# Install 9.0 release via PXE



## lory (Jan 23, 2012)

I have pxe install server with syslinux. Works fine for both i386 and amd64 FreeBSD 8.2 with that conf.


```
label fb82
  menu label FreeBSD 8.2
  linux memdisk
  initrd [url]http://1.200.0.1/images/fb82.iso[/url]
  append iso raw nfsroot=1.200.0.1:/data/tftpboot/freebsd/8.2

label fb82_64
  menu label FreeBSD 8.2 64-bit
  linux memdisk
  initrd [url]http://1.200.0.1/images/fb82_64.iso[/url]
  append iso raw nfsroot=1.200.0.1:/data/tftpboot/freebsd/64/8.2
```
FreeBSD 9.0 amd64 can't boot.


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## rhlampe (Jan 25, 2012)

I'm having the same issue.

It stops at:


```
Trying to mount root from cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL [ro]...
mountroot: waiting for device /dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL ...
Mounting from cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL failed with error 19.

Loader variables:
  vfs.root.mountfrom=cd9660:/dev/iso9660/FREEBSD_INSTALL
  vfs.root.mountfrom.options=ro

Manual root filesystem specification:
  <fstype>:<device> [options]
    Mount <device> using filesystem <fstype>
    and with the specified (optional) option list.

   eg. ufs:/dev/da0s1a
       zfs:tank
       cd9660:/dev/acd0 ro
         (which is equivalent to: mount -t cd9660 -o ro /dev/acd0 /)

  ?             List valid disk boot devices
  .             Yield 1 second (for background tasks)
  <empty line>  Abort manual input

mountroot> ?   

List of GEOM managed disk devices:
  ada0

mountroot>
```

Anyone have any ideas?


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## honza801 (Feb 6, 2012)

*I*'m experiencing the same problem*.*


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## SirDice (Feb 6, 2012)

It's an old article but should still contain some valid pointers.

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/pxe/


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## honza801 (Feb 6, 2012)

SirDice said:
			
		

> It's an old article but should still contain some valid pointers.
> 
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/pxe/



*T*his article is about creating nfs root and bootstrapping for pxe boot. *I*'m trying to use the FreeBSD 9.0 installation ISO image (FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso) to install freebsd FreeBSD via pxe.


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## SirDice (Feb 7, 2012)

I didn't say you should use it literally, I said there are some pointers.

Besides, it's a _jumpserver_. Jumpservers are used to PXE boot a machine and run an installer.


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## honza801 (Feb 8, 2012)

Actually, the document does not mention booting from *-bootonly CD.

The point is, that this pxe configuration works (sysinstall menu appears after boot)

```
label freebsd82
  menu label FreeBSD amd64
  kernel memdisk
  initrd images/FreeBSD-8.2-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso
  append iso raw
```

and this does not (ending with error above)

```
label freebsd90
  menu label FreeBSD amd64
  kernel memdisk
  initrd images/FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso
  append iso raw
```

Supposing this procedure was supported in 8.2, I think this a bug in the 9.0 *-bootonly installation media.


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## bunnylover (Feb 10, 2012)

Have any of you had any success appending "bigraw" instead of "raw"?  I was having this exact problem until I changed the option to bigraw.  I will say that I'm using mfsBSD, therefore probably a much smaller image than those loading a copy of the distribution CD.  Just putting it out there, in case it helps someone.

http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK#Set_memory_access_method_.28raw.2C_bigraw.2C_int_.2C_safeint.29


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## wblock@ (Feb 11, 2012)

Just tried it in VirtualBox.  It gets to "Building the boot loader arguments", shows the spinner slash, and then stops with the CPU at 100%.


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## lory (Feb 13, 2012)

bunnylover said:
			
		

> Have any of you had any success appending "bigraw" instead of "raw"?  I was having this exact problem until I changed the option to bigraw.  I will say that I'm using mfsBSD, therefore probably a much smaller image than those loading a copy of the distribution CD.  Just putting it out there, in case it helps someone.
> 
> http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK#Set_memory_access_method_.28raw.2C_bigraw.2C_int_.2C_safeint.29



It tr*ies* to mountroot from CD, maybe 'nfsroot' doesn't read.


