Ghost Solution Suite

 View Only
Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

  • 1.  Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 24, 2007 10:34 AM
    I have an OptiPlex 745 that have a problem booting to XP when the image has been pushed to the client.
     
    * I start the machine with WoL and it boots fine with PXE. (I use the Symantec Universal 2.0 driver)
    * It then pushes the image to the computer which works fine.
    * When it restarts it boots to PXE instead of to XP. BUT if I shut the machine down during restart (push the power button) and then starts it a few seconds later it boots to XP as expected and the cloning process finishes ok.
     
    We have just started to use GSS 2.0.1 but I saw this earlier with GSS 1.1 (but as this machine is brand new I'm not sure it is the exact same problem but I believe it is). We have lots of SX280 and GX620 machines that don't experience this.
     
    To me this feels like a BIOS issue but DELL claims it's probably a problem with GSS and the fact that o745 is an all SATA machine with no PATA support (the SX280 and GX620 does also use SATA for the harddrive but might be using PATA for the DVD drive).


  • 2.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 25, 2007 02:40 AM
    Hi,

    It is difficult to think this is a compatibility issue, since there were many posts in this forum too from users who successfully image 745.

    Did you check the boot order in the BIOS? Is there any reason why you boot the machine to PXE? Assuming you use Console to do this, if the client is installed in the machine, it will create a Virtual Partition and boot to that. There is no reason to use PXE at all.

    If that's the case, could you change the boot order to boot from HD first?

    If not, please give us more details on how you perform this operation.

    Krish


  • 3.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 25, 2007 03:20 AM
    Hi Krish and thanks for your quick response!,
     
    I want to be able to boot with PXE when Windows don't run (or is unusable because of reasons like the svchost-problem) and I can't re-Ghost using the Console client. I guess I can try to start the job from the Windows client or from the Console with Windows running to see if there is a change but I don't really see this as a fix of the problem.
     
    The boot order is HD first and then everything else and if nothing else works use network and PXE. I also have the machine WoL active with boot to PXE if such request arrives.
     
    It is also very conveniant to be able to network boot the machines to PXE when and if I need to roll out a BIOS change. I know I could roll BIOS out other ways but it's usually pretty easy to have a PXE menu with BIOS change on it as well...
     
    Stefan Träskelin
     


  • 4.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 25, 2007 03:37 AM
    Hi,

    Thanks, I think now I understand the scenario better.

    Using PXE is certainly a effective way for such situations, and you are correct to use it. What I understand from your posts is, after imaging, it continues to boot to PXE though your boot order is set to HDD first, unless you cold boot the machine. Is that correct?

    I think you have set the BIOS WOL setting to Boot to PXE. So if the machine is unstable, you turn the machine off and send a WOL so that it will boot to PXE?

    What is your PXE image? Does it boot to DOS and run Ghost? So that you can image the machine manually? How do you image the machine in that case, and how do you restart it?

    Krish

    P.S. Using WOL to boot the machine to PXE when necessary (rather than setting first boot to PXE) and use Ghost is a very interesting process. I haven't seen anyone using it before, but it is very innovative.

    Message Edited by Krish Jayaratne on 05-25-200708:39 PM



  • 5.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 25, 2007 04:14 AM

    Hi Krish,

    Yes, this is the method. I've always used it this way instead of using boot disketts or boot cd's I've created a network boot disk with the DOS client. I have a PXE menu that comes up first which after 5 seconds defaults to booting the Ghost DOS client if I don't choose to boot a BIOS upgrade image (I have several different machins' BIOS upgrades in the list). With older machines this is a problem and because they can be set to start with WoL and also to network boot but not necessarily combinable, so in these cases I just boot them to PXE manually (fortunately these old machines are rare).

    I have been doing it this way for three years now, this is how I was taught to do. Prefer this method although I can start the job from the Windows client or from the console as well but starting it from the Windows client often proves to be a problem because it does not always work when I enter the password, although I'm 100% sure it is correct (this could be another thread but I haven't tried it with GSS2 yet so it might be sorted out).

    Stefan Träskelin



  • 6.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 26, 2007 03:42 AM
    Hi Stefan,

    I will check few things in this environment, but there is a possibility that 745 does not clear what ever the flag telling it to boot to PXE after WOL unless you do a cold boot. Ghost does not deal with this area at all.

    Once it boot to PXE from WOL, if you just press ctrl+alt+del, would it boot to Hard disk? Or does it boot to PXE again?

    Yes, please start another thread if you have issues in client initiated tasks, it will be clearer.

