[gPXE] Windows 7 and gpxe iSCSI diskless boot

[Michael Brown]

On Friday 12 Mar 2010 12:51:09 Stefan Mosoi wrote:
> So ... after i install win 7 on the iscsi target from the dvd it reboots
> and :
> DHCP (net XX:XX:XX:XX:XX) ... ok
> net0: 10.10.10.22/255.255.255.0 gw 10.10.10.1
> Booting from root path "iscsi:10.10.10.1::::freebsd:target0" (my iscsi
>  image) Registered as BIOS drive 0x80
> Booting from BIOS drive 0x80
> 
> after that the screen blinks as loading windows but the screen remains with
>  the Windows 7 Logo (Starting Windows)
> 
> On the server i use:
>  - FreeBSD
>  - ZFS for the storage
>  - isc-dhcpd
>  - istgt 0.2 (20100125) for iSCSI
> 
> It loads the image, and when the client it connects:
> 
> sock = 8 , addr=10.10.10.1, peer=10.10.10.22
> drop old connections freebsd:target0 by
>  iqn.2000-09.org.etherboot:unknown,1,0x400272230000 Login from
>  iqn.2000-09.org.etherboot:unknown (10.10.10.22) on freebsd:target0 LU1
>  (10.10.10.1:3260,1) ISID=40002723000, TSIH=1 CID=0 HeaderDigest-off
>  DataDigest=off Connections(tsih 1): 0

Thanks.  That looks like the gPXE connection rather than the Windows 
connection.  Do you have any record of a subsequent connection from the 
Windows initiator?  Does tcpdump/wireshark show any network activity from the 
client after the Windows splash screen appears?  (You may need to use a port-
mirroring switch or a back-to-back Cat5 cable to find this out.)

Is there any sign of life from the Windows splash screen (e.g. a progress bar 
continuing to move)?  Does it eventually (may take a few minutes) give up and 
blue-screen or reboot?

Michael