Hi I'm trying to setup a small home lab using VMWare. I'm trying to PXE boot ESXi-8 using kea for dhcp and tftp. I see my target host receiving a IP from kea but it does not seem to be picking up the ISO to begin installation.
The target host is a Intel NUC 12, in the BIOS I have the following.
Boot Option 1 -> UEFI PXE IPv4
Network Boot -> UEFI PXE and iScsi
All Secure boot and security has been unchecked.
My DHCP and TFTP host are the same IP (192.168.50.13) running the latest endeavouros.
Below are my current settings.
my tftp directory at /srv/tftp
drwxr-xr-x - root root 21 Aug 21:17 pxelinux.cfg
.rw-r--r-- 629M root root 12 Aug 18:50 esxi8.iso
.r-xr-xr-x 211k root root 14 Aug 21:34 mboot.efi
Inside the pxelinux.cfg directory
drwxr-xr-x - root root 21 Aug 21:15 01-48-21-0B-51-62-D5
.rw-r--r-- 113 root root 21 Aug 21:17 default
Contents of the default file
DEFAULT esxi8
TIMEOUT 100
PROMPT 0
LABEL esxi8
KERNEL mboot.efi
APPEND -c /pxelinux.cfg/01-48-21-0B-51-62-D5
the directory with the MAC Address contains the files on the ISO.
here is the boot.cfg
bootstate=0
title=Loading ESXi installer
timeout=5
prefix=
kernel=/b.b00
kernelopt=runweasel
modules=/jumpstrt.gz --- /useropts.gz --- /features.gz --- /k.b00 --- /uc_intel.b00 --- /uc_amd.b00 --- /uc_hygon.b00 --- /procfs.b00 --- /
vmx.v00 --- /vim.v00 --- /tpm.v00 --- /sb.v00 --- /s.v00 --- /atlantic.v00 --- /bcm_mpi3.v00 --- /bnxtnet.v00 --- /bnxtroce.v00 --- /brcmfc
oe.v00 --- /cndi_igc.v00 --- /dwi2c.v00 --- /elxiscsi.v00 --- /elxnet.v00 --- /i40en.v00 --- /iavmd.v00 --- /icen.v00 --- /igbn.v00 --- /in
telgpi.v00 --- /ionic_en.v00 --- /irdman.v00 --- /iser.v00 --- /ixgben.v00 --- /lpfc.v00 --- /lpnic.v00 --- /lsi_mr3.v00 --- /lsi_msgp.v00
--- /lsi_msgp.v01 --- /lsi_msgp.v02 --- /mtip32xx.v00 --- /ne1000.v00 --- /nenic.v00 --- /nfnic.v00 --- /nhpsa.v00 --- /nmlx5_co.v00 --- /n
mlx5_rd.v00 --- /ntg3.v00 --- /nvme_pci.v00 --- /nvmerdma.v00 --- /nvmetcp.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v01 --- /pvscsi.v00 --- /qcn
ic.v00 --- /qedentv.v00 --- /qedrntv.v00 --- /qfle3.v00 --- /qfle3f.v00 --- /qfle3i.v00 --- /qflge.v00 --- /rdmahl.v00 --- /rste.v00 --- /s
fvmk.v00 --- /smartpqi.v00 --- /vmkata.v00 --- /vmksdhci.v00 --- /vmkusb.v00 --- /vmw_ahci.v00 --- /bmcal.v00 --- /clusters.v00 --- /crx.v0
0 --- /elx_esx_.v00 --- /btldr.v00 --- /esx_dvfi.v00 --- /esx_ui.v00 --- /esxupdt.v00 --- /tpmesxup.v00 --- /weaselin.v00 --- /esxio_co.v00
--- /loadesx.v00 --- /lsuv2_hp.v00 --- /lsuv2_in.v00 --- /lsuv2_ls.v00 --- /lsuv2_nv.v00 --- /lsuv2_oe.v00 --- /lsuv2_oe.v01 --- /lsuv2_sm
.v00 --- /native_m.v00 --- /qlnative.v00 --- /trx.v00 --- /vdfs.v00 --- /vds_vsip.v00 --- /vmware_e.v00 --- /vsan.v00 --- /vsanheal.v00 ---
/vsanmgmt.v00 --- /tools.t00 --- /xorg.v00 --- /gc.v00 --- /imgdb.tgz --- /basemisc.tgz --- /resvibs.tgz --- /esxiodpt.tgz --- /imgpayld.tgz
build=8.0.1-0.10.21813344
updated=0
And the efi/boot/boot.cfg
bootstate=0
title=Loading ESXi installer
timeout=5
prefix=
kernel=/b.b00
kernelopt=runweasel