    Regards

    Krish


  • 7.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 26, 2007 02:52 PM
    Hi Krish,
     
    Thanks for the suggestion. I started to think about these things to so I tried them yesterday.
     
    If I press Ctrl-Alt-Del during PXE boot (from the time when the PXE message appears) or when PC DOS has started, it does reboot to PXE again. I ONCE had another result (booted to XP) when I, during a reboot, made a change in the BIOS settings, saved the new settings and rebooted but that was not repeatable. I tried to repeat that three or four times with no luck.
     
    What I think I should test next time is to boot via PXE to PC DOS and not do any thing else, second I could run a BIOS upgrade (or rather reinstall the current one as it is the latest).
    I could also try to downgrade to BIOS 2.1.0 to see if the error exists earlier.
    I will also install and try this on another OptiPlex 745.
     
    I also think there is an error in the BIOS but DELL (the swedish Business Support) denies this...
     
    Stefan Träskelin


  • 8.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 29, 2007 11:22 AM
    Update:
    Today I have tried this some more and the behaviour is consistent. I have tried this on another OptiPlex 745 with another BIOS version (the previous 2.1.0 which is the original on our machines). The behaviour are the same on both machines.
     
    More data as follows:
    If I only boot to PC DOS (no ghost process involved) via PXE boot and press Ctrl-Alt-Del the machine then boots to XP (=correct).
    If I start a clone process from the (Windows) client everything works ok.
    If I boot with PXE to the PC DOS Ghost client and then launch the clone process from the console everything works ok.
     
    If I start a clone process from the console with WoL with the machine shut down, it will boot to PXE when the image transfer is complete instead of booting to DOS.
    If the clone process fails and I start a new job from the console when the client has the Ghost DOS client loaded it also fails.
     
    S.


  • 9.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted May 30, 2007 04:17 AM
    Hi Stefan,

    It looks like this is the behavior of the BIOS. I just did a quick check with a Dell 745. I setup the machine in a similar manner, and used a utility to Wake the machine rather than using Ghost Console.

    It boots to PXE, and I tried restarting the machine in many ways (ctrl+alt+del at different places, and running reboot utilities with and without loading network drivers etc.) but till I power down the machine or boot to Windows, it always reboot to PXE. I am not sure where they keep the information (BIOS or in NIC) but could not find a way to reset it while in DOS.

    Krish


  • 10.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted Jun 05, 2007 06:47 AM
    Hi Krish,
     
    A few days have gone and I've been talking to DELL whom have decided to look into this matter.
     
    Does the DOS Ghost Client perform a warm or a cold boot? Could this solve the problem if, in case it is a warm reboot, we were able to do a cold one instead? I've seen DOS reboot apps on the net which says they can do either OR could the DOS client just skip the reboot part and let control back to autoexec.bat (to DOS) and have a third party app perform the reboot?


  • 11.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted Jun 06, 2007 03:33 AM
    Hi Stefan,

    I believe it is a Cold boot, but I will double check. For a warm boot (similar to alt+ctrl+del) you need to specifically write '1234' to a location, I don't think we do it.

    However, Cold boot is not going to solve the problem since I tried with different kinds of reboots (Cold/Warm and soft) but it did not make any difference.

    When you are running a task from Console, it is difficult to use another tool to reboot since reboot is an integral part of the process. Basically, we remove the VP (in your case this is not an issue since it is PXE) and activate the OS partition. If you are replacing reboot, you need to do all of them using command execution tasks. Other problem is client will not have time to send the success message to Consle and the task will be always marked as fail. All in all, it is possible but lot of work.

    If the method of rebooting makes any difference, let me know I will provide you more details.

    Krish


  • 12.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted Jun 15, 2007 05:17 AM
    Hi Krish,
     
    I got a call from DELL yesterday and they have now identified this as an error where some register(s) aren't cleared as supposed. This will escalate to the BIOS development team for correction and will be corrected in future releases.
     
    I must thank you a lot for your help and for Symantec being an authority in DELL's eyes. Without it I was just another small tennisball being hit at.
     


  • 13.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted Jun 15, 2007 05:35 AM
    Quick update. There is a new BIOS on DELL support now but I have not tested it yet. My feeling is that it is impossible to have included this fix already but I will try...


  • 14.  RE: Client reboots into PXE instead of XP

    Posted Jun 16, 2007 03:01 AM
    Thanks a lot for the update Stefan.

    Good Luck with the new BIOS :-)

    Krish