# problem installing freebsd with network



## zloidemon (Oct 24, 2009)

hi,
i using tftp+nfs for installing freebsd 8 RC1...



```
server# cat /etc/exports 
/mnt/freebsd/tftp -maproot=root -network 192.168.100.0 -mask 255.255.255.0
```


```
rc.conf
nfs_server_enable="YES"
nfs_server_flags="-u -t -n 4"
rpcbind_enable="YES"
rpc_lockd_enable="YES"
rpc_statd_enable="YES"
inetd_enable="YES"
```


```
dhcp.conf
	host netboot {
		hardware ethernet 00:1f:c6:{*_*};
		fixed-address 192.168.100.2;
		option root-path "192.168.100.100:/mnt/freebsd/tftp";
		filename "/boot/pxeboot";
		}
```


```
server# showmount -e localhost
Exports list on localhost:
/mnt/freebsd/tftp                             192.168.100.0
```


```
server# cat /etc/inetd.conf|grep tftp
tftp	dgram	udp	wait	root	/usr/libexec/tftpd	tftpd -l -s /cdrom
```


```
server# cat /mnt/freebsd/tftp/boot/loader.conf 
mfsroot_load="YES"
mfsroot_type="mfs_root"
mfsroot_name="/boot/mfsroot"
autoboot_delay="3"
#vfs.root.mountfrom="ufs:/dev/md0c"
```

where the problem?


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## valuequest (May 22, 2010)

I am trying to troubleshoot my own effort to install FreeBSD 8 from the files in the bootonly.iso (sparc64 port) which I have copied onto a TFTP server.  I appear to be able to get the sparc64 machine to fetch the /boot/loader executable from the TFTP server, but after that I just get 





> \ (followed by a long pause)
> can't load 'kernel'


I suspect that I am missing something special that I need to do with loader.conf to get it to fetch the /boot/kernel/kernel and /boot/mfsroot via TFTP.

(For whatever it may be worth by the way after copying the bootonly.iso files over into /tftpboot I then decompressed /boot/mfsroot.gz --> mfsroot based on some other search hits.)

For the sake of education might anyone help me understand what the bootonly.iso /boot/loader executable is designed to do and maybe provide some basic pointers on how to configure it to boot the installer via network?  

I am wondering for example if I have to set the /boot/kernel/kernel and /boot/mfsroot files up into a(n) nfs share in order for the loader executable to fetch the them...? (scratching head)


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## valuequest (May 22, 2010)

More specifically... after the sparc64 machine fetches the loader executable from the TFTP server what I get is...
	
	



```
Consoles: Open Firmware console

Booting with sun4u support.

FreeBSD/sparc64 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.0
(root@araz.cse.buffalo.edu, (date /time stamp)
bootpath={devalias path}:{boot net options that I put in}
boot: ethernet address: {MAC address of the sparc64 machine's network interface}
\  {long pause}
can't load 'kernel'
```


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## valuequest (May 22, 2010)

Thinking more about it... if the sparc64 machine fetches the loader executable via TFTP then how can I direct the loader executable to go get the loader.conf file from the TFTP server?


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