Re: Second netboot preview

[Omar Walid Llorente <omar@oasis.dit.upm.es>]

On Sun, 27 Dec 1998, Gero Kuhlmann wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> now the second preview for netboot version 0.9 is available. You can find it
> as //www.han.de/~gero/netboot/files/netboot-0.9.0b.tar.gz with a size of
> approx. 700kB. This preview version is not meant for production ROMs, but the
> only missing thing is the documentation, which is still on the 0.8.1 level.
> However, if you have some experience with netbooting you should have no
> problems using this preview.
> 
> 
> HELP NEEDED!!!
> ==============
> 
> Due to the many changes with almost every aspect of the package, I'm urgently
> looking for people who want to test this netboot version. Even if you don't
> plan to use netboot permanently (for example because you are using etherboot
> or something else), please check out this netboot version at least with the
> floppy version. I do need as many test reports as possible to be able to
> release the final 0.9 version by the end of the year.
> The following items need special attention for testing:
> 
> - netboot now supports a couple of new standards like BBS and PMM. To test
>   for this I bought a new mainboard with an Award BIOS, but this damned
>   BIOS doesn't correctly implement the PnP BIOS standard, and BBS and PMM
>   are not implemented by the BIOS at all. Therefore, if you have a different
>   BIOS (I think AMI and Phoenix should support these standards, at least on
>   Intel mainboards) please check this out. Of course this only works if the
>   bootrom gets burned into an EPROM and placed directly on the network card.
> 
> - Due to the new interrupt handling imposed by the PXE specification, the
>   ARP code had to be changed significantly. I only have a very small net-
>   work available with a handful clients, where ARP is not needed as much.
>   I'm therefore looking for tests on larger networks, including booting
>   accross gateways. Also, these tests should impose a bigger load on the
>   packet receiving code of the bootrom to check if it can handle a higher
>   interrupt frequency. These tests should be done with both the packet and
>   NDIS drivers, because interrupt handling is implemented differently with
>   both driver interfaces. I've checked ARP myself as much as I can with my
>   own network, so at least most bugs found in the previous netboot versions
>   have been fixed now (ARP timeout etc.).
> 
> - The bootrom should be tested with different network cards and drivers. I
>   only have a WD8003EP and a RTL8019 based PCI card available for testing.
>   Especially, the NDIS part needs further testing.
> 
> If you have a chance of testing this new netboot version, PLEASE PLEASE do
> so to help me further enhance netboot. I'm urgently needing your help.
> 
> 
>

	Hello Gero, i would like to help, but i can only use a day for it if 
and only if you need my help before the end of the year. If you can wait i 
will try to help after the 11st of January.

We have ne2000 isa cards (macromate), 3c905-Tx pci cards, smc, wd8003 and 
wd8003e isa cards, and some other i was not able to make work: 3c905B-Tx 
and intel etherexpress pro 100+. The problem with this last is in the flash 
eeprom phase: i have no flash eeprom the card recognizes, i'm trying to 
obtain the one (and only) the card supports (the CAT28F512N). The problem 
with the 3c905B-Tx seems to be that the nic expect some kind of crc, because 
do not load after the uncompression is done (with the floppy) and do not 
uncompress with the bootprom engaged.

We have clone motherboards for 486, pentium 133 from zenith with Phoenix 
bios, asus with chipset tx-award modular bios 4.51PG-amd K6 166, and a 
new motherboard from zenith i'm testing with Phoenix bios 4.0r6.0-Pentium 
II-intel chipset. 

	If you think my work would be helpful, send me an email with the tests
you want me to do. I will try to make them during the day of tomorrow. I
think i would have ndis,linux and pktdrv for all of them.

	Omar.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Centro de Calculo
    Departamento Ingenieria Telematica (ETSIT)      e-mail: omar@dit.upm.es
    Universidad Politecnica de Madrid               Tel:(+34) 913367366-Ext.328
    Ciudad Universitaria, s/n 28040 Madrid (Spain)  Fax:(+34) 913367333
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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