RIS problems from start to finish!!!

Hello all, two problems really.

I have just rebuilt my RIS and created a base install. It is just a member server so no DNS, DHCP, AD installed on this server.

The base install has been created and an image resides in the reminst folder with the .sif file from the how to posted by Dos_Box.

24 machines in total need imaging...

I start up 8 fine no problems, and then network boting fails on the rest, no response from DHCP.

Why does this happen? any ideas? i think it might be timing out but others respond almost straight away...

Eventually after about 10-15 minutes and constant reboots DHCP responds and I boot. I managed to get all machines booting and downloading the image (all the same).

When it comes to the mini-setup the unattended kicks in but on some machiens it says the user cannot add the machine to the domain, and on some it says the domain is unavailable, and on some i got a BSOD, around 5-6 machines finished and logged into the domain OK and were sitting at the login prompt.

Why do some fail and others finish OK when they are all the same machines and all us ethe same setup procedure? I don't know where to start first to resolve these issues?

Any ideas anyone?

That sounds remarkably like my recent experiences with RIS. Reimaging 50 machines, couldn't get more than 6 going at once.

I blame all the problems on lack of bandwidth due to my naff network (cat5 and hubs).
I ended up having to stagger the installs, booting 1 machine every 5 minutes. It worked but ended up taking the better part of 2 days. And people still don't believe me when I tell them the network is ludicrously outdated/overworked :roll:

It does indeed sound like network issues. Try to rule out any cr@p hardware - remove hubs en route to the workstations and the like. If possible, connect some test stations to the same switch as the RIS server whil testing it.

Also make sure you have an account that can join machines to the domain on an unlimited basis.

By default domain accounts can only add ten accounts. No renames allowed. Either domain admin or special OU permissions required.

It's probably best to remove this caperbility from Domain\Users and have only an RISers' group which can join to the domain.

Does this restriction stretch to the domain admins as well?

And does it reset after a period of time?

I went back in to finish off the room later that afternoon. Although the DHCP still took a while it did eventually hand out an offer and booted the machines (4 in total). Then I came in this morning to find that the machines had finished the installation and went right through to sitting at the login prompt with no problems.

One machine needed to be renamed as well (even though it had been pre-staged it was still picking up the wrong computername).

I to think that it must be a network issue as the machines closer to the server have no problem and to be honest i had this problem before, but it was never this bad!!

@HodgeHi: Do you have any hubs in place along the way or switches that might be on their way out? Dodgy cable runs could also be your cause (too long-a-run or Cat-5 parallel to mains, etc.).

There are quite a few switches, at least 3 since it is a seperate building from the servers, connected via a fibre link. All switches are hp 2512's apart from the switch in the cabinet in that room, 3com i think.

I am not sure exactly as i did not implement them but should not exceed the maximum length. It was installed by a profesional company.

when the RI has finished though the room is fine and works well. Dodgy cabling would surely affect this as well?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HodgeHi

I am not sure exactly as i did not implement them but should not exceed the maximum length. It was installed by a profesional company.

---

I've seen some terrible jobs done by 'prefessional' companies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HodgeHi

when the RI has finished though the room is fine and works well. Dodgy cabling would surely affect this as well?

---

Not necessarily... if the problem is a speed issue causing timeouts, it may not be apparant when in Windows. If you have any spare fibre cores, try swapping to those. Check also for problems on the switches (maybe STP is working overtime to prevent a broadcast storm).

Thanks for all the help. These forums are great for help...

It sounds silly and probably very dangerous but we don't manage the switches here so i do not know what they are doing. How would i determine what the switches are doing in order to stop the STP or indeed helpl the STP prevent the broadcast storm?

I'm just a hardware guy.

use ethereal, you'll probably see STP broadcasts if your switches have it enabled.

Quote:

---

I'm just a hardware guy.

---

Read the HP switch manual - its very good.

Just to confirm we have had 20+ machines rebuilding at the same time from the same RIS without a huge problem (Win 2000 Server). Thats using Domain Admin accounts to login to the ris from.

We have had 80 machines RIS at once, only in hols though. We have the odd one or 2 take ages but in general we have no problems.

At easter just gone we were imaging 40 machines in the morning and 40 on the afternnoon for 8 days constantly and still have over 200 to go.

The actual imaging part is normal in speed when compared to running the imaging process in the same block as the servers and baring in mind 25 machines from one HDD witha partiton. Its just the PXE booting that is taking the time around 5 - 10 minutes and stil not getting a DHCP offer.