RM NBook200 wont load pxe boot menu

[Optics]

Hi all, I’m hoping you can help me out.

We have recently taken delivery of 40 RM NBook 200’s (Compal SW91) which I was hoping to image with XP in the same way we have started to image all our other laptops (using FOG, all RM rebadged Compal’s of various ages) but I keep getting a blank screen instead of the boot menu.

The display just before it blank screens, shows that the PXE has found the server and is trying to load the kernel.

PXE entry point found (we hope) at 9AD6:0108
Getting cached packet 01
Getting cached packet 02
Getting cached packet 03
My IP Address seems to be AC10152D IPFromDHCPHere
ip=IPHERE:FOGSvrIPG IP:SUBNET
TFTP Prefix:
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/a37a8fc1-99ed-11dd-8015-001eecd14548
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/01-00-1e-ec-d1-46-48
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/AC10152D
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC10152
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC1015
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC101
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC10
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC1
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ AC
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ A
Trying to load: pxelinux.cfg/ default

I’ve tried every kernel available through the FOG update menu, but as I’m pretty much a linux newbie I haven’t even considered making my own kernel as I wouldn’t know where to start.

The text only menu just hangs after I type the fog command.

I can’t change any BIOS settings other than the boot order, I thought at first that RM had customised the BIOS options, but the Compal website appears to supply the same BIOS. I have a feeling the problem may have to do with ACPI or similar settings, as when I tried to load Ubuntu Live CD, I get the following error.:

2648441 ACPI: Invalid PBLK length [5]
2686601 ACPI: Invalid PBLK length [5]

On the F6 Boot parameters menu, setting ACPI=off causes numerous errors and halts loading, but if set to noapic and nolapic as well as ACPI=off it errors mentioning a PNPBIOS error but then it allows Ubuntu live CD to load as normal and appears to work fine.

I’m totally stuck, any suggestions guys and gals?

Graham

[Geoff]

ACPI errors and boot failures like this are due to the BIOS not implementing the various related standards correctly. I suggest you check with the manufacturer to see if there is a BIOS update that will fix it.

Failing that you can try disabling ACPI. In the fog entry for the host (create one if you've not managed to register the machine automatically) go to the kernel parameters section. Add 'acpi=off irqpoll' and then try and do an image upload, initiated from the web interface (the quick image option does not honour any custom machine settings in fog).

[Optics]

I forgot to update this, oops.

The actual problem was with the kernel not being able to deal with the USB2.0 controller on the SiS M672/968 chipset.

I updated the kernel used to 2.6.30.1 and it works well again now. The latest version of FOG (0.27) also has this updated kernel.

Thanks again for your help Geoff.

Graham