[ipxe-devel] Create rom image with embedded script [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Dwyer, Andrew]

UNCLASSIFIED

I'm hitting ctrl+b at the first prompt because that's the only one I
get.  After that the screen goes blank and then the devices in the boot
order attempt to boot.

I'm doing this on a HP Z400 which has a HP branded BIOS.  The network
card definitely appears in the boot order selection with the stock Intel
pxe rom, but when I replace it with iPXE it disappears.

The BIOS detection line:

iPXE (http://ipxe.org) 37:09.0 1000 PCI3.00 PnP PMM+004D1200+004E1EF0
D740

Cheers

Andrew Dwyer

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Brown [mailto:mbrown at fensystems.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, 17 February 2011 2:51 PM
To: ipxe-devel at ipxe.org
Cc: Dwyer, Andrew
Subject: Re: [ipxe-devel] Create rom image with embedded script
[SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

On Thursday 17 Feb 2011 01:03:44 Andrew Dwyer wrote:
> Following on from my previous message, I've flashed a rom built from 
> the  iPXE trunk onto an Intel Pro 1000 GT card.  When I boot the 
> machine the  iPXE prompt appears during the BIOS boot messages and 
> before any of the  devices in the boot order (I don't actually see 
> iPXE as an option in the  BIOS boot order menu).  If I hit ctrl+B and 
> sanboot an image over iSCSI  that I previously created with gPXE my
computer crashes.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas?

Are you pressing Ctrl-B at the "...to configure iPXE" prompt, or the
"...for the iPXE command line" prompt?

If the former, then it's unsurprising that sanbooting doesn't work; at
this stage your computer has not yet completed POST, and the OS is
likely to die because (for example) the system memory map may not yet be
initialised.  :)

(The "...to configure iPXE" prompt is intended for users who need to
change non-volatile stored options, rather than for booting.  We
deliberately don't prevent the user from attempting to boot, since there
exist some situations in which it's an extremely useful way to rescue an
otherwise-unbootable system, but in general you shouldn't expect booting
to work at this "...to configure iPXE" point.)

So, assuming this is the case, the real question is then why it doesn't
show up as a boot option.  Could you post the whole of the BIOS
detection line (the line immediately before "Press Ctrl-B to configure
iPXE")?

Thanks,

Michael

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