Re: Testers required: PXE boot Slackware installers from slackware.org.uk

Hi Darren,

There's no way I'd boot anything from the internet unless with UEFI enabled,
and that would be  with my keys instead of pre installed ones, and
I haven't tackled that yet. Need better control over my gag reflex ;-)

Why not supply a tarball and some instructions for testing between a tester's
boxes on his internal network? And discuss the security aspects, so people
don't set themselves up for having their boxes reflashed by men in the middle
who then chain to the intended boot file without your noticing?

Well, at least you'll separate the trusting from the paranoids ;-)

Regards,
Bengt Richter




On 07/26/2014 01:01 PM Darren Austin wrote:
> Morning all,
>    A few days ago I built a pxelinux menu system for slackware.org.uk that
> will allow people to do a 100% network install of Slackware, via PXE booting
> and ftp/http install.
>
> The advantage of PXE booting the installer is that you don't need to have
> any local media in order to install.  If you don't have or want to create a
> DVD or USB install disk/stick, this is the perfect way to install with the
> minimum of fuss.
>
> The only requirement is that your DHCP server (which is required for PXE
> boot) needs to be configured to send the appropriate 'next-server' and
> 'filename' options to the client when it boots.
>
> If you'd like to test this out, you need to configure the DHCP options as
> follows:
> 	next-server:	91.109.244.240
> 	filename:	/pxelinux.0
>
> Obviously the usual settings for DHCP have to be passed to the client also.
>
> The initial download of the kernel and initrd may take several minutes -
> this is not a problem with the server or your bandwidth/internet; TFTP is a
> slow protocol so there isn't much that I can do to speed that up.
>
> I'd appreciate testers and feedback - if people think this will be of use
> i'll keep it around for the long run :)
>
> (Please feel free to copy to LQ or other Slackware sites - I don't use
> forums, so won't be posting this myself)
>
> Cheers,
> Darren.
>