Installing Etch With TFTP: Linux starts, I/O Stops
I don't think the hardware is going to be the issue here. I'm pretty
sure it's a config issue.
I have a Soekris Net5501 box I'm installing Etch on. I'm hooked up to
the box with a null modem cable for the console and it's also hooked up
to my LAN. I've setup a PXE boot on my DNS server using tftpd-hpa.
The 5501 starts up and I get data on the console (I'm using either
Minicom or the screen command to read/write to the serial port). I do
get the boot menu from the netboot, such as it is (since pxelinux seems
limited to 15 columns of display) and when I get the prompt, I
type "install" and Linux starts to load, including the long row of
dots, then the screen clears and the cursor sits on the left side of
the screen and nothing happens from then on.
My guess is that once Linux loads communication is stopping with the
serial port. I don't think it's going at a different baud rate because
there's no garbage, but if it had a simple prompt, it could come up so
fast I miss it before the screen clears.
Here is the file structure in /var/lib/tftpboot:
.
|-- boot-screens
| |-- boot.txt
| |-- f1.txt
| |-- f10.txt
| |-- f2.txt
| |-- f3.txt
| |-- f4.txt
| |-- f5.txt
| |-- f6.txt
| |-- f7.txt
| |-- f8.txt
| |-- f9.txt
| `-- splash.rle
|-- initrd.gz
|-- linux
|-- orig-bu
| |-- debian
| | `-- etch
| | `-- i386
| | |-- initrd.gz
| | `-- linux
| |-- pxelinux.0
| `-- pxelinux.cfg
| |-- boot.txt
| `-- default
|-- pxelinux.0
|-- pxelinux.cfg
| `-- default
`-- pxelinux.cfg.serial-9600
`-- default
I thought it might be a baud rate issue. The 5501 starts with 19200
baud, so I altered pxelinux.cfg/default to use the same speed and to
specify the right console (before I added "CONSOLE 0" on one line, I'd
get double characters). Here's the pxelinux.cfg file:
SERIAL 0 19200
CONSOLE 0
DISPLAY boot-screens/boot.txt
F1 boot-screens/f1.txt
F2 boot-screens/f2.txt
F3 boot-screens/f3.txt
F4 boot-screens/f4.txt
F5 boot-screens/f5.txt
F6 boot-screens/f6.txt
F7 boot-screens/f7.txt
F8 boot-screens/f8.txt
F9 boot-screens/f9.txt
F0 boot-screens/f10.txt
DEFAULT install
LABEL install
kernel linux
append vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz --
LABEL linux
kernel linux
append vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz --
LABEL expert
kernel linux
append priority=low vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz --
LABEL rescue
kernel linux
append vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz rescue/enable=true --
LABEL auto
kernel linux
append auto=true priority=critical vga=normal initrd=initrd.gz --
PROMPT 1
TIMEOUT 0
I would think this would specify the right baud rate. Linux is loading
and so is initrd. It's just that I get no prompt or any screen
activity or response after both Linux and initrd load. I tried
stopping my term program (in this case screen) and starting it again at
9600, which I saw somewhere should be the default baud rate, but it
didn't help and was still unresponsive.
I've been using this page
(http://wiki.soekris.info/Installing_Debian_Linux_(4.0r1_Etch)) as a
guide and had the same problems when I did everything as that page
suggested. Then I changed and used the setup files from Debian, which
is how it's set up now.
What am I doing wrong or what do I need to change so after Linux and
initrd.gz load I get a prompt or the Etch installer when it's done? Do
I need to include install files as well? I didn't see that mentioned
in any of the pages that discussed this. If so, would I just snag a
net install CD and copy all the files into a special directory
somewhere in /var/lib/tftpboot?
Thanks for any help or pointers!
Hal
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