# FreeBSD; PXE boot from syslinux



## _martin (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm trying to boot iso (FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso) installation media from PXE server (9.0-RELEASE) using syslinux-4.05. PXE setup itself is ok, many other _stuff_ is booting from it ok (memtest, debian iso, etc.).

My pxelinux.cfg/default FreeBSD part: 


```
LABEL FreeBSD
        KERNEL com32/memdisk
        INITRD boot/fbsd/FreeBSD-9.0-RELEASE-amd64-bootonly.iso.gz
        APPEND iso bigraw
```

And I'm stuck with mountfrom> prompt, no devices to mount / from. I did google some PXE setup workarounds but I was looking for something as simple as: use iso image, fetch and install from it over PXE. 

Was anybody successful booting FreeBSD iso image from PXE server without any special preps?


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## wblock@ (Dec 20, 2012)

Try a bootonly ISO.  Smaller images, under 100M or so, might work when larger ones will not.


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## SirDice (Dec 20, 2012)

I seriously doubt you can PXE boot a CD image.

32.8 PXE Booting with an NFS Root File System


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## _martin (Dec 20, 2012)

@wblock: it is bootonly iso, gzipped to ~60MB.

It's a pity it's not possible to do so though :/

Currently I'm using mfsbsd to PXE boot to usable FreeBSD environment. It has console login allowed, so theoretically no keyboard is required. I had to use one because comconsole was not set in loader .. I briefly went through git sources and it seems it's really not there. I'll play with it a little to see if I can adjust this minor issue and I think I (we) have a good solution to PXE boot headless FreeBSD without special preps. 

So big thanks goes to @Martin Matuska - diqi ! (thanks).


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## wblock@ (Dec 20, 2012)

SirDice said:
			
		

> I seriously doubt you can PXE boot a CD image.



It can be done, it's just more difficult with FreeBSD.  One issue is a kernel limit: http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=29327.  The other is getting FreeBSD to recognize the emulated CD device; when that fails, it gives good old error 19.  I don't know the answer to that one, but would love to see it fixed.

A workaround is to build a hard disk/memory stick image.  The memory stick image for mfsBSD works, and the build scripts are available to make your own.


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