[Dnsmasq-discuss] Add an option to enable pxe without pxe-prompt or pxe-service?

[Geert Stappers]

On Tue, May 23, 2023 at 12:24:18PM +0200, deliciouslytyped at nablambda.systems wrote:
> Hi folks,
> 
> Would it make sense to have an option to explicitly enable PXE without
> having to use or enabling pxe-prompt or pxe-service?
 
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> I'd like the following to work, and then it would end up being a
> minimal command for PXE booting using proxyDHCP, without having to do
> seemingly arbitrary / unnecessary things (which by their arbitraryness
> are non-intuitive):
> 
>   dnsmasq -d --bind-interface --port=0 -l leases \
>     --dhcp-range=192.168.101.1,proxy --enable-tftp \
>     --tftp-root="$(realpath ./files)" \
>     --dhcp-boot=pxelinux.0
> 
> Currently what the command actually needs to be is:
> 
>   dnsmasq -d --bind-interface --port=0 -l leases \
>     --dhcp-range=192.168.101.1,proxy --enable-tftp \
>     --tftp-root="$(realpath ./files)" \
>     --pxe-service=254,dummy --dhcp-boot=pxelinux.0,,192.168.101.1
> 
> ... issue is is that (proxy dhcp) pxe mode is only enabled if pxe-prompt
> or pxe-service is passed.

Yeah, I also have found out that the hard way. My way to live with it,
is having the option set in my /etc/dnsmasq.conf

> Also, shouldn't proxy mode enable it?

It feels wrong that changing `dhcp-range=<begin>,<end>` into
`dhcp-range=<begin>,proxy` implies opening port 4011.


> I'm not sure a --enable-pxe option makes much sense for proxy mode,
 
Idea:  When you are beyond the doubt about it, make an improvement on
the dnsmasq manual page.


Groeten
Geert Stappers


P.S.
> dnsmasq seems to pass pxe prompt suboptions (IIRC) 6 and 10 even when
> pxe-prompt isnt set / suboption 9 isn't sent (i.e. pxe-prompt isnt set,
> I think).

Raise that in a separate thread
-- 
Silence is hard to parse