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== Debian-Installer: boot via etherboot ==
Howto boot debian-installer-floppies over network for etherboot machines.

These steps need to be done:

 * server side setup.
 * Setup etherboot on client.
 * Tag the boot-floppy.
 * Verify.

== Server setup ==

To setup dhcp do the following steps:

 * Install dhcp-server.
 * use an dhcp.conf like the following:
{{{
 # dhcpd.conf for debian-installer

 # global settings
 allow booting;
 allow bootp;
 default-lease-time 600;
 max-lease-time 7200;

 option domain-name-servers      yournameserver;
 option domain-name              "yourdomain";
 use-host-decl-names             on;

 subnet 192.168.11.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
  next-server 192.168.11.1;
  filename "/boot/di.nbi";
  option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;

    host host1 {
        fixed-address 192.168.11.2;
        hardware ethernet 00:04:76:90:a5:12;
    }
 }
}}}

Of course you'll need to change that to your settings, especially network, ip-address and hardware-ethernet.


== Setup tftp ==

You have to install the [[DebianPkg:tftpd]] package, which defaults to "export" /boot. The install at Debian does also reload the inet super daemon (inetd).


== Setup etherboot on client ==

This makes your computer doing a "networkboot".
Just go to [[http://www.rom-o-matic.net|Etherboot ROM-O-MATIC]] choose your nic (network-card-type), download an
floppy-image (.lzdsk) and cat it to a floppy.

Put the floppy in the computer to boot. 


== The Image ==

Build the netboot initial RamDisk in build directory by
{{{
  fakeroot make TYPE=netboot initrd
}}}


Get the Linux kernel (vmlinuz) from a kernel image package doing
{{{
  mkdir newdirectory ; cd newdirectory
  ar -x path/to/kernel-image-version.deb
  tar xf data.tar.gz
}}}

Cast the image:
{{{
  mknbi-linux --param="root=ramdisk" --output=/boot/di.nbi vmlinuz netboot-initrd.gz
}}}

(hmm... I get errors when I try that.
{{{
  attempt to access beyond end of device
  ...
  VFS: Cannot open root device "ramdisk" or 00:00
}}}

What worked was:
{{{
  mknbi-linux --param="root=/dev/ram ramdisk_size=8192" --output=/boot/di.nbi vmlinuz netboot-initrd.gz
}}}

--DanConnolly
)



----------
__verify__

Boot the computer. See if it'll get its address from dhcp and then does get by TFTP the image.

The computer will start the DebianInstaller.


Report us your results.
-----------------------

__I tried this procedure with partial success__

I downloaded a kernel and DebianInstaller ramdisk from a debian mirror. Net Booting went pretty well until there was "kernel panic." The warning was "unable to open an initial console"


----------

__It worked perfectly__

with a daily build from https://d-i.debian.org/daily-images/

--------------------------------

__Got it working__

using an eepro100 pxe from rom-o-matic, I was getting errors along the lines of "NBI segment overlaps used basemem", adding the command line option "--relocseg=0x8000" to mknbi fixed it.

like so:
mknbi-linux --relocseg=0x8000 [...]