[mdt] Setup MDT and WDS but can't PXE

[abillybob]

Hi All

 

Hoping you can help me. I've setup and installed WDS & MDT and imported the "Litetouch.wim" files onto WDS boot folder. MDT is fully setup with a Windows image imported, drivers and a task sequence. WDS shows the server as being online with no problems!

 

I can't understand why I can't get this to work no computer will boot into it. Is there something I have to do with DHCP? Considering this is on it's own server the MDT doesn't run along side an installation of DHCP? As we also use a Cisco switch for other VLANs do I need to do something on this to make it work? There is routing between VLANs.

 

Thanks

[Davit2005]

Try adding the WDS servers IP address as an ip address helper on the vlans where the clients are.

[sted]

if you have vlans i think there is work that needs to be done with ip helpers to make pxe booting work yes. ts alos worth looking at option 60/66 sometimes they need setting (usually not)

[abillybob]

How do I do this? Sorry all very new to it!

[Davit2005]

Look for IP helper addresses on the Switch doing your routing i.e. your core switch. I'm not terribly sure how this is done on Cisco but in HP cli it is simply

ip helper-address [iP OF SERVER]

 

I would of thought there should be existing entries for you existing DHCP servers in there somewhere jus add the IP address of WDS server to the list :-) .

[abillybob]

Ok so far I've done the following:

 

Added two IP address helpers one being a Windows DHCP server on the same subnet as the WDS server and also added another IP helper of the WDS server itself. I then tested it and nothing still can't boot from PXE.

 

Then I read online I have to add Option 66 and 67 to the DHCP server of which I've done using the WDS server's host name and this string boot\x64\wdsnbp.com

 

Is this correct because it still can't boot

 

EDIT: I should also mention our switch does the dhcp for every VLAN apart from the VLAN the WDS server resides on also as a Windows Domain Controller does this VLAN.

Edited June 11, 2018 by abillybob

[SHimmer45]

+1 to what @sted says about DHCP options as both DHCP and WDS listen on the same port numbers so the options change what WDS listens on.

[abillybob]

+1 to what @sted says about DHCP options as both DHCP and WDS listen on the same port numbers so the options change what WDS listens on.

 

I don't have any option 60 on my DHCP server only 66 and 67 which are both configured? I'm presuming it's because option 60 is only to be configured if DHCP and PXE are running on the same server? Correct me if I'm wrong

[SHimmer45]

have you used something like wireshark to see if the machines you are trying to boot WDS from are actually able to reach the server.

would there be a way to boot a client so that the DHCP server and the WDS & MDT are all on the same Switch / VLAN

Edited June 11, 2018 by SHimmer45

[abillybob]

have you used something like wireshark to see if the machines you are trying to boot WDS from are actually able to reach the server.

would there be a way to boot a client so that the DHCP server and the WDS & MDT are all on the same Switch / VLAN

I'll give that a go and put a client computer on that same vlan and see what happens. I shall report back thanks for all your help everybody

[abillybob]

Hello all so just tried to boot via PXE but still no avail even in the same VLAN!

[Katy]

Hello all so just tried to boot via PXE but still no avail even in the same VLAN!

 

What happens when you try? Any errors? (If you're using legacy network boot rather than UEFI based you'll hopefully get error codes to say what's wrong)

 

Make sure binlsvc service is running on the server (can't remember it's display name but you can net start binlsvc, this is the TFTP service that it uses to copy the boot files to the client's memory)

 

Also double check properties on the server in WDS console is set to respond to clients on (I think) the PXE tab. Think the default is for it not to.

[abillybob]

No errors it just searches for DHCP and then fails.

 

I can't find any binlsvc in services? Should this definitely be there?

 

Already done the WDS server has been set to respond to all client requests.

[sted]

is the wds server on the same server as dhcp?

[abillybob]

is the wds server on the same server as dhcp?

 

Nope separate server

[sted]

Nope separate server

 

theres a box on wds you have to check if they are on the same server otherwise it wont work

[Steve21]

On a random client on the same vlan, install a tftp client (there's one in program/features if you cba downloading one) and run:

 

tftp -1 "server" GET \boot\x64\wdsnbp.com

 

and see what it returns

 

Steve

[abillybob]

On a random client on the same vlan, install a tftp client (there's one in program/features if you cba downloading one) and run:

 

tftp -1 "server" GET \boot\x64\wdsnbp.com

 

and see what it returns

 

Steve

That didn't return anything instead it just told me all the commands I could use for tftp so I did

 

tftp -i "server" GET \boot\x64\wdsnbp.com 

 

instead which says "Timeout occurred" and "Connect request failed"

[Steve21]

Then the tftp part of WDS isn't even working before the DHCP is taken into account. You sorted things like firewall on the server? (And that was a client on the same VLAN right?)

 

Run the same command but on the server using "localhost" instead of "server" and see what it does.

 

If you run

netstat -abn

what's it show as listening on?

 

Steve

[abillybob]

I get a "Transfer Successful" when I use local host on the server itself?

 

If I run the netstat command there's A LOT of entries. What are we looking for? There's quite a lot of WDS entries if that helps?

[Steve21]

netstat -abno | findstr :67
netstat -abno | findstr :69

 

Would shorten it down to those 2 you want probably.

 

Once it lists them, on the right should be the PID, and check that in task-manager for the process (with command line arguements turned on) and make sure it is -wdsserver it's running against

 

Steve

[abillybob]

Ok done that the PID 6744 relates to svchost oh which you can see above WDS does seem to run in so I think that's ok? The other PID is Java but I'm presuming that's for the Unifi Controller in someway or another.

 

[Steve21]

That's fine as it's finding the 67 string in the 67XX ones

 

In regards to the svchost you can add the commandline column to confirm:

 

 

As long as that's showing -wdsserver and you are connecting fine locally, that should be fine on the server setup (tftp wise). Firewall wise do you have it on/firewall rules in place etc?

 

Steve

[abillybob]

Yup says WDSServer

 

I haven't added any extra firewall rules to allow anything through, it's only Windows Firewall. When I turn off Windows Firewall completely it doesn't make any difference to running the

 

[color=#333333]tftp -i "server" GET \boot\x64\wdsnbp.com

 

On the client machine?

 

[/color]

[Katy]

One thought if you're running the Unifi controller on the same host - the Unifi controller probably runs a TFTP server to push out firmware updates so that could be causing the problem, what happens if you disable the Unifi controller then restart the WDS service? At least just to rule it out if anything.