "nfsroot=" - maybe I'm wrong so thats why it does not work... anyway I try many combinations with result of booting to some level of instalation who does not accept repository,iso.. /nfs...

 

- UNPACKED IMAGE FILES -

LABEL UBUNTU 13.1 LIVE
kernel ubuntu-installer/casper/vmlinuz
append INSTALL=192.168.2.150:/volume1/install/PXE/ubuntu-installer panic=20 netboot=nfs boot=casper ip=dhcp

 

** alternative for suse

kernel suse-installer/linux
install=nfsroot initrd=suse-installer/boot/i386/loader/initrd ramdisk_size=512000 ramdisk_blocksize=4096 root=/dev/nfs rw nfsroot=192.168.2.150:/volume1/install/PXE/suse-installer panic=20 ip=dhcp
**

------------------------------------

 

Here simple example as it should work :-D   //of course it does not work but it explain maybe more than prev. lines.

 

LABEL SUSE KDE-Live
kernel linux
APPEND iso raw initrd nfsroot=192.168.2.150:/volume1/install/PXE/images/openSUSE-13.1-KDE-Live-i686.iso

 

 

Anybody have that issue solved ?

 

i need correctly wroten lines in txt.cfg and probably updated kernel and initrd - not original from liveCD or NETBOOT. //Cause netboot use www repository :-)

 

 

 



#2 erwan.l

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Posted 18 February 2014 - 07:01 PM

Hi Gouzi,

 

You would either need indeed a distribution that supports FTP/NFS/HTTP (i.e a fast transfer protocol as opposed to UDP).

But then forget about Windows for instance.

Many linux distributions today supports NFS and sometimes HTTP or SMB.

 

Or a pxe bootstrap that supports these above protocol so that you could load it all in memory : iPxe would then be a the perfect tool.

Then installing Windows, and other distributions, becomes possible (more or less).

 

My 2 cents...

 

You can find some quick tuto's and ipxe/boot there.

 

Regards,

Erwan



#3 Gouzi

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Posted 18 February 2014 - 08:53 PM

erwan.l - as i wrote I use NET distributions /with support of many protocols/ and netboot and other things work.

 

But i need to know how to tell by comand to initird to use  .iso directly

not unpacked ISO - its not problem to extract casper or different [kernel+initrd] and load it, but rest of installation

must run from .iso

 

 

LABEL TFTP UBUNTU
default menu
kernel ubuntu-installer/casper/vmlinuz showmounts toram root=/dev/cifs boot=casper netboot=cifs nfsroot=ubuntu-installer NFSOPTS=-ouser=OEM,pass=123,ro ip=dhcp ro
append install=images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386.iso initrd ubuntu-installer/casper/initrd.lz



in Perfect world this should tell to installer to use .iso   unlucky we are on Earth :-)

 

So result is message of Linuxrc - repository not found in case.

 

FULL TFTP adress is  192.168.2.1/volume1/install/PXE/images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386.iso


Edited by Gouzi, 18 February 2014 - 09:49 PM.


#4 erwan.l

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Posted 19 February 2014 - 06:40 PM

Apart from loading into memory or look at ipxe/sanboot+http/nfs/ftp, I am dry :)

 

But there are some linux guru's on this forum : may be one them will have an idea.

 

/Erwan



#5 Gouzi

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Posted 26 February 2014 - 07:29 PM

I believe there is not complicated way to run any .iso instalation over local network after booting over PXE/FTPT, w/o loading whole .iso into memmory.....



#6 steve6375

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 12:10 AM

http://www.clearfoun...,view/id,42364/

LABEL Ubuntu 12.04 DVD
KERNEL ubuntu12.04x86/casper/vmlinuz
APPEND root=/dev/nfs boot=casper netboot=nfs nfsroot=10.0.0.2:/var/flexshare/shares/netboot/ubuntu12.04x86 initrd=/ubuntu12.04x86/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

Does this help?

 

For iso loading maybe you need to specify a network path using iso-scan/filename=



#7 Bhushan

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 12:27 PM

I installed and configured PXE server on RHEL 6.4. It works great but now i have to install Windows OS ( XP, Win 7 /8 ) and ubuntu also, from linux pxe server....

How can i do this ? i read many blogs but i want simple procedure for it.

 

I tried gouzi method but failed :(

I have read for network boot we can use only 50 MB iso. Is it true ?



#8 Gouzi

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 04:48 PM

Hi Bhusan,

 

if you have enought RAM, as I tested, you can load whole .iso image into ram with MEMDISK:

Biggest image which I loadad was around 900Mb.
 

LABEL XP
KERNEL memdisk
APPEND raw iso initrd=WindowsXP.iso   (or any bootable iso file)

 

Windows 7 and above I didn't test yet, but I see same steps at many blogs about it.

Today I will test   steve6375's hint and let know result.



#9 Bhushan

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Posted 28 February 2014 - 11:39 AM

Ok Gouzi :)

i have 8 GB RAM. Will your above configuration work for me to install XP ?

I also want to run live cd's for taking data backup on portable drive in case of OS crash.



#10 Gouzi

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Posted 06 March 2014 - 02:23 PM

Here guys come SOLUTION - Its working on synology diskstation and maybe more !

 

After you set up PXE and FTPT settings, than:

 

First thing is to allow all ip adresses in Folder settings - NFS - name (IP) shall be *  /yes a star/
even if you wrote exact adress and mask, during boot you will have problem with |mount call failed - server replied: Permission denied|.

 

Finally I didnt use .iso image directly by command, but in Synology Filestation By right click - and choose  MOUNT image.. So .iso will appear as a Folder.

Result is same as if you unpack it. /just no waste of space, also no problem with SYM LINKS/

 

in PXE configuration file = txt.cfg or default shall be:

 

LABEL Ubuntu
        MENU LABEL Ubuntu CD - Live
        KERNEL images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386/casper/vmlinuz
        APPEND boot=casper vga=normal netboot=nfs nfsroot=192.168.2.150:/volume1/install/PXE/images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386 fetch=tftp://192.168.2.150/install/PXE/images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386/casper/filesystem.squashfs initrd=images/ubuntu-13.10-desktop-i386/casper/initrd.lz
 

Just amend IP adress and folder.

Yours NFS Root you can see in NFS folder settings, it will be  your.ip.adress:/volumeY/name of folder.

 

 

Hope this short manual will help someone and save several days by labour..







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