Checkpoint: netboot debug state before model swap

docs/PLAN.md

@@ -58,6 +58,54 @@ Fully unattended network reimage, no per-node physical access:
 - UniFi MFA blocks API access; DHCP reservations deferred — mDNS
   (`planck0NN.local`) works across subnets today.
 
+## Current debug state (paused here, swap to stronger model)
+
+First live test on planck020 (EEPROM install-mode staged, works — confirmed
+via `vcgencmd bootloader_config` showing BOOT_ORDER=0xf142, TFTP_IP,
+TFTP_PREFIX=1):
+
+- **TFTP chain works**: bootloader + firmware fetch firmware, config.txt,
+  cmdline.txt, kernel8.img, and the initramfs (`initramfs8` via
+  `auto_initramfs=1` — the explicit `initramfs <file> followkernel` syntax
+  did NOT work on this bootloader; use auto_initramfs + file named
+  `initramfs8`). All transfers show DONE on the Synology TFTP server
+  (`journalctl -u planck-tftp`). "STALLED" log lines are harmless — they're
+  duplicate/speculative client sessions that never get ACKed.
+- **Custom TFTP server gotcha**: firmware requires `tsize` in the OACK —
+  without it transfers stall. Fixed in
+  `configs/planck-tftp-server.py` (deployed version on Synology is current).
+- **Kernel boots** (node pings ~25s after reboot with a DHCP-assigned IP —
+  init reached DHCP), but **no HTTP requests ever arrive** at the
+  planck-netboot helper (no `/events/` GETs, no template GET, journal
+  always empty). Then the node reboots into the OLD OS (~2-3 min cycle).
+  So initramfs `/init` is either crashing before/inside wget, or HTTP egress
+  from the initramfs fails silently, and the test-mode `poweroff -f` acts
+  like a reboot (node returns on old OS — actually likely USB fallback after
+  a failed netboot pass).
+- planck020 EEPROM is still in install-mode; every reboot retries netboot
+  then falls back to old OS. To restore it: stage revert via
+  `rpi-eeprom-config --config revert.boot.conf` flow from the old OS (see
+  EEPROM configs in git history / regenerate from
+  `/lib/firmware/raspberrypi/bootloader/stable/pieeprom-2023-01-11.bin`).
+
+### Next steps for whoever continues
+
+1. Get console visibility on the netbooted node: add per-log-line HTTP
+   reporting in `configs/installer-init.sh` (each `log()` also does
+   `wget -q -O /dev/null "$HTTP/events/<serial>-<msg>"` once DHCP is up),
+   plus flush a tmpfs log file after DHCP. Alternatively boot with
+   `console=serial0,115200` and attach a USB-serial cable to planck020.
+2. Suspects for the silent init death: busybox `wget` HTTP behavior in
+   initramfs (try `wget -O-` verbose, test with numeric IP + port 8000 —
+   verified reachable from other nodes), or udhcpc script path issues.
+   Consider testing initramfs content standalone (gunzip + cpio listing).
+3. Template tarball + all services are already on the Synology
+   (`/volume1/plancknetboot/`): rootfs.tar (sha256 e37837bee03ae2b3...),
+   tftp/ (firmware, initramfs8, auto_initramfs config), HTTP helper :8000,
+   TFTP :69. Credentials for Synology SSH are session-only (not stored).
+4. Once one node completes end-to-end, the rest is a loop: stage
+   install-mode EEPROM per node + reboot (script this in `scripts/`).
+
 ## Phases
 
 - [x] Phase 0 — Access + inventory (SSH keys on all 20, docs/)