pxe/nfs boot random failures

[Jimmy Stewpot]

Hello,

I am currently using some IBM 3850 M2 servers that we have booting from 
PXE to do NFS root stuff like updating firmware etc prior to getting the 
system installed with an operating system.

Some of these servers install fine and other servers with identical 
configurations fail to install. In each case when it fails to start it 
gets to the following point

[ 274.004114] NET: Registered protocol family 17
IP-Config: eth0 hardware address 00:21:5e:36:21:c8 mtu 1500 DHCP RARP
[ 274.095943] bnx2: eth0: using MSI

After that it just hangs. I have checked the network and there are no 
request for DHCP or RARP so it appears to be a bug in the ipconfig that 
is included in the initrd images for Hardy, intrepid or Jaunty. This bug 
has been persistent for some time and I've been unable to narrow it down 
to anything specific. I have found other users with debian having 
similar problems specifically around broadcom network cards and FAI. 
however they appear to have no solution either.

has anyone had this type of problem in the past with other platforms and 
over come it? Any advice would be warmly received.

Regards,

Jimmy.