SUMMARY: Synoptics Hubs and BOOTPTAB

From: David Burwell (dburwell@telecom.telecom.com)
Date: Sat Jul 24 1993 - 02:39:33 CDT


Original problem:
>
> This may not be the approperate forum for this, but Synoptics has been almost no help at all.
> I am trying to get my Synoptic hubs to use my SS2 file server (which is my TFTP server) for their configuration files from. Synoptics says to dedicate a PC and their EZVIEW as a TFTP server for their hubs, but this doesn't work because the SS2 TFTP serv> er seems to intercept the BOOTP request and then the hub tries to open the file on the Sun, and gets a TFTP error messages, unable to oen file.
> The hubs require 2 files, a XXXX.cfg file and a YYYYYYY.img file. The .cfg file is what tells the hub what .img file to use, along with IP address, Default Gateway, etc. I made an entry in the /ETC/BOOTPTAB file and then watch from the service port of t> he hub as it tries to get the BOOTP information. It seemed to be able to fing the .cfg file, but when it tried to download the .img file is when the TFTP error message came up and TFTP timed out.
> I am looking for any help, and if there is someone out there that has this solved, please point me in the right direction.
> The server is a SS2 using SunOS 4.1.2. The hubs are Synoptics 2813-05 and 2310-02. The IMG files are 281x50.img for the 2813 and 3331x42.img for the 2310.
> The BOOTPTAB entry looks like this:
>
> hub4:\
> :ht=ethernet:\
> :ha=00008104581c:\
> :ip=192.9.200.2:\
> :hd=/tftboot:\
> :bf=/usr/local/synoptic/hub4.cfg: <-- The hub4.cfg contains a reference to
> /usr/local/synoptic/331x42.img.
> The /etc/hosts entry is "hub4 192.9.200.2 # 2310 hub number 4".
> All hubs are entered in the /etc/hosts file using the "hub4" style and IP address that are unique.
> Thank you.
>
Many Thanks to all who responded. There were a number of possible work arounds suggested.
  The basics are that the inetd.conf file contains a line that starts the TFTPD:

tftp dgram udp wait root /usr/etc/in.tftpd in.tftpd -s /tftpboot

  This starts it in the secure mode, this means that the directory at the end of this line is treated as the root of the server for all TFTP requests. So /tftpboot is treated as / . This means that the line in the /etc/bootptab file that say :hd=/tftpboot:\ causes the TFTP server to look in the "/tftpboot", but really looks in the /tftpboot/tftpboot directory.
   So, 2 of the possible solutions are, 1) Take out the :hd=/tftpboot. 2) Make a link between /tftpboot and /tftpboot. This way was recomended by Synoptic. This way, an ls of the /tftpboot directory will show some files and a tftpboot directory. The if you CD into that tftpboot directory, and do an ls, you will see the same information as before.

Some other possible solutions are:

As pointed out by Glenn Satchell

"Are you starting tftp with the default arguments: "in.tftpd -s /tftpboot" in etd.conf? This causes all tftp filenames to be rooted at /tftpbot (ie it does a chroot() to the particular directory and then resolves path names from there). Try one of these solutions:

1. Change inetd.conf to not use the -s (which opens up the whole system to allow any file to be tftp'd - security issue).

2. Put the image file in /tftpboot and change the config file to say /331x42.img is the image file.

3. Copy the image file to /tftpboot/usr/local/synoptics/331x42.img. (Probably the easiest way). Note that a symbolic link won't work for this.

4. start tftpd with "in.tftpd -s /usr/local/synoptics" and put /331x42.img in the config file."

Also noted by others:
  * Symbolic Links to files don't work.
  * Don't use .cfg file that have ^M in them (PC files that are copied to the server).
  * Make sure the permissions are set to 775 or better.

  My new /etc/bootptab entry looks like this:

 hub4:\
         :ht=ethernet:\
         :ha=00008104581c:\
         :ip=192.9.200.2:\
         :hd=/tftboot:\
         :bf=synoptic/hub4.cfg: <-- The 1st line in hub4.cfg is
                                      synoptic/331x42.img

  All hub.cfg and the supporting .img files are in the /tftpboot/synoptic directory.

  Many thanks to all who responded, especially those that offer to discuss this by phone.

Johnson Lew <c3314jcl@mercury.nwac.sea06.navy.mil>
glenn@uniq.com.au (Glenn Satchell - Uniq Professional Services)
Urban Surfer <HOLDREGE@DCV4KD.PHS.COM>
Tim Chan <tim@synoptics.com>
Mark Morrissey <markm@kandinsky.intel.com>
david@srv.PacBell.COM (David St. Pierre)
poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russ Poffenberger)
micky@ejv.com (Micky Liu)
Timothy G. Smith - Special Projects <tgsmith@Sun.COM>
Phillip.Dale@cs.umu.se (Phillip Dale)
rah@gvlnms1.bwco.com (Woody Henderson)

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