UEFI, iPXE, and Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP)

[Jimmy Vance]

---

@JorellF wrote:

---

The error that I get is:

vfs unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

 the only answer I can find for this error is the kernel needs to be 3.16+, the kernel is currently 3.12.38-44

SPP is 2016-10 

---

How can I update the kernel in initrd.img to version 3.16?

What linux distro would I need to use to update the initrd.img?

---

I wish I had an answer for your problem, but I don't think it is a kernel issue.  I can PXE boot into the latest SPP using either NFS or HTTP. I haven't tested legacy boot mode in some time, but UEFI mode works fine.  One of your other comments about needing DHCP, I don't understand.  My configuration includes DHCP, TFTP and the bootloader image of grub (previously elilo) for UEFI, and pxelinux.0 for legacy boot

[JorellF]

• Legacy boot to iPXE to SPP works.
• UEFI to iPXE to SPP produces the error

  vfs unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

• UEFI to iPXE to syslinux.efi crashes
• UEFI to iPXE to elilo to spp gives the error "Token is too long"
• UEFI to iPXE to grub; does not give grub an IP address, and grub does not take the IP from iPXE, therefore grub is unable to connect to the server to get the iso to mount. and using an static IP is not a resonable option.

SPP is not the only thing that gets deployed. The DHCP server has multiple subnets with multiple servers that can be running SPP at the same time. iPXE allows the use of php for creating the menus it will display and the menus are dynamic based on several things.

[Jimmy Vance]

I understand, but I can't think of a reason why it won't work with iPXE. Unless iPXE is vastly different, the boot loader itself  (pxelinux, elilo, grub) isn't getting an IP. TFTP loads the kernel and initrd image, the booting kernel then gets an IP and uses the boot line options to go find the ISO, or repository path.  I also PXE boot to a menu, the menu has many OS options along with many utilities such as the SPP, Offline SSA, Scripting toolkit, etc.    The only abilty I don't have is the dynamic menus which is one great feature of iPXE

[JorellF · Accepted solution]

I just needed "initrd=initrd.img" with the rest of the arguments, I now have

kernel http://${ipserver}/data/hp_spp/${hpsppver}/vmlinuz
initrd http://${ipserver}/data/hp_spp/${hpsppver}/initrd.img
imgargs vmlinuz initrd=initrd.img media=net rw root=/dev/ram0 ramdisk_size=1099688 init=/bin/init loglevel=3 ide=nodma ide=noraid nopat pnpbios=off vga=791 splash=silent hp_fibre showopts noexec32=off numa=off nox2apic ipappend 2 TYPE=MANUAL AUTOPOWEROFFONSUCCESS=no AUTOREBOOTONSUCCESS=no iso1=nfs://${ipserver}/opt/planb/data/hp_spp/${hpsppver}/${hpsppiso} iso1mnt=/mnt/bootdevice iso1opts=timeo=120,nolock,bg,ro
boot

For Automatic/Unattended just change
"TYPE=MANUAL AUTOPOWEROFFONSUCCESS=no AUTOREBOOTONSUCCESS=no"
to
"TYPE=AUTOMATIC AUTOPOWEROFFONSUCCESS=no AUTOREBOOTONSUCCESS=yes"

I am also using the hotfix for 2016.10

https://community.hpe.com/t5/ProLiant-Servers-ML-DL-SL/2016-10-0-SPP-ISO-PXE-Boot-Process-Will-Halt-with-the-Message/m-p/6933852#M156202

http://h20566.www2.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?sp4ts.oid=6550416&docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-c05350382

https://downloads.hpe.com/pub/softlib2/software1/pubsw-linux/p1448207324/v124380/SPP2016100-patch-pxe-initrd.tar.gz