ITEM: BK4269L

tftp is hanging during a sysback network boot

Question:

Env:
  AIX 4.1.4
  RISC 2 - J30 and 41t
  sysback 3.3.2.10

Desc:
  Customer has one J30 he is using as the boot/install service
  and the other J30 as the client.  The customer sets up
  correctly on the J30 (server) the network boot stuff for
  sysback and brings the client up to the bootp menu.  He
  starts the bootp/tftp part, but it hangs on the tftp part
  with 3 packets sent and 1 received.  The customer has
  a very complex network and is going through some gateways
  bridges and routers (oh mine).  

Action:
  I have checked everything on the server
  1.  made sure /etc/bootptab was correct
  2.  made sure /tftpboot directory was correct and 
      everything was pointing to the correct images
  3.  The customer is able to run tftp in normal mode
      from the client to the server and get the file in question
  
  4.  We have tried booting the client up several times without
      success.  It fails the sameway each time.

The customer does have a 41t on the local network same subnet
as the J30 (client) but it does not have support for the 
rs6ksmp platform installed on it.

I had the customer do this on the 41t machine:
  1.  cd /usr/lpp/sysback/netinst/boot
  2.  ftp to the j30 (server machine)
  3.  get bootimage.ent.rs6ksmp  (since the customer is using 
                                  ethernet)
  4.  cd /tftpboot
      link the host to this new boot image
      ln -fs //usr/lpp/sysback/netinst/boot/bootimage.ent.rs6ksmp \

  5.  I had the customer then edit the \.sbinfo file

EXAMPLE OF THE FILE
-------------------

PLATFORM rs6k
SPOTSRV 9.19.169.2
SPOTGATE 9.19.145.240
INSTSRV 9.19.169.2
INSTGATE 9.19.145.240
SPOT /usr
 PLATFORM = the platform of the client
STOTSRV = IPaddress of where you want to mount /usr
SPOTGATE = IPaddress of the gateway (clients gateway) of
           where you want to mount /usr
INSTGATE = IPaddress of where you want to install from
INSTGATE = IPaddress of the gateway (clients gateway) of
            where you want to install from

I had the customer change this file in all the fields
to point to the J30 (server).  This worked on the boot and
install.  

So what I did was get the bootimage from one system (41t)
mount /usr from the other machine (J30).  This way I was able
to get around the problem with getting the bootp/tftp from
the J30 (server), also I was able to get around the problem
with not having the device support on the 41t, by building
the bootimage and mounting /usr from the (J30).

Next Action:
  Closing call with customer approval

Response:

Now the tftp and bootp are acting very funny (running very slow)
Also the /usr is not mounting very well.

We appear to hang on led 609 then 610 then the led goes blank




Support Line: tftp is hanging during a sysback network boot ITEM: BK4269L

Dated: June 1996 Category: N/A

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