PXEBOOT based upgrade/install

[Bruce Ferrell]

Tim Judd wrote:
> If you're going to setup a netbooting server (congrats!), why are you
> trying to limit yourself to what seems to be the bootonly CD?

Uh... 'cause I don't know any better? :)  Point me to docs so I can do
better!

> There are some people who complain about broadcom cards, in the fact
> that they're buggy support/nonexistant support.  Maybe your NIC
> chipset is one of those.

I don't know about that.  This is in a Dell Power Edge 850 running
FreeBSD 5.4.

> The loader.rc is told to mount a memory filesystem from ufs formatted
> disk located at /dev/md0c (a memory disk that is populated from the
> previous line, a file-based filesystem).

So, I need to get rid of the set line?

before I added that (done by rote from googeling) I was getting a panic
about no init.

> So your system wouldn't be able to hit sysinstall or the /etc files
> (as I'm seeing the boot process) to do the install or configuration.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Overall, what's to stop you from doing a diskless boot?  the handbook
> makes it for a multi-PC setup, but for a single setup, it's quite
> easy.

I need the stuff on the local disk as it runs an application that needs
local postgres and other stuff.  Yes, I could put it elsewhere, but it
would mean flying 5 hours to do it.  Rather just do an upgrade.

> 
> On 6/18/09, Bruce Ferrell <bferrell at baywinds.org> wrote:
>> Hi all!
>>
>> I'm new in these parts, but not new to *nix.  I'm trying to upgrade a
>> system with FreeBSD 5.4 to 7.2.
>>
>> I've gotten the pxeboot to work, but somehow the network interface isn't
>> seen by the installer.
>>
>> loader.rc:
>> ===========
>> include /boot/loader.4th
>> include /boot/beastie.4th
>>
>> \ Reads and processes loader.conf variables
>> start
>>
>> load /boot/kernel/kernel
>> load -t mfs_root /boot/mfsroot
>> set vfs.root.mountfrom="ufs:/dev/md0c"
>> boot
>>
>> loader.conf:
>> ============
>> mfsroot_load="YES"
>> mfsroot_type="mfs_root"
>> mfsroot_name="/boot/mfsroot"
>> if_bge_load="yes"
>>
>> I added the if_bge line at that seems to be the module used on 5.4.
>>
>> Any other leads?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>>
>> Bruce
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> 
>