8 replies to this topic

[was_jaclaz]

Tinybit has just posted here:
http://www.boot-land...?...=2936&st=10

that this is possible.

Rather obviously ONLY the .iso's that would normally boot from "local" :
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=5041

can possibly work.

We do need some reports and howto's on the use of grub4dos with PXE (both for "normal" PXE booting and for "PXE .iso" booting).

Any taker?

jaclaz

[ktp]

Following are my findings:

Environment:
============
tftpd32 version 3.34 from XP SP3 using grldr from grub4dos-0.4.4-2009-03-31 as (PXE) boot file
PXE boot client: from VMware virtual machine

Successes:
==========
Various floppy disks images (DOS, Win98...)
Various iso:
WinPE 2.x (VistaPE) or WinPE 2.x-based (Easeus Partition Master)
UBCD 50b12
R-DriveImage 4.5
Paragon Hard Disk Manager 2009
Paragon Drive Backup Free Edition
Acronis products (True Image, Disk Director...)
Super Grub Disk
plpbt 5.03
hdat2 4.53

Failures:
==========

CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1.iso
Load segment: 0x0 System type: 0x0 Sector count: 0x1
Load RBA: 0x14 Boot Type: 2 = 1.44M floppy
chainloader (hd32)
Error 25: Disk Read error

FD0-konboot-v1.1-2in1.ima
Autodetect number-of-heads failed. Use default value 2
Autodetect sectors-per-track failed. Use default value 18
root (fd0)
Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition

pmagic-4.3.iso
pmagic.sqfs could not be found

[was_jaclaz]

With all due respect it doesn't make any sense reporting that a given build works (or fails to work) unless you ALSO and MAINLY post the menu.lst entries that you used.

FD0-konboot-v1.1-2in1.ima
Autodetect number-of-heads failed. Use default value 2
Autodetect sectors-per-track failed. Use default value 18
root (fd0)
Error 17: Cannot mount selected partition

Try rootnoverify.

pmagic-4.3.iso
pmagic.sqfs could not be found

With which entry in menu.lst?

Did you try using quotes?
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=6042



jaclaz

[ktp]

@jaclaz

Here are my used menu.lst.

The entries are modeled after this tutorial:
http://diddy.boot-la...s/files/pxe.htm

Notes :
1) for floppy disk Kon-boot, rootnoverify (fd0) as you suggested works!
So diddy's tutorial should be changed since it uses root (fd0) for the example.
2) Problem remains with Parted magic 4.3 as reported (I chose first line from Parted magic boot menu).

# color foreground/background normal, foreground/background selection

color black/cyan yellow/cyan

timeout 30

default 0

 

################################################################################

######

 

title Load DOS.img

map --mem (pd)/win98big.ima (fd0)

map --hook

rootnoverify (fd0)

chainloader +1

 

#

title Vista PE

map --mem (pd)/VistaPE-Core.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title ParagonDriveBackupFreeEdition

map --mem (pd)/ParagonDriveBackupFreeEdition.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title R-DriveImage45

map --mem (pd)/R-DriveImage45.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1 (iso)

map --mem (pd)/CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

title FD-konboot-v1.1-2in1 (ima)

map --mem (pd)/FD0-konboot-v1.1-2in1.ima (fd0)

map --hook

rootnoverify (fd0)

chainloader +1

 

#

title EaseusPartitionMasterPro

map --mem (pd)/EaseusPartitionMasterPro.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title ParagonHardDiskManager2009

map --mem (pd)/ParagonHardDiskManager2009.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

 

#

title UBCD50b12

map --mem (pd)/ubcd50b12.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title Parted Magic 4.3 (iso)

map --mem (pd)/pmagic-4.3.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title Super Grub Disk

map --mem (pd)/sgd.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title plpbt

map --mem (pd)/plpbt.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title hdat2453

map --mem (pd)/hdat2453.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

 

#

title Return to PXELinux

pxe keep

chainloader --force --raw (pd)/pxelinux.0

 

#

title Load grub.exe with PXE support

pxe keep

terminal console

kernel (pd)/grub.exe

 

