Subject: Boot Debian via PXE without Internet connection

From: Valerio <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2016 19:01:50 +0200

Hi all,

I recently started playing around to install Debian via PXE.
I successfully managed to install the netinst version following the
documentation available at https://wiki.debian.org/PXEBootInstall.

Now I'd like to understand how to boot any debian ISO.

For instance, suppose that on my PXE server I
havedebian-8.5.0-amd64-CD-1.iso, what boot parameters do I have to pass
to my netboot kernel in order to install it?

More generally, suppose I create my own iso (with build-simple-cdd), how
can I install it via PXE?

many thanks in advance,
Valerio

PS: If useful these are my actual booting parameters

kernel debian-installer/amd64/linux
	append auto=true priority=critical vga=788
initrd=debian-installer/amd64/initrd.gz
preseed/url=tftp://192.168.1.109/preseed/preseed.cfg --- quiet

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From: "Thomas Schmitt" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2016 20:28:10 +0200

Hi,

Valerio wrote:
> suppose that on my PXE server I havedebian-8.5.0-amd64-CD-1.iso, [...]

I guess this is what you need:
  http://www.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=MEMDISK
(I never tested it but only know it from hearsay.)

It says that a isohybrid ISO can be used in both roles, as "APPEND iso"
and as "APPEND harddisk". So you have two shots.

Have a nice day :)

Thomas

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From: Valerio <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2016 02:03:35 +0200

Hi,

thanks for your feedback.
I managed to successfully to boot the .iso via memdisk but now the
problem is that i cannot preseed the installation as the machine boots.

I have two options:
- either I hack the iso and set a default preseed
- I backtrack and use the netinst installation by preseeding a local apt
repository.

To this regard, i used build-simple-cdd --do-mirror command on the pxe
server in order to let the pxe client load packages from that
repository. The problem is that in tmp/mirror/dists/jessie/ there is the
file Release but not Release.gpg.
Now when the debian-installer looks fro this file it blocks the client
installation.

Any suggestions?

best reagrds,
Valerio

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From: Valerio <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2016 08:26:58 +0200

Hi all,

I solved the issue by adding

d-i debian-installer/allow_unauthenticated  string true

to the preseed file.

best,
Valerio