[gPXE] Windows 2008 install directly to iscsi target boot problem

[Tomas K]

Hi, I am trying to install Windows 2008 directly to iscsi disk using
gPXE. I've tried almost everything and I am still (now for 2 months)
stuck on this.


I have DHCP set according to guidelines bellow and as iscsi target I
use Openfiler 2.3 (I have also tried CCBoot with the same result).
Booting computer has MB Gigabyte GA-8I915PL-G. There is local HDD in
computer.
I have followed http://etherboot.org...8_iscsi_install .

At first I have used NIC Marvell Yukon 88E8001 and chainloaded gPXE
via PXE, using this I have during installation to iscsi target seen
iscsi disk (when was prompted where to instal to), but i got message
"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware
may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's
controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu". At this point
installation ended, because despite all guidelines I couldn't proceed
any further.

Then I got NIC Intel pro 1000 gt and flashed gPXE1.0.0 rom onto it.
Using this, when I am in selection where to install windows, I select
iscsi drive and I got the same message "Windows cannot be installed to
this disk. This computer's ...", but when I click Next, installation
starts and it goes to point where it needs to restart computer. The
problem is, it copy windows files to iscsi disk, but bootloader writes
to local HDD in PC. So after restart, there is no bootloader gPXE
(embedded in NIC) could load.

I have also tried CCBoot to install Windows 7 to and it's the same
problem (without Intel card with flashed gPXE I cannot install to the
disk at all, with that card I could proceed to the point where setup
restarts computer and I find 7 GB written on CCBoot server but loader
is written on local HDD).

When I physically detach local HDD, I couldn't install windows either,
it ends at the point when I select disk to install windows to with
"Windows cannot be installed ...". I have tested this on 2 other
computers and got the same results.

In all cases, gPXE + linux server + Openfiler has exactly the same
results as CCBoot.

I will be grateful for all insights where could the problem be and how
to solve it.
Thank you, TomasK