#

title Load grldr with PXE support

pxe keep

terminal console

chainloader --force --raw (pd)/grldr

 

# 

title BartPE 

# Chainload BartPE (RAM loading image using Windows Server 2003 SP1 files ramdisk.sys, 

# setupldr.exe (renamed as ntldr) and startrom.n12 (renamed as startrom.0)).

pxe keep 

chainloader --raw (pd)/startrom.0



#

title WinPE 2.1 

pxe keep 

chainloader --raw (pd)/Boot/pxeboot.0

[Icecube]

@ ktp
Use the files from the PXE version of Parted Magic directly.

or you can build an iso from the files of the PXE version (important to use these files if you want to use PXE booting):
See post 5 at http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=8258.

[was_jaclaz]

Notes :
1) for floppy disk Kon-boot, rootnoverify (fd0) as you suggested works!
So diddy's tutorial should be changed since it uses root (fd0) for the example.

You are missing a point, i.e. the difference between root and rootnoverify.
http://www.boot-land...?...c=7587&st=5

root is in my view "better" generally AND very useful when troubleshooting.
In other words:

• if you use "rootnoverify" and chainload the bootsector of the device +1 you have more probabilities to boot (but you have no way to know HOW and WHY it boots, when it boots, nor when it fails to)
• if you use "rootnoverify" and chainload a file, if the filesystem is not an accessible one, you fail.
• if you use "root" you have feedback for the device which you set as root, AND you are able to chainload files in it, if root command is successful.

The KON-BOOT floppy image is NOT a "normal" floppy image, and thus you need to use rootnoverify and chainloader +1.

2) Problem remains with Parted magic 4.3 as reported (I chose first line from Parted magic boot menu).

Which is?

Search for posts by Icecube, try with something similar to the referenced thread, check this:
http://partedmagic.c...so-booting.html



jaclaz

P.S.: Edit, no need to search for Icecube, he found you already.

[ktp]

@icecube and jaclaz

Thank you for your guidance. I rebuild Parted Magic PXE iso version.

#

title Parted Magic PXE 4.3 (iso)

map --mem (pd)/pmagic-pxe-4.3.iso  (hd32)

map  --hook

chainloader  (hd32)

With this code, the boot process goes further but then, a lot of lines are displayed:
cp: write error: No space left on device
Then the system appears to hang, no more output :-(

Edit: my RAM size is 512 MB, and the iso size is less than 100MB, so the ram disk should be sufficient. The repeated error messages appear after the progression message: "Copying files to RAM...." with progressive dots added to the message.

[Icecube]

It means that you don't have enough RAM.
Thats why using the iso with PXE is a bad idea.
You have the whole iso in memory (100MB)
Then ISOLINUX loads the kernel and initrd from this memory mapped ISO (again 100MB).
Then Parted Magic extracts the pmagic.sqfs in RAM (if you use option 1) and the tmpfs isn't big enough.
You need 480MB of RAM if you run Parted Magic directly from CD (without memory mapping).

Try the second menu entry.

Or better, don't make the iso and load the kernel and initrd directly.
Modify the grub4dos.lst a bit so it points to the right files (if you want all files of pmagic in a special folder) and use the configfile command to load this config file.

[ktp]

@Icecube

Your diagnostic is exact. It's a RAM size problem.

Option 1 = Default settings (Runs from RAM / CDROM usable)
Option 2 = Live with default settings (CDROM not usable)

Even with 512 MB RAM, option 1 is not sufficient to boot.
Under VMware, I redo the test by increasing the RAM to 700 MB, then no problem so far (maybe 600 MB etc.. could be sufficient, but just for the proof of conceipt).
I reset back the RAM size to 512 MB, then try option 2, and of course it boots correctly too.

> Thats why using the iso with PXE is a bad idea.
Maybe, however the subject of this topic is for jaclaz's request (Grub4dos and PXE booting ISO images)
(> We do need some reports and howto's on the use of grub4dos with PXE (both for "normal" PXE booting and for "PXE .iso" booting).)

Again thank you all.