Media Directors wont install

[alphapenguin]

Hello all, first time linux user here,
 after 2 weeks of fiddling with installing, reinstalling, connecting, unconnecting, reconnecting... i still can not get any diskless media directors installed. I dont think it is my router/core having conflicts.
I have my
Cable Modem connected to a --> wireless router which is then connected to my --> Core/Hybrid on the "external network card" and then I have my "internal network card" connected to a ethernet switch which i have connected another comp, which is supposed to be the MD.

I've also disconnected the wireless router to see if that was the problem, and I dont think it is.  Whenever I connect a comp to the internal network and do a "network boot" (by switching my boot profile in my bios), my CORE does not automatically recognize anything. I would have thought that when the computer tries to access the DHCP server it would recognize something, but nada. I am thinking maybe it's the network booting not network booting, but I've tried it on my intended media director, I tried it on 2 different laptops (more current) that have network boot options.  Now I am spend. Not sure what else to do at the moment, so if anyone has any suggestions, please throw it my way.

Gratias Ago,
Alex
alphapenguin

[alphapenguin]

AFter further reading online, I think the issue may be that my NIC cards do not have PXE or what not. I will try getting a NIC with PXE capabilities.

[Zaerc]

One thing you could try is connecting the core and media director with a "cross-over" cable directly.  That should at least rule out any external DHCP interference.

What network cards are we talking about here?

[alphapenguin]

On my current attempt at a HTPC, i have a
NETGEAR FA311/312 PCI Adapter

THnaks,
Alex

ps I am currently looking in to bootable PXE solutions such as etherboot. Will post how that goes.

[totallymaxed]

On my current attempt at a HTPC, i have a
NETGEAR FA311/312 PCI Adapter

THnaks,
Alex

ps I am currently looking in to bootable PXE solutions such as etherboot. Will post how that goes.

Looks to me like you FA311/312 does not support PXE boot without the addition of a Boot ROM. See below for a possible supplier of these;

http://www.argontechnology.com/products.aspx?id=46

However it might be easier and less costly (thats just a guess on the cost front) to just buy a new NIC with PXE boot support on-board.

Andrew

[alphapenguin]

Thanks all for the responses
I ended up buying an IBM network card that has the PXE built in, and it worked fine. Well it was working fine. I had it dual booting Vista and PXEbooting LinuxMCE, but one day I dont remember what I did, and I rebooted directly to Windows or something. Since then I couldnt reboot into LinuxMCE. I removed the Media Director from the Core, and tried to reinstall it with the wizard, but nada. I was considering trying to install it manually, but I think I may just redo the whole core install.

I also just put together a new shuttle XPC comp AMD64x2. The mobo supports PXE booting, but I cant seem to get it to work right either. dunno what the whoah is... but alas, i will keep trying when I find the time. I thought I'd have my whole house all networked together by now.

The one good thing so far is I have the core running as a router, and it hasnt really quit on me yet, unlike the belkin/netgear etc routers that I have to reset every now and then.

Thanks again all,
Alex