WDS Server dishing out duplicate station names

[Andi]

Our WDS server is set to automatically name the stations with the following format:

ws%mac%#

 

This should name the PCs ws[mac address][incremental number]

 

However, we're getting the odd machine being given an existing station name, now surely all the stations should have different MAC addresses, and even in the case that they'd been forced (these haven't - straight out of the box) WDS should assign an incremental number after the MAC. Anyone seen this before or have any thoughts?

[Andi]

Update:

it appears that the station names being created aren't exactly following the pattern set in WDS. They are getting the ws section, then adding the beginning part of the GUID, then the incremental number.

[Andi]

Update: This only seems to be a problem when the %mac variable is in the WDS server properties.

 

Does anyone else use this variable in their setup?

[Andi]

No one else then?

[Geoff]

The only think that comes up on Google about this is this thread

[Andi]

I know, that was quite a shock to say the least. I started this thread, then googled the problem and found myself!

 

Oh well, I'll have to start thinking of solutions myself

[PiqueABoo]

Is that true for all workstations or just some? It's not something irritating like case-sensitivity is it? Does specifying width&padding for the number make any difference?

 

No one else then?

 

Well I wouldn't - it's not exactly easy to type "ping ws005056e28cfc27", convey the name via a phone etc.

 

(I'm assuming that's the kind of name it is supposed to make)

[Andi]

It isn't happening to PCs since I stopped using the %mac variable as a test. The network manager wanted to make the station names reasonably anonymous so that it wasn't obvious which were teacher station, admin station etc if anyone managed to do anything naughty on the network, which is why we started using the variable in the first place. Yes it does make the station names a pain to convey, but that's kind of the point.

 

I can't see it being a case sensitive issue as I'm not prestaging the PCs, they're being auto-created.

 

I think I'll just start using ws00000001 etc.