after ip=autoconf WAS: Kernel (2.4.X series) not doing the initial boot.

[Stephane Enten]

On Fri, Oct 12, 2001 at 03:04:46PM -0400, AUSTIN MURPHY wrote:
 > 
 > I have had some luck passing the following parameters to the kernel:
 > 
 > root=/dev/nfs ip=dhcp
 > 
 > the root= forces the kernel to use wait forever for the network to be
 > configured and the ip= forces a dhcp request, rather than letting the
 > kernel decide what to request.

Regarding root=/dev/nfs, that's what the make-fai-floppies script does by
pointing root= in LILO to a file with the right major/minor number ...

Setting ip=dhcp is a good idea if you have configured in the support for
several kernel autoconfiguration.

However, setting it as 'any' or 'autoconf' or 'on' has the effect of
trying every boot protocol, so if you configure only one in ...

 > I have had trouble with incorrect information via RARP kernel config but
 > that may have been due to other problems here.  The DHCP usually takes a
 > few minutes to actually recognize the response sent from the server.  I
 > have snooped my boot sequence and there are some unexplainable delays
 > between when the server sends a DHCP assignment and when the client
 > accepts it.  

Weird ... personnaly my kernel is still thinking his initial IP (or at
least the requested one) is 166.0.0.0 and I had to use the trick I
mentioned earlier ...

 > A separate problem that I am having is that when i use only the above two
 > kernel switches, I get my nfsroot mounted read only!  I have had some
 > success with adding the nfsroot= switch but I am looking into ways around
 > that.  

Errr ... I think it is expected, since the kernel will create a /tmp
RAMdisk mounted read-write.
The documentation state that this will be the only writable mount point
until the target partitions are mounted.

	Stephane