Netboot client uses broadcast for rarp and bootparam, so you might
filtering them out in tcpdump. When boot.net starts it should broadcast 
rarp whoami request, also I think that arp entry should be added in your
server machine
(you can check if you have your client's arp entry with arp -a).
After your client receives rarp reply it broadcasts bootparam request.
Is that possible that you have another bootparamd on the network?

The debug version of boot.net might help, I don't have environment to
build it right away, but you can ask list or you can set up cross
to build it yourself. Kernel and bootloader are pretty easy to build
in cross.

Another thing (which helped me) is to have your client and server
separated from network. First noone else involved, second tcpdump
without any filtering might show something.

Regards,
	Andrey

On Thu, 14 Dec 2000 Ronald.vanderPol@surfnet.nl wrote:

> On Thu, 14 Dec 2000, Frank van der Linden wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, Dec 14, 2000 at 12:55:13PM +0100, Ronald van der Pol wrote:
> > > All machines are on shared Ethernet. I have sniffed this net with
> > > "tcpdump ether host ...". I ran "bootparamd -d". No debug output
> > > and only TFTP packets on the net (no BOOTPARAM WHOAMI). I have:
> > > 
> > > scotty  root=192.87.111.33:/export/NetBSD-1.5/scotty/root \
> > >         swap=192.87.111.33:/export/NetBSD-1.5/scotty/swap \
> > >         dump=192.87.111.33:/export/NetBSD-1.5/scotty/swap
> > 
> > You're missing a 'gateway' entry here. The netboot wants to have it,
> > even if you don't need it. Add a dummy entry if you wish. add
> > something like 'gateway=192.187.x.x:0xffffff00', and you
> > should get further.
> 
> Yes, but is NetBSD physic :-) If the client is not sending any
> bootparam requests, does the bootparam configuration matter?
> 
> (I added the gateway entry and it does not make any difference).
> 
> 	rvdp
> 
>