Hello all --
We have sucessfully gotten the VMware ESXi 6.7 installer to boot from a HTTP server using iPXE (and automatically enable the serial console), but we are running into problems getting the fully booted installer to download and use the supplied kickstart config file. We have spent hours trying every possible combination of the boot options documented here, and we have tried supplying those boot options as arguments to the iPXE 'kernel' command as well as in the 'kernelopt' boot.cfg option line.
No matter what we do, we receive the following error from the installer (our actual HTTP server hostname is replaced below and throughout this post with serverhostname).
Error (see log for more info):
Error copying / downloading file
File (http://serverhostname/packetnet-ipx
e/esxi/6.7/ks.cfg) connection failed. Made 15 attempts.
We know the network adapter is working and is able to reach the HTTP server, because in order for the installer to get to the point of displaying this message, many of the installation image files had to be downloaded from the exact same HTTP server that hosts the ks.cfg file. We have observed in several examples that some people have referred to the HTTP server hosting the ks.cfg file by it's IP address instead of it's hostname, but our web server requires a hostname to be supplied, and so this is simply not an option for us.
Here is the latest version of our iPXE script:
#!ipxe
kernel mboot.c32 -c http://serverhostname/packetnet-ipxe/esxi/6.7/boot.cfg ip=${net0/ip} netmask=${net0/netmask} gateway=${net0/gateway} nameserver=8.8.8.8
boot
And our boot.cfg:
bootstate=0
title=Loading ESXi installer
timeout=5
prefix=http://serverhostname/packetnet-ipxe/esxi/6.7/iso
kernel=b.b00
kernelopt=runweasel text nofb com2_baud=115200 com2_Port=0x2f8 tty2Port=com2 gdbPort=none logPort=none ks=http://serverhostname/packetnet-ipxe/esxi/6.7/ks.cfg
modules=jumpstrt.gz --- useropts.gz --- features.gz --- k.b00 --- chardevs.b00 --- user.b00 --- procfs.b00 --- uc_intel.b00 --- uc_amd.b00 --- vmx.v00 --- vim.v00 --- sb.v00 --- s.v00 --- ata_liba.v00 --- ata_pata.v00 --- ata_pata.v01 --- ata_pata.v02 --- ata_pata.v03 --- ata_pata.v04 --- ata_pata.v05 --- ata_pata.v06 --- ata_pata.v07 --- block_cc.v00 --- bnxtnet.v00 --- brcmfcoe.v00 --- char_ran.v00 --- ehci_ehc.v00 --- elxiscsi.v00 --- elxnet.v00 --- hid_hid.v00 --- i40en.v00 --- iavmd.v00 --- igbn.v00 --- ima_qla4.v00 --- ipmi_ipm.v00 --- ipmi_ipm.v01 --- ipmi_ipm.v02 --- iser.v00 --- ixgben.v00 --- lpfc.v00 --- lpnic.v00 --- lsi_mr3.v00 --- lsi_msgp.v00 --- lsi_msgp.v01 --- lsi_msgp.v02 --- misc_cni.v00 --- misc_dri.v00 --- mtip32xx.v00 --- ne1000.v00 --- nenic.v00 --- net_bnx2.v00 --- net_bnx2.v01 --- net_cdc_.v00 --- net_cnic.v00 --- net_e100.v00 --- net_e100.v01 --- net_enic.v00 --- net_fcoe.v00 --- net_forc.v00 --- net_igb.v00 --- net_ixgb.v00 --- net_libf.v00 --- net_mlx4.v00 --- net_mlx4.v01 --- net_nx_n.v00 --- net_tg3.v00 --- net_usbn.v00 --- net_vmxn.v00 --- nhpsa.v00 --- nmlx4_co.v00 --- nmlx4_en.v00 --- nmlx4_rd.v00 --- nmlx5_co.v00 --- nmlx5_rd.v00 --- ntg3.v00 --- nvme.v00 --- nvmxnet3.v00 --- nvmxnet3.v01 --- ohci_usb.v00 --- pvscsi.v00 --- qcnic.v00 --- qedentv.v00 --- qfle3.v00 --- qfle3f.v00 --- qfle3i.v00 --- qflge.v00 --- sata_ahc.v00 --- sata_ata.v00 --- sata_sat.v00 --- sata_sat.v01 --- sata_sat.v02 --- sata_sat.v03 --- sata_sat.v04 --- scsi_aac.v00 --- scsi_adp.v00 --- scsi_aic.v00 --- scsi_bnx.v00 --- scsi_bnx.v01 --- scsi_fni.v00 --- scsi_hps.v00 --- scsi_ips.v00 --- scsi_isc.v00 --- scsi_lib.v00 --- scsi_meg.v00 --- scsi_meg.v01 --- scsi_meg.v02 --- scsi_mpt.v00 --- scsi_mpt.v01 --- scsi_mpt.v02 --- scsi_qla.v00 --- shim_isc.v00 --- shim_isc.v01 --- shim_lib.v00 --- shim_lib.v01 --- shim_lib.v02 --- shim_lib.v03 --- shim_lib.v04 --- shim_lib.v05 --- shim_vmk.v00 --- shim_vmk.v01 --- shim_vmk.v02 --- smartpqi.v00 --- uhci_usb.v00 --- usb_stor.v00 --- usbcore_.v00 --- vmkata.v00 --- vmkfcoe.v00 --- vmkplexe.v00 --- vmkusb.v00 --- vmw_ahci.v00 --- xhci_xhc.v00 --- elx_esx_.v00 --- btldr.t00 --- weaselin.t00 --- esx_dvfi.v00 --- esx_ui.v00 --- lsu_hp_h.v00 --- lsu_lsi_.v00 --- lsu_lsi_.v01 --- lsu_lsi_.v02 --- lsu_lsi_.v03 --- native_m.v00 --- qlnative.v00 --- rste.v00 --- vmware_e.v00 --- vsan.v00 --- vsanheal.v00 --- vsanmgmt.v00 --- tools.t00 --- xorg.v00 --- imgdb.tgz --- imgpayld.tgz
build=
updated=0
And our ks.cfg:
vmaccepteula
rootpw !Default0
install --firstdisk
reboot
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!
Joe