RE: diskless workstations / setup

["Oded Naveh" <skilinux@gmail.com>]

Hello Mike

[Mike Gabriel - Friday, April 01, 2011 11:25 AM]

> On Mi 30 Mär 2011 04:52:22 CEST Oded Naveh wrote:
> 
>> I don't quite understand your questions,
>> it may be that I'm completely un-informed,

This discussion has already been educating for me. Thanks.

> Tjener is main server, LTSP server is separate...
> -------------------------------------------------
> This is the actual question I have: the boot prompt offered to a
> machine booting via PXE results from dhcpd config. Dhcpd config is
> stored in LDAP.
> 
>    o I have a tjener that offers PXE Debian Edu installer...
>    o and I have an LTSP server that offers Diskless Workstations to
>      the 10-network
>    o How can are these different functionalities controlled? (with
>    GOsa?) o Which PXE boot prompts (install Debian Edu via PXE, Thin
>      Client, Diskless Workstation) are available in which subnets?
> 
> Again, I am asking for the current Skolelinux squeeze defaults (that
> might already have been the defaults in Debian Edu lenny).

I can't say anything about the current setup, sorry. but I still think 
the following is relevant to your questions. I'll try to be concise.

PXE boot can be easily controlled through GOSA by manipulating DHCP configuration.
The relevant settings [0] are:
	- next-server
	- root-path
	- filename
These may be defined per subnet or per host - by MAC address - as well as other
declarations [1]. The more specific takes precedence.

However, for this to work these options must point to locations pre-installed
with the relevant PXE configurations.

I believe the locations in default Skolinux installations haven't changed and can
be seen in /var/lib/tftpboot/ on the LTSP server for more details, Where there
are essentially at least two different locations. The exact location can be determined
by looking at the DHCP parameters.

To sum up:
	query your LDAP for 'root-path' it will tell you where to look farther.

Hope it helps. Odd.

[0] See man dhcp-options(5).

[1] From man dhcpd.conf(5) (where there's a lot more):
       When  a  client  is to be booted, its boot parameters are determined by
       consulting that client's host declaration (if any), and then consulting
       any  class declarations matching the client, followed by the pool, sub-
       net and shared-network declarations for the IP address assigned to  the
       client.    Each  of  these declarations itself appears within a lexical
       scope, and all declarations at less specific lexical  scopes  are  also
       consulted for client option declarations.   Scopes are never considered
       twice, and if parameters are declared  in  more  than  one  scope,  the
       parameter  declared in the most specific scope is the one that is used.