Subject: RE: Diskboot questions
To: None <netbsd-help@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Joseph R. Rach <nomad@UDel.Edu>
List: netbsd-help
Date: 02/24/1998 11:13:05
	I have a question also. I set up bootparams and the directories for my
	diskless clients. The systems are getting their IP addresses using 
	rarpd -a for which I setup /etc/ethers for each. When the systems boot
	to the net, they ask for their IP, get them, then perform a tftp request.
	The system which is running rarpd trys to give satisfy the tftp request, but
	does an arp request first. This causes the diskless client to keep
	trying and the server to try (fails because its arp request is never 
	returned). When looking thru the man pages, under bugs its suggests that
	one use a name server or such.

	Its kinda strange how the server knows the ether address (ie serves it out
	to the client, but asks for it anyways when the tftp request comes in. I
	have a feeling their is something I'm not clear about. Any ideas?

	Manually deleting and adding to the arp tables has worked, but its seems 
	pretty random. I.E. I have 2 of 4 systems on-line now. I checked the eeprom
	settings on all of them to make sure they are asking for netbsd instead of
	the default vmunix. That was my original problem.

	eg. (from memmory)
	arp who-has xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx tell xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
	server xx:xx:xx:xx is at client
	client -> server tftp request Cxxxx.SUNC
	arp who-has client tell server
	...
	client -> server tftp request Cxxxx.SUNC
	arp who-has client tell server
	...

	Please excuse my ignorance of basic sysadmin stuff. Still learning it.

	Thanks in adavance for any help,
	Joseph R. Rach