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From: jkh@whisker.hubbard.ie (Jordan K. Hubbard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Can I boot NetBSD/FreeBSD diskless?
Date: 17 Feb 1994 00:27:42 GMT
Organization: Jordan Hubbard
Lines: 258
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <JKH.94Feb17002742@whisker.hubbard.ie>
References: <6@crane.ukc.ac.uk>
NNTP-Posting-Host: whisker.hubbard.ie
In-reply-to: dac@ukc.ac.uk's message of Wed, 16 Feb 94 18:38:41 GMT
In article <6@crane.ukc.ac.uk> dac@ukc.ac.uk (David Clear) writes:
Thats where I'm starting from. What I'd like is:
+ A full binary distribution of either NetBSD or FreeBSD to
reside on the Sun fileserver.
Here's our doc from FreeBSD 1.1 for booting diskless. Perhaps it
will be of help!
Jordan
Configuring a Diskless FreeBSD Client and Boot Server
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by: Todd Pfaff <todd@flex.eng.mcmaster.ca>
Martin Renters <martin@innovus.com>
Last update: Jan. 31, 1994
Notes
-----
Martin Renters developed the diskless boot code for FreeBSD and has tested
it with an HPUX server.
Todd Pfaff has used a SunOS 4.1.2 Sun 4 server to support a diskless FreeBSD
client. The following procedure applies to that environment so your mileage
may vary.
The following Ethernet cards have been tested with netboot:
WD8003E
WD8013EPC
Currently, diskless clients must be on the same subnet as the NFS server.
Code has been added to the diskless_cfg program to allow for booting clients
across a gateway, but the kernel code (in /usr/src/sys/nfs/nfs_vfsops.c) to
add a default route at boot time is not yet working.
Notation
--------
<server> - host name of root/swap NFS server
<client> - host name of diskless FreeBSD client
<tftp_root> - path to TFTP root directory on TFTP server
(usually /tftpboot on SunOS 4.1.x)
<client_root> - path to client root filesystem on NFS server
(eg. /export/root/<client>)
<client_swap> - path to client swap file on NFS server
(eg. /export/swap/<client>)
<client_usr> - path to client usr filesystem on NFS server
<swap_size> - size of swap file in 512 byte blocks
Procedure
---------
1) Configure a bootp server.
CMU bootp-2.1 has been verified to do the job on a Sun 4/SunOS 4.1.2.
Create a bootptab entry for the diskless client. For example:
client:\
:ht=ethernet:\
:ha=0123456789ab:\
:sm=255.255.255.0:\
:ip=1.2.3.4:\
:hn:\
:vm=rfc1048:\
:ds=1.2.3.1 1.2.3.2:\
:gw=1.2.3.1:\
:hd=/:\
:bf=386bsd:
2) Configure a tftp server.
I already had this set up for diskless SunOS clients so I didn't have to do
anything here.
You will later place the client kernel and diskless configuration file in
the tftp root directory.
3) Build a diskless kernel.
You must have a standalone FreeBSD system running to create a kernel
for the diskless client.
Make sure you are running a current config. If not, rebuild and install
/usr/src/usr.sbin/config.
Create a kernel configuration with:
option DISKLESS
config "386bsd" swap on nfs size <swap_size>
and config and make this kernel.
Install the kernel in <tftp_root> and <server>:<client_root>.
