SUMMARY : diskless boots under Solaris 2.3

From: David Way (dpw@kate.as.utexas.edu)
Date: Mon Sep 26 1994 - 11:40:15 CDT


Sun Managers,

On Sept. 23, 1994, I wrote:

> I am trying to get a SparcStation-20 running Solaris 2.3 to boot serve 3
> diskless clients, each of which run Sunos 4.1.2. According to the
> technical notes on the latest SunSolve cd, this scenario is supported,
> but I haven't been able to get it to work. Here's what I've done:
>
> 1. In /tftpboot on the server, placed a copy of boot.sun4c.sunos.4.1.2. For
> each client, made a symbolic link from the IP address in hex to this
> file, e.g. - 12345678.SUN4C -> boot.sun4c.sunos.4.1.2. There's also
> a link from each hex IP number minus the trailing `.SUN4C', for what
> that's worth (12345678 -> boot.sun4c.sunos.4.1.2). Enabled tftpd
> in /etc/inetd.conf.
>
> 2. In /etc/bootparams on the server, placed the following:
>
> client1 root=server:/usr/export/client1/root \
> swap=server:/usr/export/client1/swap
>
> client2 root=server:/usr/export/client2/root \
> swap=server:/usr/export/client2/swap
>
> client3 root=server:/usr/export/client3/root \
> swap=server:/usr/export/client3/swap
>
> Then copied the corresponding root file system for each client to the
> designated directory in each root path; created a swap file, using
> mkfile, at the end of each swap path.
>
> 3. In /etc/ethers on the server, placed the ethernet address and
> fully-qualified name of each client, one per line. In /etc/nsswitch.conf,
> selected `files' for `ethers'.
>
> 4. Rebooted the server. Verified that rarpd and bootparamd are present.
>
> The client I've been testing (all clients are on the same subnet as the
> server) seems to rarp for its IP number and name ok, but then hangs with
> "No bootparam server responding; still trying". I've made attempts to
> determine whether the server is being reached at all by the client: ran
> bootparamd in debug mode with -d, ran inetd in logging mode with -t (to
> see if it ever sees a tftp connection from the client), but got no output
> at all from either of these. I have installed the 2.3_Recommended
> Patch bundle off the SunSolve cd, along with patches 101332-01 and
> 101368-01 for bootparamd, and 101560-01 for tftpd, but these made no
> apparent difference. It acts like the Solaris bootparamd isn't hearing
> the client trying to boot. Or could be that boot.sun4c.sunos.4.1.2 isn't
> getting tftp'd to the client; I don't think this is case, because the
> reference time on the file seems to be updated at each boot attempt, and I
> am able to manually tftp the file from the server, so tftp does work.
>
> Have anyone else out there done this ? There's no mention of it in the
> most recent Solaris FAQ document I have (1.40) and I'm out of ideas.
> Advance thanks for any advice.

Got this figured out, after lots of trial-and-error. I failed to use
fully-qualified hostnames in /etc/bootparams. Once I changed that,
everything worked fine.

Thanks to James Chapman and Tommi Saarinen, who responded to my plea for
help. Tommi came up with the same answer I did.

--
> From james.chapman@legend.bt.co.uk Fri Sep 23 11:02:37 1994
> Subject: diskless boots under Solaris 2.3
>
> I have managed this however what you describe seems OK
> try running snoop (or etherfind if thats all you've got)
> on another machine and monitor the net traffic between the
> diskless machine and the server.
> 
> This should give a good clue as to how far the process is
> getting.

-- > From tsa@stekt11.oulu.fi Sat Sep 24 11:05:59 1994 > Subject: diskless boots under Solaris 2.3 > > On 23 Sep 1994 04:53:05 -0500, > dpw@kate.as.utexas.edu (David Way) said: > > > server) seems to rarp for its IP number and name ok, but then hangs with > > "No bootparam server responding; still trying". I've made attempts to > > Try putting fully qualified names also to the bootparams file. I > encountered once the same problem on a sun3 (SunOS4.1.1) that had > modified libraries so that resolver routines returned fully qualified > names. In that case diskless client hung such like you > described. Solution was to put fully qualified names in > /etc/bootparams. > > --Tommi Saarinen > tsa@stekt.oulu.fi

-- David Way McDonald Observatory/Astronomy Dept.- Univ. of Texas, Austin (office) RLM 16.206 (voice) 471-7439 (internet) dpw@astro.as.utexas.edu



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