Deployment Solution

PXE-E23: Client received TFTP error from server.  I get this error on some of my sete servers after selecting the x64 or x86 option in the F8 boot option menu.

more of the error, but I could get quick enough: 

- Failed to fetch file sizeFailed to read/process proxy response.

- Failed to start the application.

Any help on what is going on and a solution would be greatly appreciated.  7.1.8400

This might be a UEFI issue / WinPE version issue.

A couple of questions,

1. Is this issue just with particular hardware (i.e. only UEFI machines)? 
2. Are you using WinPE4?

If you are aren't yet using WinPE4 and are needing to PXE boot UEFI machines, this link will help

http://www.symantec.com/connect/downloads/winpe21-winpe-40-upgrade-deployment-solution-71

Uhhh... be cautious about following that path ian.  They pulled HowTo8500 that is linked in that article.

The best way to use PE4 in 7.1 is to build your own WIM files outside our application and then replace the WIM we build with your own.  The catch?  The agent will be missing unless you figure out how to get it in there.

Another thing to check for on those site servers is if the WIM files are actually there.  Do a rebuild of the automation environment and then see if they actually RUN - that is, BootWiz actually executes and runs for several minutes.  If not, then you'll see that.

But Ian is 100% spot on - if  you're in 7.1 and using UEFI systems, there may be a problem unless you can go to legacy mode or something.  Go to 7.5 SP1.

Hi Thomas,

Yes I noticed they pulled the HOWTO8500 and put in in it's place a "we'll support you as best you can...." pledge for 7.1 customers. Jeeze..... ;-)

We upgraded to WinPE 4 some time ago.  We are deploying the same model (HP 600 G1) to a few of our sites.  I can PXE boot them here, but I know of two locations that I get the error.  All our site servers are the same and using the same boot.wim. I have even Re-upgraded to WinPE4 to make sure Bootwiz is doing what it should.  I was thinking Windows Updates or permissions might be the cause, but it is not a problem on all the site servers.

I found a post that said PXE-E23 = A TFTP server sent a TFTP error packet to the client.  I would like to turn on TFTP logging.  Anyone know how to do this?

Take a look at this HOWTO,

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO31248

It includes TFTP logging.

I had my regional support guy try to PXE boot an older PC (HP 6000) and it went into WinPE no problem.  So it is something to do with the 600 G1, but weird since the setup is the same from site to site and I can PXE boot that model no problem here at the office.

Does the 600 G1 have a legacy boot option (rather than use UEFI)? If so, then the difference between the machine that works and the one that doesn't might be a different BIOS config. See if the one that had the issue before can now PXE boot using the legacy option and see if that resolves?

I had my regional supprt guy give that a try.  He says when Legacy is selected it won't even begin to PXE, so he left it on UEFI, which gets him farther (to the pick your environment menu). 

So to sum up the information so far we have a computer modelm, the HP 600 G1 which, 

1. Fail to PXE boot on two specific sites. Other site work fine.
2. Error is TFTP related (which means client recieves both IP and PXE responses)
3. All site servers use same boot.wim
4. Configuring BIOS on HP 600 to legacy mode makes things worse. On one of the sites doing this results in a complete failure of the client to PXE boot

So, what is unclear at the moment is,

1. On the two sites that fail to PXE boot the HP 600G1, can other machines PXE boot successfully?
   (i.e. is actually a fundamental problem with PXE on these two sites, or is this issue's scope limited to just these pieces of hardware)
    
2. Are there any differences between an HP 600G1 that PXE boots on one site, and not on another? Are the BIOS configurations and versions the same?
   (i.e. is the difference between the two sites simply down to one site gettiing being delivered a slightly different model configuration)

Something else that might be useful is performing a wireshark trace of a PXE boot session from a PXE server that works, and comparing this to a trace from one that fails.That's quite low-level stuff though. If you can get those traces to me (PM) I don't mind doing the analysis.

Kind Regards,
Ian./

Well, I have been told the PCs are now PXE booting into WinPE.  Still not sure what it was, but after all our pissing around I had our Regional reset the BIOS back to default settings and now it works.  Thanks for all the help.  To me, it sounds like PEBKAC, but hey, at least we are rockin' and rollin'.