Back to Contents Page

# Broadcom Boot Agent Driver Software: Broadcom NetXtreme™ 57XX User Guide

Overview

Setting Up the Multi-Boot Agent (MBA) in a Client Environment

Setting Up the Multi-Boot Agent in a Server Environment

## Overview

The Broadcom Ethernet controller has Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) and Remote Program Load (RPL) support. Multi-Boot Agent (MBA) is a software module that allows your networked computer to boot with the images provided by remote servers across the network. The Broadcom MBA driver complies with the PXE 2.1 specification and is released with both monolithic and split binary images. This provides flexibility to users on different environments where the motherboard may or may not have built-in base code.

The MBA module operates in a client/server environment. A network consists of one or more boot servers that provide boot images to multiple computers via the network. The Broadcom MBA module implementation has been tested successfully in the following environments:

| Linux® Red Hat® PXE Server. Broadcom PXE clients are able to remotely boot and use network resources (NFS mount, and so forth) and to perform Linux installations. In the case of a remote boot, the Linux universal driver binds seamlessly with the Broadcom Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) and provides a network interface in the Linux remotely-booted client environment.
| Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Windows Server 2003. Using Windows Remote Installation Services (RIS), Broadcom PXE clients are able to perform remote installations from the network.
| Intel APITEST. The Broadcom PXE driver passes all API compliance test suites.
| DOS UNDI. The DOS Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) seamlessly binds with the Broadcom UNDI to provide a network device driver interface specification (NDIS2) interface to the upper layer protocol stack. This allows computers to connect to network resources in a DOS environment.
| Rembo Technology Auto-Deploy Server
| Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 Remoteboot Server

Back to Top

## Setting Up the Multi-Boot Agent (MBA) in a Client Environment

Before you begin, copy the Broadcom DOS utility files to a directory on the root of the C drive. Obtain the Broadcom DOS utility files from the support website.

Setting up the MBA client in a client environment involves the following steps:

1. Enabling/disabling the MBA driver with the Broadcom DOS utility. To start the utility for setting the MBA configuration, press CTRL+S within 2 to 6 seconds after you are prompted to do so (the amount of time available before the boot process automatically continues depends on the speed of your microprocessor).

2. Setting up the BIOS for the boot order.

| Note: This feature is supported in PXE version 3.1.16 or later only.

### Enabling and Disabling the MBA Driver

To enable or disable the MBA driver

1. Boot up in DOS mode.
2. Change to the directory where the Broadcom DOS utility files are located.
3. Type b57udiag -mba [ 0-disable | 1-enable ] -c devnum

   where

   devnum is the specific device(s) number (0,1,2,...) to be programmed.

### Specifying the MBA Protocol

To specify the MBA protocol

1. Boot up in DOS mode.
2. Change to the directory where the Broadcom DOS utility files are located.
3. Type b57udiag -mbap [ 0-pxe | 1-rpl | 2-bootp ] -c devnum

> where

> devnum is the specific device(s) number (0,1,2,...) to be programmed.

### Forcing the MBA to a Specific Speed

To force the MBA to a specific speed

1. Boot up in DOS mode.
2. Change to the directory where the Broadcom DOS utility files are located.
3. Type b57udiag -mbas [ 0-Auto | 1-10HD | 2-10FD | 3-100H | 4-100F ] -c devnum

> where

> devnum is the specific device(s) number (0,1,2,...) to be programmed.

### Setting Up the BIOS

To boot from the network with the MBA, make the MBA the first bootable device under the BIOS. This procedure depends on the computer BIOS implementation. Refer to the user manual for the computer for instructions.

Back to Top

## Setting Up the Multi-Boot Agent in a Server Environment

### Linux Red Hat PXE Server

The Red Hat Linux 8.0 (or later) distribution has PXE Server support. It allows users to remotely perform a complete Linux installation over the network. The distribution comes with the boot images boot kernel (vmlinuz) and initial ram disk (initrd), which are located on the Red Hat disk#1:

> /images/pxeboot/vmlinuz

> /images/pxeboot/initrd.img

Refer to the Red Hat documentation for instructions on how to install PXE Server on Linux.

The Initrd.img file distributed with Red Hat 8.0, however, does not have a Linux network driver for the Broadcom Ethernet controller.

This version requires drivers that are not part of the standard distribution. You can create a driver disk for the Broadcom network controller using files obtained from the support website. Refer to the Linux Readme.txt file for more information.

A remote boot does not require a standard Linux network driver for the Broadcom network controller. After the PXE client downloads the Linux kernel and initial ram disk, the Linux universal driver that came with the Linux distribution binds with the UNDI code of the PXE to form a Linux network driver.

### Windows Server 2003

The current version of Windows Server 2003 does not include the latest released network driver for the Broadcom Ethernet Controller. You can create a driver disk for the Broadcom Ethernet controller using files obtained from the support website. To perform remote installations with PXE, include a network driver for the Broadcom Ethernet controller as a part of the client's installation image on the server. Refer to Microsoft Article ID Q246184, "How to Add Third-Party OEM Network Adapters to RIS Installations." See also Troubleshooting for details.

### Windows 2000

The current version of Windows 2000 does not include a network driver for the Broadcom Ethernet controller. You can create a driver disk for the Broadcom Ethernet controller using files obtained from the support website. To perform remote installations with PXE, include a network driver for the Broadcom Ethernet controller as a part of the client's installation image on the server. Refer to Microsoft Article ID Q246184, "How to Add Third-Party OEM Network Adapters to RIS Installations." See also Troubleshooting for details.

### DOS UNDI/Intel APITEST

To boot in DOS mode and connect to a network for the DOS environment, download the Intel PXE PDK from the Intel website. This PXE PDK comes with a TFTP/ProxyDHCP/Boot server. The PXE PDK can be downloaded from Intel at http://www.intel.com/support/network/adapter/pro100/bootagent/30619.htm.

### Rembo Technology Auto-Deploy Server

For instructions on setting up Rembo Technology Auto-Deploy Server, refer to the Rembo Auto-Deploy Organizer at http://www.rembo.com.

### Windows NT 4.0 Remoteboot Server

For instructions on setting up Windows NT 4.0 Remoteboot Server, refer to Remoteboot (Chapter 15) from the Microsoft TechNet website.

Back to Contents Page