Deployment and Imaging Group

Does anyone know how to force my clients when they PXE boot to go to my site server? For some reason they always attach to my NS and thus pull an image down from the NS, not my site server.

Ive gone ahead and added all machines (excluding NS, and site servers) to report to my site server for task, however, clients PXE booting still latch onto my NS as the task server. Thoughts?

In DS 7.5 the Task Server and NBS (aka PXE server) has little to do where images are saved or retrieved. Instead, images are handled like packages even if they are Back-up images, although only “Disk Images” are replicated to other package servers. Therefore the key is where and how you have implemented package servers.

If you have installed a Package Server on a computer other than on the Notification Sever, your images will be stored on that package server, and not necessarily to the Task Server you are assigned to (unless they happen to be the same computer). If you have not installed a package server, then all images will be stored on the Notification Server even if you have a Task server installed on a different Site server.

The package server to which the image is stored or retrieved is based off the following general rules:

The filtered list of Package Servers is compiled as follows (in the order of preference) and then an image is either created or retrieved:

• If a client has been manually assigned to a Package Server, select it and exclude all other Package Servers.

Note: If a Back-Up image is being recreated, the image will be saved on the same Package Server it was originally created on, even if the client has been manually reassigned to a different Package Server.

• All Package Servers running the Linux OS are removed from the list of available Package Servers.
• The Subnet IP address is used to try and find the closest Package Server.
• All Package Servers not running the Deployment Package Server plug-in are removed from the list.
• If a Package Server is running IIS, select it and exclude all other Package Servers.
• If a Package Server is installed on a server class OS, select it and exclude all other Package Servers.

Using the list of Package Servers, the client attempts to connect to the first server in the list. If a connection is successful, that Package Server is used to store or retrieve the image. If the connection fails, the client attempts to connect to the second Package Server in the list. This process is continued until a successful connection is made (or the imaging task fails.)

If you go to site servers settings and check the server that isn't working as expected, you have the task service, package service and network boot service components installed and their status is "OK"?

Assuming you do an AD import from your sites and services, have you confirmed the subnet information is correct and that the Site Name where it is located sees the Site server tied to it?

Also you aren't using forced mode options in DHCP or an IP helper that may be overriding it right? Make sure the Symantec network boot services are set to Automatic/Running.