Appears to be a NIC driver issue.  You may need to find the drivers for these new machines and place them in your automation environment. 

I just created an image from a 760. I had to add the NIC driver from Dell to my boot disk before it would connect.

I am glad you brought this issue up on Symantec Connect.   This is a known issue at Dell.   Here's what you do:

Go here and download the drivers for your particular Optiplex models:  support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx

Add the respective ethernet driver, and you will want to create different images for each of the different models.  Then you should be good.

Depending on how you do your imaging, it's just a matter of updating your images (if you are doing HII images), otherwise, yes, you would need to create new images for the new models, but that is another topic.

Ok awesome so it's a NIC issue. Here are a few more questions I have though.

I went to the Dell site and downloaded the driver. The problem is that it is an .exe file and wants to install it. I choose to extract the files but not run the driver installation. There are serveral folders that extracted. Im assuming I need a file out of either the x64 or x32 folder. I have no idea which file to choose. When I attempt to add a file to the Altiris driver list, it is asking me for a .ko file. There are no .ko files in the extracted files from the download I got from Dell. Do any of you know which file(s) I need to add to the NIC driver list in Altiris?

Sorry for being a newb but I have never messed with this type of thing before.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Where exactly are you trying to add the driver?

From your first post, it looks like you're using Linux Preboot?  You may need to compile the driver if Dell doesn't have one already compiled. Are you booting from PXE, embedded partition, or removable media?

When downloading from Dell's website, you will need to ensure that you choose the correct operating system.  Make sure you choose the Linux operating system if you want to install it for the Linux Preboot environment. 

Got alot of great feed back. Thanks so much guys!

These questions you are asking are telling me I need to define my issue a bit more clearly. Here goes:

I'm using the Altiris PXE Configuration Utility V6.8 installed on a Windows 2003 server which is also where the images are uploaded and deployed from. We are using Linux Pre-boot for all of our imaging.

We have created multiple images that work on all previous Dell machines with no issues using the E1000.KO NIC Driver. (Im not sure where we got this driver because I just started working here and the old IT guy is no longer here.)

From the workstation, we press F12 during POST and select the option to boot to to NIC. It then brings up the options of images, we have created and saved in the PXE Boot Configuration, to choose from. After selecting an image, it recognizes the DHCP server, recognizes the imaging server but then we get the above error.

When downloading the NIC driver for this system from the Dell website, there is no option for a Linux version. Only Windows Vista and XP. Since I am using Windows XP for my images, I selected to download that one. The file I get is called R207259.exe

I choose to save the file. I then double click on it and choose to extract the files. I then abort the installation of the driver because I do not want to do that. The folders that I extracted from R207259.exe are  xp32 and xpX64. Listed below are the files in each folder:

~xp32~
e1k5032.din
e1k5032.sys
E1k5132.CAT
e1k5132.din
E1k5132.inf
e1k5132.sys
e1qmsg.dll
nicco2.dll
NicInstQ.dll

~xpX64~
E1k51x64.cat
e1k51x64.din
E1k51x64.inf
e1k51x64.sys
e1qmsg.dll
nicco2.dll
NicInstQ.dll

I simply want to get the driver into the list of drivers when creating a new one in the Altiris PXE Boot Confiuration. When I try to do so it wants me to browse for the file. When I click browse it gives me 2 options to select for file extensions, .KO and all files. 
 
What file from the above mentioned folders should I select to put in the list of drivers? Is this even what I need to do?

Stu I see that your suggesting we compile a driver. Is this what I need to do? How would I go about doing that?

Again sorry for being a newb lol.

Thanks in advance!

Sin

It looks like the driver you have there is a Windows driver.  You'll need to download the Linux driver.  If the download is a .KO file, then you don't need to compile it.  If you do need to compile, see the following link for some instructions:

www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/how-compile-linux-drivers-ds-68-sp2

HTH!

Hmmm. Im not sure where to find this driver though. Linux does not seem to be in the list of OS's on the Dell website for this workstation model. Is there another resource to find the driver that you can think of?

Phyrant, you stated that you were successful in doing this process. Where did you get the driver?

Check the manufacturer's site.  If it's an Intel NIC, try Intel's site.  Once you find a working driver, feel free to post a link to it here.

Search this site for more info on this, there are several articles/downloads.

This was the page that had your driver I believe:
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:01iP0Lai5E4J:aka-community.symantec.com/community/download/11411/drivers-intel-mass-and-nic-linux-automation+altiris+yukon+realtek+linux+site:symantec.com&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

You may need to contact the author since it has disappeared. It is probably the same one here: ftp://support.altiris.com/support/NIC_drivers/Linu...
I don't think you can have e1000 and e1000e loaded at the same time though, you will have to experiment.

Have you tried running an /sbin/ifconfig to confirm DHCP worked or not? I always thought these models had the SATA controller issues, not a NIC issue. If you have an IP then I would start here: https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/downloads/linux-ahci-driver-dell-optiplex-760-and-hp-dc7900

You can get Linux drivers directly from Intel's website:  http://www.intel.com/support

Just make sure you select the correct model.

Where do I go to run the /sbin/ifconfig to confirm DHCP worked or not? I have no Linux workstations. I simply use the Linux Preboot option for Altiris Deployment.

Also, I tried downloading the driver here:

ftp://support.altiris.com/support/NIC_drivers/Linux/Altiris_verified/DS%206.9%20SP1%20%26%20SP2%20(2.6.18.8)/x86/

AHCI.KO

I went into The Altiris Boot Configuration and added it into the list of drivers. One issue that I found is that it didnt add just one driver it added 5. It will allow you to select more than one driver in the list to attempt to connect with. I highlighted all of them and it still gave me the same result.

Im thinking I need to compile the 5 files or download the files from Inteland compile them but im not quite sure how to do that. Im going to read the instructions that Stu posted on how to do so.

Will advise...

Thanks again guys

When I'm trying to test the network connectivity for a preboot OS I simply create a job with only the "wait" task in the DS console.  When creating this task select the Preboot OS you're testing and then assign this job to a PC.  If you get to a prompt you can then run your commands to test network connectivity. 

Type the "ipconfig" command for WinPE, or the /sbin/ifconfig for Linux.

Right now i'm working on getting all the Preboot configs and drivers working for the 760's as well.

If/when anyone gets this to work, please share your process here because undoubtedly others will be running into the same issue.

Thanks!

What happens to ftp://support.altiris.com ?

See this post for that information.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/upgrading-deployment-solution-ns-solution-center