vendor extension file

[Peter Debus <pdebus@turing.une.edu.au>]

Gero,

I have been using netboot 0.7.2 and utilising the vendor extension file
boot menu, not the mgl boot menu.

I am using netboot 0.8 and the vender extension file boot menu 
is now broken. Netboot 0.8 successfully downloads the extension file, but
then issues "MENU: Invalid image description 192" error message. Netboot 0.8
then procedes to download the default image as specified by the bootp
bf field, and does not display the menu as defined by the extension fields.

The /etc/bootptab entry as follows:

.menu:\
        :tc=.une.default:\
        :vm=rfc1084:\
        :hd=/:\
        :bf=bootImage:\
        :T184="^[[2J   ^[[44m+==================================================
===========+^[[40m":\
        :T185="   ^[[44m|
      |^[[40m":\
        :T186="   ^[[44m|                  Boot menu for MSCS  PCs (euclid)
      |^[[40m":\
        :T187="   ^[[44m|
      |^[[40m":\
        :T188="   ^[[44m+=======================================================
======+^[[40m":\
        :T128=E44574680001:\
        :T160="timeout=5:default=192":

.net11.netboot:\
        :tc=.menu:\
        :gw=<ip address>:

client:tc=.net11.netboot:ha=0000f81fb523:ip=<ip address>:\
        :T192="Boot linux:::linux.initrd":\
        :T193="MS-DOS from network 11 server:::client.wfw":\
        :T194="Boot local disk:::/dev/hda1":\
        :rp="/projects/linux.server/client":ef=clientExt:

The above bootptab entry works fine with netboot 0.7.2. I have
experimented by specifying the full image path (ie: including the root
tftp path) in tag T192 above (/projects/tftpboot/linux.initrd), but
still the error is reported, I presume specifying the full path should
not be needed as it is provided by the hd field.  There appears to be
some changes as to how netboot 0.8 interprets the hd and bf fields to
construct the image path. With netboot 0.7.2, I simply used "/" in the
hd field, but with netboot 0.8, I need to specify the path of the tftp
root directory, in this case it's "/projects/tftpboot" .

Could this be the source of my problems?

May I ask where the dc21x4.com packet driver for the DC21x4x tulip cards
came from. I have checked the Crynwr collection but the most up to date
collection I can find (v11) does not have it. Also, the DEC packet driver
for their DE-500-BA cards is 62Kb in size, hence too large.


Peter Debus
Computer Systems Administrator
School of Mathematical Computer Sciences
University of New England
Armidale NSW 
Australia

Ph: 61 (0)267 73 2412 Fax: 61 (0)267 73 3312