Diskless NetBoot fails when local HD is removed

[ChuyB]

I have set up Mac OS X 10.5.6 server. I’m using a Dual 2.5 Ghz G5 as the server. I've been able to NetBoot 3 different types of machines. A MacBookPro laptop, MacPro Desktop, and another Dual 2.5 Ghz G5.

Each machine is able to successfully log in using Kerberos. So far we have 5 user accounts in the Open Directory. I have only one NetBoot image on the server and it's the default. The image came from a Dual 2.5 GHz PowerPc G5 using Mac OS 10.5.6. It's checked as "diskless" and the "data" checkbox is checked.

All this works very well, until I try to NetBoot without a local disk drive in the clients!

Once I remove the local drive's, the client machines go through the motions of NetBooting, (spinning globe, spinning progress indicator) then the client computer turns off! I've tried booting in verbose mode. The machine shut's off so quickly that I can't see any of the error messages.

Here is the system log when the G5 PowerMac netboot’s successfully.



Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: BSDP INFORM [en1] 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac11,2
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBootHD04.nbi/ppc/booter
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: NetBoot: [1,0:14:51:69:23:37] BSDP ACK[SELECT] sent 158.187.224.20 pktsize 437
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: DHCP INFORM [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: reply ciaddr 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:24:43 tdc bootpd[18024]: service time 0.002786 seconds
Oct 14 08:25:21 tdc bootpd[18024]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 <NetBoot002>
Oct 14 08:25:21 tdc bootpd[18024]: domain search added
Oct 14 08:25:21 tdc bootpd[18024]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:25:21 tdc bootpd[18024]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 335
Oct 14 08:25:21 tdc bootpd[18024]: service time 0.005876 seconds
Oct 14 08:25:23 tdc bootpd[18024]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 <NetBoot002>
Oct 14 08:25:23 tdc bootpd[18024]: domain search added
Oct 14 08:25:23 tdc bootpd[18024]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:25:23 tdc bootpd[18024]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 335
Oct 14 08:25:23 tdc bootpd[18024]: service time 0.002302 seconds
Oct 14 08:25:25 tdc bootpd[18024]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 <NetBoot002>
Oct 14 08:25:25 tdc bootpd[18024]: domain search added
Oct 14 08:25:25 tdc bootpd[18024]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:25:25 tdc bootpd[18024]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 335
Oct 14 08:25:25 tdc bootpd[18024]: service time 0.002987 seconds

This is what it looks like when I remove the local disk drive.

Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: server starting
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: can't open /etc/bootptab
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: server name tdc.dev.com
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: interface en1: ip 158.187.224.10 mask 255.255.255.0
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: bsdpd: re-reading configuration
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: bsdpd: shadow file size will be set to 48 megabytes
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: bsdpd: age time 00:15:00
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP DISCOVER [en1] 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac11,2
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBootHD04.nbi/ppc/booter
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 0.0.0.0
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP OFFER sent [1,0:14:51:69:23:37] pktsize 434
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP DISCOVER [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: OFFER sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.236335 seconds
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: NetBoot: parse vendor specific options failed, missing vendor specific options
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:35:29 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.001707 seconds
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP DISCOVER [en1] 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac11,2
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBootHD04.nbi/ppc/booter
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 0.0.0.0
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP OFFER sent [1,0:14:51:69:23:37] pktsize 434
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP DISCOVER [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: OFFER sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.235302 seconds
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: NetBoot: parse vendor specific options failed, missing vendor specific options
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:35:54 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.001681 seconds
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP DISCOVER [en1] 1,0:14:51:69:23:37 NetBoot002 arch=ppc sysid=PowerMac11,2
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: replyfile /private/tftpboot/NetBoot/NetBootSP0/NetBootHD04.nbi/ppc/booter
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 0.0.0.0
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: BSDP OFFER sent [1,0:14:51:69:23:37] pktsize 434
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP DISCOVER [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: OFFER sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.003855 seconds
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: NetBoot: parse vendor specific options failed, missing vendor specific options
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: DHCP REQUEST [en1]: 1,0:14:51:69:23:37
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: replying to 158.187.224.20
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: ACK sent NetBoot002 158.187.224.20 pktsize 300
Oct 14 08:36:05 tdc bootpd[18154]: service time 0.002548 seconds

Has anyone seen this behaviour before? Any suggestions?
Thank you for your time and interest.

 

[RedTomato]

I know very little about NetBoot, but are you sure it does not use the local disk at all?

A quick google doesn't show anything about it being diskless in modern implementations. I wonder where things like scratch etc go.

The original RFC says diskless, but it was from 1984 when local disks were more rare.

 

[ChuyB]

I know very little about NetBoot, but are you sure it does not use the local disk at all?

A quick google doesn't show anything about it being diskless in modern implementations. I wonder where things like scratch etc go.

The original RFC says diskless, but it was from 1984 when local disks were more rare.

I know NetBoot can be configured to use "shadow" files that live on the server for scratch etc. The shadow files live in a (Apple File Protocol) AFP sharepoint named NetBootClients0.

For some reason, the client doesn't find or can't connect to the afp shared volume?

I've found some good informaiton on NetBoot in this same forum. It's gotten me this far.

I'm sure someone else has run into this problem. Please help. I need to run all my clients without local HD's.