[wds] Can't approve pending devices!

[toffee_paul]

I have a very strange issue with WDS whereby I can't approve pending devices! It's driving me insane.

 

Previous set up:

- Server 1 (2012 R2) : ADDS, DHCP, WDS

 

This worked perfectly fine and I could PXE boot BIOS and UEFI (using DHCP options)

 

Current set up:

- Server 1: ADDS, DHCP, WDS (service disabled)

- Server 2: (2019): WDS

 

When I install the WDS on Server 2 (in Standalone mode, same mode WDS was using under previous set up) I can't approve any pending devices and get this weird "Element not found" error message. Also tried running the wdsutil /Approve-PendingDevices /requestid:{ALL} command but get "Error code: 0xC104010B. Error description: An invalid request ID {ALL} was specified. Also tried with /requestid:{1} but get the same error code.

 

WDS settings used:

• PXE Response: Respond to all client computers (known and unknown) - Require admin approval for unknown computers is ticked.
  
• Boot: Known/unknow clients: Continue the PXE boot unless the user presses the ESC key
  
• DHCP: Do not listen on DHCP ports - unchecked, Configure DHCP options to indicate that this is also a PXE server - unchecked
  
• TFTP: Maximum Block Size: 0, Enable Variable Window Extension - unchecked
  
• Rest are as defaults
  

 

 

I've found that if I untick 'Require admin approval for unknown computers' the devices skip the pending stage and will image fine but I need to be able to retain control of which devices can receive an image through PXE.

 

Server 2 is domain joined member server only with just the WDS role installed. DHCP remains on Server 1. I'm logged into Server 2 with admin rights.

 

Just can't see what is causing this, any ideas?

 

[indyjones]

Hello toffee_paul, Hello together,

sorry to write into this old thread, but i ran into exact the same problem with our WDS server, which you posted here on 6th March 2021, 04:00 PM (found the thread with google).

Unfortunately there is no solution here in the thread and i didn't find the same problem anywhere else. Did you ever find a solution to this?

Any help would be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks,

indyjones

[creeed]

I was curious if either of you ever found a solution to this. The exact same thing is happening to me now since upgrading to a new WDS server on 2022 from 2016. Driving me nuts!