VERY URGENT!!! SunOs4.0 Client boots

[Mike Wolf]

>I am in the process of upgrading my Sun's to SunOs4.0. Diskless clients do
>not want to boot over our network. The network has both sun and non-sun
>machines. below is the text that appears on the client screen as it tries
>to boot:
>
>b le(0,0,0)
>Using Internet Number 192.5.220.3 = C005D03
>Booting from tftp server 192.5.220.100
>Downloaded 126056 bytes via tftp
>
>Using Internet Number 192.5.220.3
>le: missed packet
>le: missed packet
>No bootparam server responding; still trying...

We're having a similar problem here with a Sun 3/50 not booting.  I think
I've nailed down the cause of the problem.  We're a class B network, but
we're using a class C subnet mask.  When the client boots, the boot code
is supposed to send out an ICMP Information Request message, which should
get the appropriate netmask.  I don't see any such ICMP message being sent
when I use etherfind to watch the boot process.  So, the client assumes a
class B netmask, broadcasts to that instead of the proper class C netmask,
and all the machines on the network ignore the wrong broadcast address, so
the portmapper never sees the request for the bootparamd.

I've called sun technical support about this, but I've had no response as
yet.  Please let me know if you think your problem is different from what
I've discribed, or if you find a fix.

- Michael Wolf
wolf at ssyx.ucsc.edu
...!ucbvax!ucscc!ssyx!wolf