[ipxe-devel] ipxe configuration files, forum

[AT - HE]

forgive me to being insistent, i am new to all this stuff

can ipxe the ability to read and interpret a text config file during
execution time ? .. this way you can, say, compile with

---------

# make bin/undionly.kpxe EMBEDDED_IMAGE=conf_loader.ipxe
ok

# cat conf_loader.ipxe
#!ipxe
include default.ipxe

# ls /pxeboot
undionly.kpxe
default.ipxe
2nd_stage.ipxe

# cat /pxeboot/default.ipxe
#!ipxe
dhcp
chain http://server/fixed-boot-url
include 2nd_stage.ipxe
more_comands
etc.

(booting)

# tail -f /var/log/tftp.log
001 sending file /pxeboot/undionly.kpxe to 192.168.1.2
002 sending file /pxeboot/default.ipxe to 192.168.1.2
003 sending file /pxeboot/2nd_stage.ipxe to 192.168.1.2

(client screen)

pxe loader
requesting ip from dhcp
found, assigned ip 192.168.1.2
retrieving file undionly.kpxe ... ok
running
welcome to ipxe blah blah
requesting config file default.ipxe ... ok
requesting config file 2nd_stage.ipxe ... ok
etc.

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

can ipxe the ability to handle variables names in real time ? ... this way
you can do

# cat myboot.ipxe
#!ipxe
dhcp
chain http://${TFTP_IP}/ipxeboot

# make bin/undionly.kpxe EMBEDDED_IMAGE=myboot.ipxe

so this way you could distribute a pre-compiled image, and TFTP_IP can be
replaced by actual ip used in boot time .. this way we can run an http
server in same machine as tftp server and benefit with http features

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

questions:

- what are http headers (or querystring) sended by ipxe? .. mac address?,
client ip, ipxe version, machine achitecture? (i.e.: to handle with server
scripting)
- what are response headears handled by ipxe? .. "301 location moved"?
(i.e.: to do redirections, chainloads)

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

i am trying to boot an iso image with pxe but is sooo damn slow .. i would
like to do with pxe to load ipxe first, and then doing with http .. but i
would like to ipxe become easier to use, fast, and flexible, avoiding the
need to recompile with every change

please consider to implement a forum .. all we have always access to web,
but not all have access to email all the time, is slower and less massive
though.. web is more accessible and popular than irc, and if you are not
online you can read messages later (or get alerted by email) .. there are
plenty of oss forum engines, like smf and phpbb, or forum server hosts


thanks



On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 8:13 PM, Michael Brown <mbrown at fensystems.co.uk>wrote:

> On Wednesday 30 Mar 2011 23:16:34 AT - HE wrote:
> > i am trying to discover and use ipxe .. i think is a terrific piece of
> > software
>
> Thank you!
>
> > however is a bit difficult to customize, not all can (or know) always
> > compile code
> >
> > is there an option to "include" config files?
>
> You can include an embedded script, which I think is what you want.
>  There's
> some documentation about this at
>
>  http://ipxe.org/scripting#embedded_scripts
>
> At the moment, this still requires you to compile iPXE, but you don't have
> to
> modify any source code.  All you need to do is create a custom script such
> as
> my_script.ipxe:
>
>  #!ipxe
>  dhcp
>  chain http://server/fixed-boot-url
>
> and then build iPXE using
>
>  make bin/undionly.kpxe EMBEDDED_IMAGE=my_script.ipxe
>
> (assuming that undionly.kpxe is the type of iPXE binary that you want to
> use).
>
> > .. that way default binary package could have an integrated reference to
> > "include default.ipxe", which maybe can be loaded aside "boot.kpxe"
> binary
> > using the same protocol before run .. this could give us the freedom and
> > ease to write a "default.ipxe" config file according with our needs and
> > without needing of edit and recompile entire code
>
> At some point soon(ish), there will be a web interface that allows you to
> build iPXE images without having to compile it yourself.  At this point in
> time, you do need to compile.
>
> > can you install a forum? .. is a bit difficult to share ideas, get help
> and
> > communicate with you
>
> You can use this mailing list, or if you want more interaction you can join
> the IRC channel (#ipxe on irc.freenode.net).  There are usually around 30
> people in the IRC channel (including me), and many of us would be happy to
> help you there.
>
> Michael
>
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