Downsides to passing tftp server via 2003 DHCP server?

[pete]

As more of my machines are netbootable, I'm tempted to ghost via netbooting - passing the tftp server and default image via my 2003 dhcp box.

Machines that can netboot for ghosting will take longer to boot as they wait to see whether they're allowed an image or not.

If I was doing this in Linux, I'd add MAC - IP allocations in dhcpd.conf and specify a boot image (or not - hashed out) depending on whether I wanted a machine to netboot and re-ghost.

Under the windows tftp server I'm looking at (PumpKIN), I can set an allow/deny read access by IP address, so I'd have to set dhcp reservations for each machine. I'm thinking of setting up room-by-room scopes in dhcp, that way I can set a tftp server for the rooms that need ghosting (at a particular time) and leave the rest alone.

Does this look OK and / or is there a better way?

[CyberNerd]

sounds good, We're doing this for netbooting thin clients - using a linux tftp server and MS DHCP. Set the individual rooms to give different ip ranges (helps identify rogue machines more easily if you can see what room its in by looking at the IP). This way its pretty easy to give different images to different machines. I find the MS DHCP config to be painful.and would like to move to a linux based soon.

[CyberNerd]

? question -
Can MS DHCP changes be scripted, I know its easy in bash - but for example could you get all the machines to reboot nightly, boot into ghost and reimage themselves ?

[pete]

Originally Posted by CyberNerd

? question -
Can MS DHCP changes be scripted, I know its easy in bash - but for example could you get all the machines to reboot nightly, boot into ghost and reimage themselves ?

pass, I prefer dhcpd for the obvious reasons. I use w32 dhcp because it's currently installed. You'd have to:

a) Identify machine
b) offer the netboot image and check it got the image ok
b) check they got the ghost ok
d) Once a) b) and c) were successful, prevent them restarting the process.

I have to work out d) at the moment, so tonight will be spent reading up on windows dhcp server. (and what it can do that a nix box can't, if anything ).

[ChrisH]

You can script DHCP changes using the netsh command. To see what I mean do a backup from the DHCP console and open the file. It will be in a netsh compatible file and you use netsh to restore it.
You can also give certain clients a class using the ipconfig /setclassid command with this I believe you can give theses clients different options or maybe a different scope with options etc.

[CyberNerd]

sweet, hopefully I'll have some time in the summer to try this - I'd like to see all our pc's boot into a beowulf cluster at night and turn into a supercomputer. I'll probably need those spare cpu cycles for world domination. mwahahaha

[CyberNerd]

Downsides to passing tftp server via 2003 DHCP server?

RIS - I guess with the fact that your using ghost to image means you probably aren't using RIS, however RIS does screw with tftp slightly.
It's possible to geta round it with some ADSI editing, infact its even possible to use a RIS server to deploy the bootrom. You'll need to prestage the accounts in AD and as usual the MS solution is more complicated than straight dhcpd/tftpd.
http://thinstation.sourceforge.net/w...p/ThHowto-msre

[Ric_]

I use TFTPD32 (a free server) on Windows to boot my Thinclient machines. I use the Windwos Server 2003 DHCP server to dish out the settings. All works well and without issue. RIS also still works fine.

I used to use Solarwinds TFTP Server which was faster boot was prone to crashing regularly.

With Ghost you can use the 3COM tools that are bundled. There is a TFTP server and it modifies RIS for you IIRC so that you get the option when you boot.