WDS + HP's BIOS Replicate Settings Tool = Duplicate UUID in WDS

[pete]

• Take 5 HP 8200 series desktops.
• Set one up correctly in BIOS, save config to USB stick.
• Load config on other 4.
• Netboot them all, so they're waiting for approval in WDS
• Name + Approve the first one.
• Watch as all 5 machines pxe boot successfully, despite just naming and approving the first one.
• Notice in WDS console that machines 2-5 have the same UUID
• Open BIOS on a couple of them, look in Security > System IDs
• Notice UUID (which should be read-only and not changeable) has been copied from first machine to the rest).

Swear at HP.

[pete]

Original UUID

UUID-Original.jpg

UUID after replicating settings

UUID-AfterRestore.jpg

Second machine with same UUID

UUID-secondmachine.jpg

[pete]

And the fix (for the 8200 series at least) is to press CTRL-A once in the BIOS to enable editing of things that don't look editable.