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## valuequest (Feb 13, 2012)

bunnylover said:
			
		

> Have any of you had any success appending "bigraw" instead of "raw"?



In my case passing the 'bigraw' option instead of the 'raw' option to memdisk does not seem make any difference... with both options I get the same stop that rhlampe posted above.

Is there perhaps some option that needs be entered at the loader command line?


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## da1 (Feb 14, 2012)

http://stefankonarski.de/content/freebsd-9-pxe-boot-und-bsdinstall-installieren in german, but quite easy to understand.


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## lory (Feb 14, 2012)

da1 said:
			
		

> http://stefankonarski.de/content/freebsd-9-pxe-boot-und-bsdinstall-installieren in german, but quite easy to understand.



Yes, but if you want to have 8.2 i386 and amd64 and 9.0 i386 and amd64 PXE boot for install.

You can only have one option root-path in DHCP server. Or every time you must change config and restart service.


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## honza801 (Feb 14, 2012)

lory said:
			
		

> Yes, but if you want to have 8.2 i386 and amd64 and 9.0 i386 and amd64 PXE boot for install.
> 
> You can only have one option root-path in DHCP server. Or every time you must change config and restart service.



*Y*ou can simply configure several different groups for the hosts in DHCP config.


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## honza801 (Feb 14, 2012)

da1 said:
			
		

> http://stefankonarski.de/content/freebsd-9-pxe-boot-und-bsdinstall-installieren in german, but quite easy to understand.



This tutorial also uses NFS root. I'm trying to install directly from bootonly iso via PXE


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## honza801 (Feb 14, 2012)

bunnylover said:
			
		

> Have any of you had any success appending "bigraw" instead of "raw"?  I was having this exact problem until I changed the option to bigraw.  I will say that I'm using mfsBSD, therefore probably a much smaller image than those loading a copy of the distribution CD.  Just putting it out there, in case it helps someone.
> 
> http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php/MEMDISK#Set_memory_access_method_.28raw.2C_bigraw.2C_int_.2C_safeint.29



The "bigraw" option ain't working for me.


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## rhlampe (Feb 15, 2012)

bunnylover said:
			
		

> I will say that I'm using mfsBSD, therefore probably a much smaller image than those loading a copy of the distribution CD.  Just putting it out there, in case it helps someone.



Booting the mfsBSD ISO from syslinux works great!


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## Schorschi (Feb 27, 2012)

*Same issue for me as well*

Even after I added the following to loader.conf...

`echo 'vfs.root.mountfrom="ufs:/dev/md0"' >> /tmp/img/boot/loader.conf`

Where /tmp/img is path to my /dev/md0 disk image I later zip and use with PXE Linux based PXE/SysLinux/TFTP.

When the failure to find the /dev/md0 device as vfs.root.mountfrom returns error 19, and drops to the 'OK' prompt.  Listing the available boot devices, md0 does not exist.


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## brd@ (Mar 23, 2012)

I have a blog entry that addresses some of this:

http://blogs.freebsdish.org/brd/2012/03/23/pxe-booting-freebsd-9/

Sorry it does not address the use of syslinux, just the native FreeBSD tools.


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## maitre (May 4, 2012)

I can't even believe this ISO approach isn't the standard for most of you; once you go PXE, you simply do not go back to NFS!

That said, thanks to all who tried to help out with this issue.  It took a lot of refined searching to finally find the solution to this, but this blog post seemed to do it for me:

http://zewaren.net/site/?q=node/82

(The basic idea being, fetch a stock mfsBSD ISO, build a smallish 32MB disk image, and copy the boot/root bits over.  Then, importantly, you boot the image via MemDisk using the parameters: "harddisk raw".)


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## fdge (Jun 13, 2012)

Having to jump through so many hoops to PXE install is the main reason I am not experimenting more with FreeBSD.


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