[SCCM 2012] Forgetting Wired MAC Address?

[bmurphy]

We're using SCCM 2012 to image all our computers and have been since last summer. What we've found over time is that SCCM seems to "forget" the MAC address of the wired nic of laptops who only use wireless for connecting. Seems like it would be fine since it does update the computer's record with the wireless MAC address and software deployments work fine over wireless.

 

The trouble comes in when we want to reimage the computers using PXE and have to use the wired card. It doesn't work seemingly because SCCM doesn't recognize the MAC address. On the flip side, we have SCCM setup to "ask" if an unknown computer should be image (we have an optional deployment setup for unknown computers, so you have to hit F12 to get it to run on PXE boot) -- but the computers SCCM "forgets" don't ask to take the optional deployment. So in reality, SCCM isn't forgetting the wired MAC, it's just not using it. Any suggestions on how to get SCCM to keep the wired MAC address "active" without telling teachers to plug the laptops into the wired network periodically?

 

My techs and I have tried searching, but we're either using the wrong keywords or no one else is having the issue -- which I find hard to believe.

 

Thanks,

Bryan

Edited July 2, 2013 by bmurphy

[Harshad]

Does it create a new record for the computer and mark the old one as obsolete?

[bmurphy]

I don't believe that's what it's doing because shortly after imaging and for a while thereafter, we see both MAC addresses listed in the device's properties. To be sure, can you tell me how I find/see objects marked as obsolete?

 

[update] I found an Obsolete column in the Devices collection and there are a few (8) devices marked as obsolete, but the vast majority (about 1200) are not marked as obsolete.

Edited July 8, 2013 by bmurphy

[Harshad]

If you have a look under the Computer Management -> Collections -> All Systems, one of the columns says "Obsoleete". If it says "Yes" then that object no longer exists according to SCCM.

[Harshad]

The ones marked as obsolete... are they the ones with mac issues?

[bmurphy]

We just tried a couple of different laptops and they worked fine. Maybe the ones we've had trouble with have been marked as obsolete (the ones we just tried were not). If we come across the problem again, I'll post an update. Thanks for your assistance.

[jlcaron401]

Having a very similar issue....

Systems are only showing their wireless MAC several weeks after being imaged. Again this is not an issue until it comes time to re-image a machine.

I am having to actually delete my laptops from Config Manager then re-import them with the wired MAC again. I would prefer not to enable unknown computer support for PXE.

 

Any ideas on how to get SCCM to hold both the MAC's actively ?

[vertigox]

same issue here (with ConfigMgr 2007). The only way to avoid deleting the computer and readd with the wired mac is to boot Windows and force a Discovery Data Collection Cycle. After a few seconds, both MAC (wlan and wired) should be listed in client properties in ConfigMgr console.

[jlcaron401]

Thanks Vertigox,

 

That's what I'll end up doing until I find a better resolution... I don't understand why it holds the MAC under Resource Explorer but not under properties. When a system first completes imaging both MAC's are displayed under properties.

 

I have a second thread going here

 

SCCM 2012 Losing Wired Mac Address of Laptops