HOW-TO setup a diskless Debian system on a VIA M10000 motherboard

Basics for my setup:

 Master Server 192.168.1.10
	Dir used on the Server: /export/diskless
	DNS server 192.168.1.10
	GW: 192.168.1.1
	NIS domain name: rio.test

	Diskless client the will be added: idefix (192.168.1.102)

Server Software on the Master server:

	Debian GNU/Linux 3.0
	atftpd
	dhcp3-server
	nfs-kernel-server
	nis (configuration will not be described)
	bind9 (configuration will not be described)

DHCP server config

Check the log file for the DHCP server when you boot the client, get the diskless clients MAC address from the log file.

In my case: 00:40:63:d3:41:ba

2. Add the following to dhcp.conf

option domain-name "rio.test";

default-lease-time 600;
max-lease-time 7200;

subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
        range 192.168.1.110 192.168.1.120;
        option broadcast-address 192.168.1.255;
        option routers 192.168.1.1;
        option domain-name-servers 192.168.1.10;
}

allow booting;
allow bootp;
 
option space PXE;
option PXE.mtftp-ip code 1 = ip-address;
option PXE.mtftp-cport code 2 = unsigned integer 16;
option PXE.mtftp-sport code 3 = unsigned integer 16;
option PXE.mtftp-tmout code 4 = unsigned integer 8;
option PXE.mtftp-delay code 5 = unsigned integer 8;
 
group {
 
        option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient";
        next-server 192.168.1.10;
        filename "pxelinux.0";
        option PXE.mtftp-ip 0.0.0.0;
        vendor-option-space PXE;
        option root-path "/export/diskless/IDEFIX/default";
 
 
        host idefix {
                hardware ethernet 00:40:63:d3:41:ba;
                fixed-address 192.168.1.102;
        }
}

Configure tftpd

Install tftpd (you do not have to do any configuration for this to work)

# apt-get install atftpd

Edit the tftpd entry in /etc/inetd.conf and change /tftpboot to /export/diskless/tftpboot, then reload inetd

# /etc/init.d/inetd reload

Make sure you have syslinux installed, if not

# apt-get install syslinux

Copy pxelinux.0 to the tftpboot directory

# mkdir /export/diskless/tftpboot
# cp /usr/lib/syslinux/pxelinux.0 /export/diskless/tftpboot

Then create the pxelinux.cfg directory

# mkdir /export/diskless/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

Get the client IP in hex

$ gethostip 192.168.1.102

192.168.1.102 192.168.1.102 C0A80166

Create the configuration for the client

# cd /export/diskless/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg

and add the following to a file named as the output from gethostip

cat C0A80166

default idefix
label idefix
kernel idefix-kernel
append root=/dev/nfs ip=dhcp rw debug

Create the NFS base directory to export to the client

# cd /export/diskless
# mkdir <client name in uppercase>

Add the following the /etc/exports (export root and /home to the client)

/export/diskless/IDEFIX/ 192.168.1.102(rw,no_root_squash)
/home 192.168.1.102(rw,sync)

Build a kernel for your client

(or use my prebuilt 2.4.22-ac4), you will at least need these features:

  In Processor type and features
	VIA-C3-2
	
  in Networking options: check
       [*]   IP: kernel level autoconfiguration
       [*]     IP: DHCP support
       [*]     IP: BOOTP support
       [ ]     IP: RARP support    <--- not needed
  in File systems --> Network File Systems  --->, check
       <*> NFS file system support
       [*]   Provide NFSv3 client support
       [*]   Root file system on NFS

  Enable tmpfs
     in File systems --->
       [*] Virtual memory file system support (former shm fs)

  Enable devfs 
     in Code maturity level options --->
       [*] Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers
     in File systems --->
       [*] /dev file system support (EXPERIMENTAL)
       [*] Automatically mount at boot

When you have configured you kernel, build it like this

$ make dep; make-kpkg clean; fakeroot make-kpkg --revision=diskless.m10000.1.0 kernel_image

Setup the diskless clients initial file system and kernel

First you will have to create a directory for you root files system

# mkdir /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default

Bootstrap a Debian Woody system into default:

# debootstrap woody /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default

or with apt-proxy

# debootstrap woody /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default http://<aptproxy server>:9999/main

Install the kernel (example if you use the kernel from this site)

# wget http://test.riocities.com/kernels/kernel-image-2.4.22-ac4_diskless.m10000.1.0_i386.deb
# dpkg --root /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default/ -i kernel-image-2.4.22-ac4_diskless.m10000.1.0_i386.deb