modules=/jumpstrt.gz --- /useropts.gz --- /features.gz --- /k.b00 --- /uc_intel.b00 --- /uc_amd.b00 --- /uc_hygon.b00 --- /procfs.b00 --- /vmx.v00 --- /vim.v00 --- /tpm.v00 --- /sb.v00 --- /s.v00 --- /atlantic.v00 --- /bcm_mpi3.v00 --- /bnxtnet.v00 --- /bnxtroce.v00 --- /brcmfcoe.v00 --- /cndi_igc.v00 --- /dwi2c.v00 --- /elxiscsi.v00 --- /elxnet.v00 --- /i40en.v00 --- /iavmd.v00 --- /icen.v00 --- /igbn.v00 --- /intelgpi.v00 --- /ionic_en.v00 --- /irdman.v00 --- /iser.v00 --- /ixgben.v00 --- /lpfc.v00 --- /lpnic.v00 --- /lsi_mr3.v00 --- /lsi_msgp.v00
--- /lsi_msgp.v01 --- /lsi_msgp.v02 --- /mtip32xx.v00 --- /ne1000.v00 --- /nenic.v00 --- /nfnic.v00 --- /nhpsa.v00 --- /nmlx5_co.v00 --- /n
mlx5_rd.v00 --- /ntg3.v00 --- /nvme_pci.v00 --- /nvmerdma.v00 --- /nvmetcp.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v01 --- /pvscsi.v00 --- /qcnic.v00 --- /qedentv.v00 --- /qedrntv.v00 --- /qfle3.v00 --- /qfle3f.v00 --- /qfle3i.v00 --- /qflge.v00 --- /rdmahl.v00 --- /rste.v00 --- /sfvmk.v00 --- /smartpqi.v00 --- /vmkata.v00 --- /vmksdhci.v00 --- /vmkusb.v00 --- /vmw_ahci.v00 --- /bmcal.v00 --- /clusters.v00 --- /crx.v00 --- /elx_esx_.v00 --- /btldr.v00 --- /esx_dvfi.v00 --- /esx_ui.v00 --- /esxupdt.v00 --- /tpmesxup.v00 --- /weaselin.v00 --- /esxio_co.v00 --- /loadesx.v00 --- /lsuv2_hp.v00 --- /lsuv2_in.v00 --- /lsuv2_ls.v00 --- /lsuv2_nv.v00 --- /lsuv2_oe.v00 --- /lsuv2_oe.v01 --- /lsuv2_sm.v00 --- /native_m.v00 --- /qlnative.v00 --- /trx.v00 --- /vdfs.v00 --- /vds_vsip.v00 --- /vmware_e.v00 --- /vsan.v00 --- /vsanheal.v00 --- /vsanmgmt.v00 --- /tools.t00 --- /xorg.v00 --- /gc.v00 --- /imgdb.tgz --- /basemisc.tgz --- /resvibs.tgz --- /esxiodpt.tgz --- /imgpayld.tgz
build=8.0.1-0.10.21813344
updated=0
My kea output
2023-08-21 21:55:20.511 INFO [kea-dhcp4.leases/3934597.139738841462464] DHCP4_LEASE_ADVERT [hwtype=1 48:21:0b:51:62:d5], cid=[no info], tid=0x52cb6670: lease 192.168.50.100 will be advertised
2023-08-21 21:55:23.892 INFO [kea-dhcp4.leases/3934597.139738824677056] DHCP4_LEASE_ALLOC [hwtype=1 48:21:0b:51:62:d5], cid=[no info], tid=0x52cb6670: lease 192.168.50.100 has been allocated for 1296000 seconds
My kea-dhcp4 conf file
{ "Dhcp4": {
"valid-lifetime": 1296000,
"renew-timer": 864000,
"rebind-timer": 864000,
"expired-leases-processing": {
"reclaim-timer-wait-time": 10,
"flush-reclaimed-timer-wait-time": 25,
"hold-reclaimed-time": 3600,
"max-reclaim-leases": 100,
"max-reclaim-time": 250,
"unwarned-reclaim-cycles": 5
},
"interfaces-config": {
"interfaces": [
"eno1",
"*"
]
},
"lease-database": {
"type": "memfile",
"persist": true,
"name": "/var/lib/kea/dhcp4.leases",
"lfc-interval": 3600
},
"subnet4": [{
"subnet": "192.168.50.0/24",
"next-server": "192.168.50.13",
"boot-file-name": "/srv/tftp/mboot.efi",
"pools": [{
"pool": "192.168.50.100 - 192.168.50.200"
}],
"option-data": [{
"name": "routers",
"data": "192.168.50.0"
}],
"reservations": [{
"client-id": "48:21:0B:51:62:D5",
"ip-address": "192.168.50.100"
},
{
"client-id": "1c:69:7a:62:28:79",
"ip-address": "192.168.50.13"
}]
}]
}
}