Here's a minimal diskless kernel config file:
machine "i386"
cpu "I486_CPU"
ident "NODISK"
timezone 8 dst
maxusers 10
maxfdescs 2048
options INET
options NFS
options "COMPAT_43"
options "TCP_COMPAT_42"
options XSERVER
options UCONSOLE
options DISKLESS
config "386bsd" swap on nfs size 50000
controller isa0
controller fd0 at isa? port "IO_FD1" bio irq 6 drq 2 vector fdintr
disk fd0 at fd0 drive 0
disk fd1 at fd0 drive 1
device pc0 at isa? port "IO_KBD" tty irq 1 vector pcrint
device npx0 at isa? port "IO_NPX" irq 13 vector npxintr
device sio0 at isa? port "IO_COM1" tty irq 4 vector siointr
device sio1 at isa? port "IO_COM2" tty irq 3 vector siointr
device lpt0 at isa? port "IO_LPT1" tty irq 7 vector lptintr
device ed0 at isa? port 0x300 net irq 5 iomem 0xd0000 vector edintr
pseudo-device loop
pseudo-device ether
pseudo-device log
pseudo-device pty 8
pseudo-device speaker
pseudo-device swappager
pseudo-device vnodepager
pseudo-device devpager
4) Create a client root filesystem and swap file on the NFS server.
Make a new directory which will be the client's root filesystem.
This should include /bin, /dev, /etc, /sbin, /tmp, /var, a mountpoint
for /usr, and the client kernel (386bsd or whatever is given in the
bf field of the bootptab entry).
For example, you can copy the root filesystem from a standalone FreeBSD
system to your server:
<server># mkdir <client_root>
<server># mount freebsdhost:/ /mnt
<server># cd /mnt
<server># find * -print | cpio -pm <client_root>
To create a swap file:
<server># touch <client_swap>
or under SunOS 4.1.x:
<server># mkfile -n <swap_size>b <client_swap>
Export this root and swap to <client>.
A few things to modify in the client root directory:
/dev/...
Make sure all the devices you need are there.
If not you will have to mount this directory on a running
FreeBSD system and use MAKEDEV.
[This one bit me because I used tar to copy an root filesystem and
none of the device files were copied. Use cpio if you want to copy
a root filesystem and preserve device files. -TP]
/etc/exports
Delete this. You probably don't want your diskless client to be an
NFS server.
/etc/fstab
You need at least the following entries:
<server>:<client_root> / nfs rw 0 0
<server>:<client_usr> /usr nfs rw 0 0
/etc/myname
Client hostname.
/etc/netstart
Set interface config and default route.
/etc/rc
change:
mount -a -t nonfs
to:
mount -a
and remove the final 'mount -a -t nfs' at the end of rc.
/etc/rc.local
/etc/sendmail.cf
5) Create a diskless configuration file.
The program /sbin/diskless_cfg is used to create a configuration file
which is loaded via tftp from the server by the netboot program.
This program must be run on the NFS server from which root and swap
will be mounted because it stores the server hostname and file handles
of the root path and swap file in a file.
Build /usr/src/usr.sbin/diskless_cfg on your NFS server.
The supplied Makefile is meant to build diskless_cfg under a FreeBSD
source tree, but you can compile diskless_cfg manually with:
cc -DNFS diskless_cfg.c -o diskless_cfg
Run the program as follows:
diskless_cfg -rootfs <client_root> -swap <client_swap> -hostname <client>
and this will create a file cfg.X.X.X.X where X.X.X.X is the decimal IP
address of <client>.
Copy cfg.X.X.X.X to <tftp_root>.
6) Compile the netboot.com program.
cd /sys/i386/netboot; make
*** NOTE ***
At the top of wd80x3.c in /sys/i386/netboot/wd80x3.c is a line:
#define WE_DEFAULT_MEM 0xD0000
which defines the Ethernet adapter RAM buffer address. Make sure you edit
this to reflect the address given in your diskless kernel config file:
device ed0 at isa? port 0x300 net irq 5 iomem 0xd0000 vector edintr
Copy netboot.com to a DOS disk or put netboot.rom into a boot PROM for
your Ethernet adapter.
Run netboot.com from DOS to initiate the diskless client boot.
If your bootp server is not responding you can set the IP addresses of the
client and server manually and continue. Press escape during the boot to
to the netboot monitor. Type help in the netboot monitor for a list of
commands.
--
Jordan K. Hubbard FreeBSD core team Electric Bivalves Anonymous
On the net, no one can hear you scream.