Re: Any solutions to TFTP weaknesses?

[Kent Snook <kent.snook@echostar.com>]

ACS wrote:
> 
> > Reid Hayhow <rhayhow@infoamerica.com> 25% tftp downloads fail, what's
> wrong?:
> > tftp is a very simple protocol and is very weak to problems. I run tftp
> > and it runs OK (no 25% failures) but your network should be good in shape
> (e.g.
> > no wiring problems, not too much traffic so timeouts play a trick on you,
> etc.).
> 
We encountered similiar problems. Implemented the following.

First results in an automatic reboot upon tftp timeouts, instead of
waiting for a key press ( we regularly reboot these hosts remotely ).
Second reduces the tftp timeout to get hosts up and running much faster.
( We use ramdisks for all of our diskless hosts, so images can run up to
6-10 mb in size, at 5 seconds per packet tftp timeout, could take 15
minutes or more to boot. Now less than a minute.)

AUTOREBOOT on tftp timeout:

--- netboot/bootrom/kernel/boot/boot.c	Fri May 15 19:54:55 1998
+++ netboot08/bootrom/kernel/boot/boot.c	Mon Apr 10 17:26:13 2000
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 #include "./bootpriv.h"
 #include "./menu.h"
 #include "./load.h"
-
+#define		REBOOT_TIMEOUT		5
 
 /*
 
**************************************************************************
@@ -111,6 +111,6 @@
    * If the image loader returned, there was an error, so continue with
the
    * normal boot process.
    */
-  printf("Insert boot disk and press a key\n");
-  (void)getkey(0);
+  printf("Retrying\n");
+    sleep(REBOOT_TIMEOUT);
 }




Decrease tftp timeout between packets:

--- netboot/bootrom/kernel/arpa/tftp.h	Mon May 15 20:29:54 2000
+++ netboot08/bootrom/kernel/arpa/tftp.h	Fri Jun  9 09:31:00 2000
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
  * Various definitions:
  */
 #define TFTP_RETRY	10		/* Maximum number of retries	*/
-#define TFTP_TIMEOUT	144		/* 8 seconds timeout		*/
+#define TFTP_TIMEOUT	30		/* .8 seconds timeout		*/
 #define OCTET_STR	"octet"		/* define name of data format	*/
 




-- 
Kent
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