This section is Etherboot specific.
Unpack the distribution using gunzip and tar, using one of the following commands, where you replace x by the patchlevel number:
tar zxvf etherboot-4.4.x.tar.gz gunzip < etherboot-4.4.x.tar.gz | tar xvf - bunzip2 < etherboot-4.4.x.tar.bz2 | tar xvf -
To build the ROM images you need a recent release of gcc and the binutils tools. This package was compiled with the tools from a RedHat 6.0 distribution but it should work with any recent Linux or FreeBSD distribution. For the 16 bit version you need the bcc tools from the Embedded Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS) project, for more details see the notes on 16 bit Etherboot. You need the 16 bit version only if you intend to run Etherboot on a 286 or 086/088 PC.
Assuming you have decided to make the 32 bit version, you only have to go to src-32/, edit the options in Config and say make. This will create all the ROM images available. The .lzrom images are the same as the .rom images. Since the .lzrom images are smaller and work exactly the same, there is no real reason to use .rom images any more, unless you are nervous about compression algorithm patents. We believe the algorithm used does not infringe patents, having been in public use for some time, but we do not know all the legal ramifications. See here for more details.
Here is a brief description of the options available:
Basic options: -DNO_DHCP_SUPPORT-Use BOOTP instead of DHCP -DIMAGE_MENU - Allow to interactively chose between different bootimages; read vendortags.html for further information. -DMOTD - Display message of the day; read vendortags.html for further information. -DASK_BOOT=n - Ask "Boot from Network or from Local? " at startup, timeout after n seconds (0 = no timeout); this can be done in a more generic way by using the IMAGE_MENU, but it requires that the "bootp" server is accessible, even when booting locally. -DANS_DEFAULT=ANS_NETWORK - Assume Network to previous question (alternative: ANS_LOCAL) on timeout or Return key See etherboot.h for prompt and answer strings. -DEMERGENCYDISKBOOT - if no BOOTP server can be found, then boot from local disk. The accessibility of the TFTP server has no effect, though! So configure your BOOTP server properly. You should probably reduce MAX_BOOTP_RETRIES to a small number like 3. Basic options only on Etherboot/32: -DAOUT_IMAGE - Add FreeBSD boot support (a.out kernels) -DELF_IMAGE - Add FreeBSD boot support (ELF kernels) -DPASSWD - enable password protection for boot images; this requires -DIMAGE_MENU -DUSRPARMS - allow the user to interactively edit parameters that are passed to the booted kernel; you should probably enable -DPASSWD as well; this feature requires -DIMAGE_MENU -DANSIESC - evaluate a subset of common ANSI escape sequences when displaying the message of the day; this probably does not make sense unless you also define -DMOTD or at least -DIMAGE_MENU. Combine this option with -DSERIAL_CONSOLE only if you are using DUAL -DGFX - support extensions to the ANSI escape sequences for displaying graphics (icons or logos); this requires -DANSIESC -DFLOPPY - boot from floppy/hd if bootimage matches the pattern "/dev/[fh]d*"; if you do not have enough space in the EPROM, then disable this feature and use "mknbi-blkdev" for booting from a local blockdevice. -DCONFIG_PCI_DIRECT - define this for PCI BIOSes that do not implement BIOS32 or not correctly -DINTERNAL_BOOTP_DATA - define if the area 0x93C00-0x93FFF is not available for use for bootpd_data by the loader for some reason These options should normally not need to be touched: -DNOINT19H - Take control as soon as BIOS detects the ROM Normally hooks onto INT19H -DMOVEROM - if your motherboard does not cache adapter memory space, then this option can speed up loading of compressed BOOT-Prom images. It has no effect on uncompressed images. Unless you are very tight on free space, you will usually want to define this option. -DDELIMITERLINES - print a line of = characters at the start and also just before starting an image. -DSIZEINDICATOR - update a running total of the amount of code loaded so far, in kilobytes. -DT509HACK - send two bootp packets before waiting for a reply to the first. Makes a 3c509 do bootp quicker. -DMCA - Compile 3c529 (MCA version) support in 3c509 driver. -DT503_AUI - Use AUI by default on 3c503 cards. -DCONGESTED - Define this to enable TFTP retransmissions which may be needed on congested networks. These options are only for a serial console for Etherboot/32: -DSERIAL_CONSOLE - set for serial console, set to DUAL for serial and CRT console -DCOMCONSOLE - set port, e.g. 0x378 CONSPEED - set speed. Note, not -DCONSPEED, this is a Make define. -DCOMPARM - set Line Control Register value for data bits, stop bits and parity. See a National Semiconductor 8250/ 16450/16550 data sheet for bit meanings. If undefined, defaults to 0x03 = 8N1.
You may also wish to examine file NIC for other options that may need adjustment. If you find you need to adjust the PCI vendor and device IDs, add the appropriate line to this file (and send me a copy). If you do set the IDs correctly, the floppy version will work, but the ROM will not. The PCI IDs are usually displayed by the BIOS on booting up. They can also be read out from a running Linux system using the Linux PCI Utilities.
You can test the image with a floppy before programming an EPROM. On Linux just put a blank floppy in fd0 and say make card.fd0 where card is the name of your network card and it will copy a bootable image onto the floppy. If you wish to do this by hand, it's easy, just make floppyload.bin and prepend floppyload.bin to card.rom (or card.lzrom) and write this combined binary to the floppy raw, i.e. starting at the boot block. Like this:
cat floppyload.bin 3c509.lzrom > /dev/fd0
When you boot with this floppy it will load the Etherboot ROM image from floppy and execute it. It should be able to detect your card. To get the bootrom to acquire an IP address and load the intended code, you need to set up bootp, tftp and NFS services, which we will discuss next.
We suggest you continue to use floppy booting until you have completed the setup of the server and are satisfied that diskless booting works.