Strictly speaking, Cobalt does not use TFTP but NFS to boot. You need to install an NFS server and put the installer files in /nfsroot. When you boot your Cobalt, you have to press the left and the right cursor buttons at the same time and the machine will boot via the network from NFS. It will then display several options on the display. There are the following two installation methods: Via SSH (default): In this case, the installer will configure the network via DHCP and start an SSH server. It will then display a random password and other login information (such as the IP address) on the Cobalt LCD. When you connect to the machine with an SSH client you can start with the installation. Via serial console: Using a null modem cable, you can connect to the serial port of your Cobalt machine (using 115200 bps) and perform the installation this way. This option is not available on Qube 2700 (Qube1) machines since they have no serial port. On the Broadcom BCM91250A and BCM91480B evaluation boards, you have to load the SiByl boot loader via TFTP which will then load and start the Debian installer. In most cases, you will first obtain an IP address via DHCP but it is also possible to configure a static address. In order to use DHCP, you can enter the following command on the CFE prompt: ifconfig eth0 -auto Once you have obtained an IP address, you can load SiByl with the following command: boot 192.168.1.1:/boot/sibyl You need to substitute the IP address listed in this example with either the name or the IP address of your TFTP server. Once you issue this command, the installer will be loaded automatically. You cannot pass any boot parameters directly. Instead, you have to edit the /nfsroot/default.colo file on the NFS server and add your parameters to the args variable. You cannot pass any boot parameters directly from the CFE prompt. Instead, you have to edit the /boot/sibyl.conf file on the TFTP server and add your parameters to the extra_args variable.