SPLAT 2.6 and network installation (PXE)

[mamakos]

Hi,

Has one of you guys tried to proceed to a network installation of SPLAT 2.6 using bootp PXE ?

This worked fine with the kernel 2.4 base SecurePlatform but it fails to install with this new release. It seems the ramdisk.pxe file on the CD-Rom is either corrupted or incomplete. Indeed, installation stops right after the kernel and initrd (ramdisk) load.

I checked the MD5 of the CD-ROM I downloaded : it is correct.
What is more the HP DL 360 G5 on which I try to install it is supported by SPLAT and when I insert the CD-ROM installation works fine.

Any idea or feedback ?

[noeggi]

Hi

Do you found a solution for this in the meantime? I tried the same a couple of months ago with SPLAT R61/R62 without success.
I was able to boot the system over PXE / Network and the pre-installer started. After that I was unable to mount the exported image over NFS. There was always permission denied (on a readonly and for everyone exported share, which was accessible for any other system without problems)

Thanks and best regards
Bruce

[mamakos]

As a matter of fact, I've got an opened Service Request at CheckPoint.
1) They compiled a new ISO image with a correct ramdisk
2) You have to increase the ramdisk_size value in your pxelinux.cfg up to 80 000
3) It does boot but then stops at the step where you have to choose an installation method (NFS/HTTP/FTP). Indeed, it keeps asking for a driver disk whatever method I choose.

As a conclusion, CheckPoint is still working on that and we are still waiting... They should try to replicate the issue in the following weeks.

[rokudan]

mamakos, Kudos to you for keeping us updated on this!

[Reaper]

I just tried PXE install too

although i had ramdisk_size=80000 in my pxelinux.cfg/default file, i ended up with kernel panic:

RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0
RAMDISK: incomplete write (-28 != 32768) 16777216
VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(8,2)
Please append a corrent "root=" boot option
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,2)

EDIT: ok, i now understand that ramdisk is too small... any chance to get that new ramdisk from somewhere?

[gswallow]

Originally Posted by Reaper

I just tried PXE install too

although i had ramdisk_size=80000 in my pxelinux.cfg/default file, i ended up with kernel panic:

RAMDISK: Compressed image found at block 0
RAMDISK: incomplete write (-28 != 32768) 16777216
VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(8,2)
Please append a corrent "root=" boot option
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,2)

EDIT: ok, i now understand that ramdisk is too small... any chance to get that new ramdisk from somewhere?

Have you guys had these problems resolved? I, too, am having issues where the installer can't mount /dev/loop0 on /mnt/runtime. Everything hints towards a buggy ramdisk.

[gswallow]

Checkpoint does have a new ISO image that they will provide, if you ask nicely enough. I got one, and SPLAT 2.6 installs just fine over HTTP. I haven't tried NFS.

They won't provide any support on automating the install, but there is a source package lying around that I plan to dig into when I get a chance. Basically it's the anaconda installer.