Intel(R) Boot Agent Release Notes
December 20, 2006
======================================================================

DISCLAIMER:
-----------

This BOOTAGNT.TXT as well as the software described in it is furnished under
license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the
license. The information in this manual is furnished for informational
use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed
as a commitment by Intel Corporation. Intel Corporation assumes no
responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear
in this document or any software that may be provided in association with
this document.

Except as permitted by such license, no part of this document may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means without the express written consent of Intel Corporation.

Introduction
------------

The Intel Boot Agent is a software product that allows your networked
client computer to boot using a program code image supplied by a remote 
server. PC vendors can implement the Intel Boot Agent to accommodate 
various environments and protocols. 

Implementation support for the Boot Agent includes:

- PCI Option ROM (Read Only Memory) code designed for remote booting using
  Fast Ethernet, Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet Adapters, as well as 
  LAN on Motherboard (LOM) implementations

- Complies with the Pre-boot eXecution Environment (PXE) Version 2.1.

- Some versions of the Boot Agent also include support for the Remote
  Program Load (RPL) bootstrap protocol


Some important features offered by the Intel Boot Agent are:

- Same user interface for all supported adapters

- Compliant with the Wired for Management Baseline 2.0 (WfM 2.0)
  specification

- Compatible with legacy boot agent environments that use the BOOTP
  protocol

- Customizable in pre-boot, Windows*, and DOS environments

For more detailed information, refer to the Intel Boot Agent online 
user's guide.


Installing the Boot Agent Software
----------------------------------

Most Intel WfM-compatible adapters, such as the Intel PRO/100 S
Desktop Adapter or the Intel PRO/1000 T Desktop Adapter, have a
factory-installed, integrated flash ROM device that has been
pre-programmed with a Boot Agent software image. However, you may
still wish to configure the Boot Agent Software. To do so, see the
Intel Boot Agent online user guide.

NOTE: The Intel PRO/1000 XT Server Adapter flash ROM can be enabled if
      needed using the IBAUTIL utility.

In the event that you wish to install flash ROM in an adapter that has
an empty socket (Intel PRO/100 adapters only), access the list of
compatible flash ROM devices that are compatible with the Intel Boot
Agent from Intel's support website as follows:

1. Access Intel Customer Support's website at http://support.intel.com.

2. Click the Search button.

3. Enter Boot Agent as your search string, and indicate that you want
   to search through all types of documents.

4. Click "Intel Boot Agent - Top Technical Issues" to select the Boot
   Agent Home page.

5. Click "How do I get a Boot ROM for the Intel PRO/100B or PRO/100+
   adapters that only come with a socket?"

In cases involving hardware upgrades, once a flash ROM device is
available within the client computer, a valid Boot Agent software
image must be installed onto the flash ROM device. The way in which
the Boot Agent software image is installed within the flash ROM depends
upon your hardware configuration.

- If your computer includes the network adapter on its motherboard,
  the Boot Agent software will need to be available as part of a
  motherboard BIOS. Contact your computer or motherboard manufacturer
  to upgrade your motherboard BIOS code. Alternatively, it is possible
  that the motherboard has a ROM socket with a 64 KB (or larger) flash
  ROM device. In this case, contact the motherboard manufacturer to get
  the code that must be loaded into the flash ROM.

- If your computer uses a flash ROM-equipped adapter, use one of the
  following procedures to install or update the Boot Agent software:

  - Installing/Updating the Boot Agent in DOS Environments

  - Updating the Boot Agent in Windows Environments


Installing/Updating the Boot Agent in DOS Environments
------------------------------------------------------

Perform the following steps to install the Boot Agent software in a
DOS environment:

1. The following operation requires use of a DOS-bootable floppy disk
   containing a copy of the IBAUTIL.EXE utility. If you do not have 
   IBAUTIL.EXE on your DOS bootable floppy disk, copy it to your
   system disk from the CD ROM that came with your product under the
   \APPS\BOOTAGNT directory, or acquire the most up-to-date version from
   Intel's website at http://support.intel.com.

2. Using your DOS bootable floppy disk, boot your computer to a DOS
   prompt.

CAUTION: The update process requires that your computer be booted
         only to DOS, and not run from a Windows "DOS box". Updating
         cannot be performed from a DOS Command Prompt window or using a 
         DOS task within Windows. 