Answer to the create link question: n

Make the kernel available to tftpd

# cd /export/diskless/tftpboot
# cp ../IDEFIX/default/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.22-ac4 .
# ln -s vmlinuz-2.4.22-ac4 idefix-kernel

Configure the client for initial boot

Setup APT

# cp /etc/apt/sources.list /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default/etc/apt

Setup devfsd

# chroot /export/diskless/IDEFIX/default/
	make sure that /etc/apt/sources.list is ok and then continue.
# apt-get update
# apt-get install devfsd
# vi /etc/default/devfsd

Set: MOUNT=yes in the config file

Setup /etc/fstab and hostname for the diskless client (please note that /home should be hashed out for now)

192.168.1.10:/export/diskless/IDEFIX/default /     nfs  defaults 0 1
proc                                         /proc proc defaults 0 0
#192.168.1.10:/home                           /home nfs  defaults 0 2

add the loop back interface to /etc/network/interfaces

# The loopback interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

Configure the hostname

# vi /etc/hostname

before you exit check that /etc/resolv.conf is ok. If it is ok you can now exit from chroot

# exit

Boot the diskless client

Power on the client and enjoy the show (hopefully)

Login as root (no password is defined) and define hostname and a root password

# hostname idefix
# passwd root

Then configure the system

# dpkg-reconfigure console-data
# /usr/sbin/base-config

Install SSH

# apt-get install ssh

Optional: configure the system as a NTP client

# apt-get install ntpdate ntp-simple

If you wish, you can now continue from a REMOTE connection.

Standard Debian configuration follows (as a NIS client)

Setup NIS

configure the NIS domain

# vi /etc/defaultdomain

rio.test

add the localnet

# vi /etc/networks

localnet 192.168.1.0

Install NIS

# apt-get install nis

test if it works alight:

# ypcat hosts
# ypcat passwd

if ok, add the following to the end of /etc/passwd

+::::::

and to the end of /etc/group

+:::

If you are using shadow passwords you need to add

+::::::::

to the end of /etc/shadow.

Remove the # in front of /home dir in /etc/fstab

192.168.1.10:/export/diskless/IDEFIX/default /     nfs  defaults 0 1
proc                                         /proc proc defaults 0 0
192.168.1.10:/home                           /home nfs  defaults 0 2

Mount:

# mount -a

Now try to login as a normal user (that exists on the NIS master)

Load security fixes

(probably no packages will be updated)

# apt-get update
# apt-get -u upgrade

This is the end of the normal config, now you should have a nice diskless Debian Woody system.

Optional: Make a backup copy of the "pure" woody system

Shutdown the diskless client:

# init 0

# cd /export/diskless/IDEFIX

# mkdir pureWoody
# cd default
# tar cplf - . | (cd ../pureWoody; tar xfp -)
# vi ../pureWoody/etc/fstab

192.168.1.10:/export/diskless/IDEFIX/pureWoody /     nfs  defaults 0 1
proc                                           /proc proc defaults 0 0
192.168.1.10:/home                             /home nfs  defaults 0 2

By editing /etc/dhcp3/dhcp.conf (and restarting the dhcp server) you can now choose what system to boot.

If the system will use X continue from here

Configure X (XFree 4.3 and gnome2.2)

Add the following to /etc/apt/sources.list

#deb http://mirror.raw.no/ gnome2.2/
deb http://people.debian.org/~mmagallo/packages/xfree86/i386/ ./
deb http://dc.deb.free.fr/debian/woody/binary-i386 ./

Update and install, during installation choose the VESA server

# apt-get update
# apt-get install xserver-xfree86

Then bring up good old dselect and add more X stuff (you can start with x-window-system and xbase-clients, please note that you might see some dependency problems)

Remove the # for gnome22 in /etc/apt/source.list, the following is a good start for the "apt-ing" of gnome22

# apt-get install gnome-utils gnome-session gnome-core gdm
# apt-get install abiword
# apt-get install xscreensaver

USB

For USB I use the usb-uhci driver You will also need to install some software

# apt-get install usbutils usbview usbmgr

Sound

The card works with via82cxxx_audio from a resent kernel, just add via82cxxx_audio to /etc/modules, then the module will be loaded at next reboot.

To start the sound driver now

# modprobe via82cxxx_audio

Fonts

Check http://egads.ertius.org/~rob/font_guide.txt

References

http://www.carfax.org.uk/docs/Netboot/
http://drbl.nchc.org.tw/debian/DIY.html
Trial and Error