[ipxe-devel] Incorrect next-server (QIP + Microsoft RIS/WDS)

[Tim Wright]

Hi Michael

Interestingly I just found this. Will run it past our IP Services team, but this may provide the workaround I'm looking for (without firmware changes) if gPXE will use the proxydhcp/next-server if next-server equals 0.0.0.0....

Quote:
The upstream ISC DHCP 3.0.2+ removed the defaulting of 
next-server to the DHCP server's address, to be in compliance with the RFCs :

From /usr/share/doc/dhcp-3.0.2/RELNOTES:
'
- The siaddr field was being improperly set to the server-identifier when
  responding to DHCP messages.  RFC2131 clarified the siaddr field as
  meaning the 'next server in the bootstrap process', eg a tftp server.
  The siaddr field is now left zeroed unless next-server is configured.


Cheers,

Tim

Sent from my iPhone

On 19 Jul 2010, at 11:49, Michael Brown <mbrown at fensystems.co.uk> wrote:

> On Monday 19 Jul 2010 10:19:22 Tim Wright wrote:
>> First-time poster so please be gentle!
>> 
>> We're seeing a few issues when attempting to PXE boot new HP systems with
>> the QLogic NetXen onboard NICs (gPXE 0.9.9 embedded). I'm raising this
>> directly with HP, but thought I'd post here too to see if anyone has any
>> thoughts.
>> 
>> We use Lucent QIP (which I believe is just ISC DHCPd under the covers)
>> *and* Microsoft RIS/WDS for our provisioning system for all x86 operating
>> systems. QIP provides the IP lease, while RIS is configured to provide just
>> the additional boot options. Systems which do not have a matching UUID in
>> Active Directory will boot to the "OS Chooser" menu (startrom.com) by
>> default.
>> 
>> My question is why is gPXE trying to load startrom.com (boot file name
>> provided by proxydhcp), from the next-server provided by QIP (rather than
>> proxydhcp/next-server)? I'm pulling my hair out here! I've read the Wiki
>> article regarding MSRIS, but I don't seen to be even getting to that stage?
> 
> If you've raised the issue with HP then it's likely to bounce down to me 
> eventually, since I'm the one who wrote the driver for NetXen.  :)
> 
> The problem in your case is that options from the DHCP server (QIP) are deemed 
> to override options from the ProxyDHCP server.  This part is as per the PXE 
> specification.  However the PXE spec also states that all options must come 
> from a single source (i.e. we shouldn't be taking the next-server from one 
> source and the filename from another).  This latter part is quite awkward to do 
> within iPXE, which has many more potential sources of options (e.g. non-
> volatile options stored on the NIC, options set via the command line) than are 
> envisioned by the PXE spec.
> 
> Why is the QIP server providing a next-server address at all?  It sounds as 
> though in your setup you are wanting the next-server and filename to be 
> provided only by the RIS/WDS server.
> 
> The easiest fix (if you can do it) would be to stop the QIP server from handing 
> out its apparently spurious next-server address.
> 
> (Redirected to the ipxe-devel list.)
> 
> Michael