NOTE: If the flash ROM device installed in the adapter ROM socket is
      already programmed (not blank), you may need to take steps to enable
      your computer to boot from the floppy drive. If necessary, disable the
      network boot function from either the BIOS Setup program or the Boot
      Agent's configuration setup menu. Then, reboot to the DOS bootable
      floppy disk containing the IBAUTIL utility that you just prepared.

3. Run the IBAUTIL utility. If you have a single adapter in your system, type

      IBAUTIL -UP

   and press Enter to select the NIC for updating.

   If you have multiple adapters in your system, type
 
      IBAUTIL

   and press Enter. A display similar to the following appears, showing a 
   list of all compatible network adapters found in your system.

      INTEL (R) BOOT Agent utility.
      IBAUTIL VERSION vx.xx.XX.XX 
      Copyright (C) 2002 - 2006  Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
   
      NIC Network Address   Series   WOL  Boot ROM Type  Version 
      === ================= ======   ===  =============  =======
       1    00D0B7D36018    Gigabit  Yes  PXE/RPL         1.2.31
       2    000347003E35    10/100   Yes  RPL             4.1.19
       
      ERROR: No NIC selected

   Select the NIC you want to update by typing

      IBAUTIL -UP -NIC=x

   and pressing Enter. The value x selects the NIC from the displayed list. 
   In this example, valid values for x are 1 or 2. Alternatively, the
   parameter -ALL can be used to select all supported adapters.

4. For each adapter selected above, IBAUTIL offers to create an optional 
   restore image containing the current contents of the flash. This image
   can later be programmed back into the adapter if necessary. Type Y to 
   create the image or N to skip making the backup. If you select to make 
   the backup file, it will be created in the current directory with a 
   name of the form 8086XXXX.IBA, where XXXX is the PCI device ID of the 
   selected adapter. If the file already exists, you will be prompted 
   whether or not to overwrite the file with the new backup image. If you 
   choose not to overwrite the file, the update is cancelled.

   If you choose not to make a backup image, IBAUTIL will ask you to
   confirm your choice to proceed. Again, type Y to continue without making
   a backup image or N to cancel the update.

5. The new Boot Agent image is then written into the flash ROM device on 
   each selected adapter. The process may take up to one minute. While the 
   flash is being programmed, a message similar to the following is displayed, 
   along with a progress indicator:

      Programming FLASH on NIC XX with the following images: PXE

6. The updated flash image will be available for use after you reboot the 
   system. See IBAUTIL.TXT for additional information on the IBAUTIL program.


Updating the Boot Agent in Windows Environments
-----------------------------------------------

For instructions on updating the Boot Agent in a Windows environment,
refer to the online Intel Boot Agent User's Guide.


Configuration Setup
-------------------

The Intel Boot Agent software provides configuration options that
allow you to customize the behavior of the Boot Agent software.
Changing the Boot Agent configuration will usually be required only
the first time you add a new network adapter to a client computer
within your network.

The Boot Agent supports configuration in pre-boot, Windows, and DOS 
environments. In each of these environments, a single user interface
allows you to configure the Boot Agent.

For instructions on configuring the Boot Agent for the desired
environment, refer to the following sections within the Intel Boot
Agent User's Guide:

- Configuring the Boot Agent in a Pre-Boot Environment

- Configuring the Boot Agent in a Windows Environment

- Configuring the Boot Agent in a DOS Environment


Auxiliary DOS Utilities
-----------------------

Intel provides utilities for installing and configuring the Boot Agent 
using the DOS environment. These utilities include:

- The IBAUTIL utility backs up the current flash ROM image to a file and
copies a new Boot Agent image file into the flash ROM using a
simplified, menu-based user interface.

The above utilities are available on Intel Customer Support's web
site. These utilities are also located on the CD-ROM in the directory:

   \APPS\BOOTAGNT

For additional information about using these utilities, refer to the
Auxiliary DOS Utilities section of the Intel Boot Agent User's
Guide.

NOTE: These utilities should be run from a DOS startup disk and not
      from within Windows. Operation when Windows is loaded may be
      unreliable.

CAUTION: If you use a third-party (non-Intel) boot ROM solution with
         an Intel adapter and run Intel Boot Agent utilities, you may 
         corrupt the contents of your flash ROM, rendering it useless.


Troubleshooting
---------------

Once installed, the Boot Agent product has very few potential areas
where problems can arise. For a list of potential problems that you
might encounter while using the Boot Agent, as well as corrective
actions, refer to the Troubleshooting Procedures section of the
Intel Boot Agent User's Guide.


Copyright (c) 2003-2006 Intel Corporation
All rights reserved.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
---End of BOOTAGNT.TXT---
