Deployment Solution

Hi all!

My costumer needs to be able to Re-Deploy computers from PXE Boot Menu. (Like Initial Depoyment) The computers are already in the console.

WINPE
DS 6.9 SP1 MP1

When hitting F8 in and download the Boot Image I dont get the Initial Deployment Job list, it just reboots into Xp again.

When I was using DOS automation this worked, this is not an option now..

Could anyone give me a hint??

Thanks!

I have the same issue and am only posting to make sure admins know this is an issue and so I can subscribe for a solution.

The reason it reboots is because the AClient/DAgent sees that it has no work to do.  This is by design (not sure why it would have worked in DOS, as DOS is the same way).  Shy of deleting the workstation out of DS, I'm not sure there really is a work around.

Not sure if you could re-do the PXE boot image to include a script?  Maybe it could display a menu before calling the DAgent?

The only way you can accomplish what you want is to delete the computer out of DS so that Initial Deployment will work. Beyond that DS isn't made to do what you're looking to do.
You could possibly do what bhawver mentioned but then you would need to have multiple PXE boot images or else normal imaging through the console wouldn't work because it would bring up the menu instead of just booting into automation. Not sure how you would be able to get it to work unless you always wanted the manual menu to show up.

Thanks Pyrant.
I have one pxe boot image for the normal imaging process.
I would like to create another Pxe boot image with the Aclient disabled or paused..

The user could inturupt the PXE boot process (pressing f8) and select the PXE boot with the client disabled.


I have a script that prompts for a password then runs Rdeploy if the password is correct.

The user  selects an image, reimages the machine and reboot, there is no need for the client to contact the server to see if there is a job or not.

The problem is stopping or pausing the agent, I can't see where to do it in a nice clean manner.

I might try editing the inp file for the pxe boot to point 'elsewhere' and see if that works, your thoughts?

Has anyone actually done this or had a fault that gave this sort of behavour?

Thanks

John

If there is a way to set the DAgent service to manual, this should accomplish what you want it to do. Otherwise, you  might be able to issue repeated commands to stop the service.

I don't use the DAgent (All XP Clients with Linux or DOS automation).  But the command for the AClient is:

net stop aclient

I would assume that the DAgent would be similar:

net stop dagent

If your customer needs to re-deploy computers from PXE, why not create a job to distribute the disk image? Are you using a sysprepped image for the deployment? Why not just create a new Job in the console and set it to distribute the image? Then just drag and drop your clients into the job. They'll reboot and, as long as their first boot is to the network, get picked up by PXE and go straight into automation to recieve their image.

You might want to look at using the asdk.  You can make a batch file and force it to run during the startup process of the automation to make it assign a job to the current computer.  I would suggest putting the batch file with the mapdrv.bat file (tell your batch file to run after mapping the drives by inserting a command to run your batch file).

To stop the dagent from restart a machine in a WinPE PXE 2.1 environment when trying to manually run the rdeploy imaging engine.



· Create a WinPE 2.1 PXE boot environment

· Add the two Windows executables

o Shutdown.exe

o Taskkill.exe

· Add the extra script command to the “startup.bat”

o Call a custom script to map extra drives if required

o Stop the dagent.exe

o Stop the dagentui.exe

o Call the Rdeploy.exe imaging engine

o Add the reboot machine command to run after rdeploy.exe has finished

example
use :-
REM run a password vbs script to continue here (if its required)
net use v: \\\server1\share
x:\taskkill /F /IM dagent.exe
x:\taskkill ?f /IM dagentui.exe
x:\start /wait v:\rdeploy.exe
x:\shutdown /r /f /t /0

That should stop the reboot and run up rdeploy ( or whatever menu system you want), and after you finished - it reboots.

Thanks to all who helped.

Regards
John

You should search the AKB for -forcenew . I believe this would work in DOS to force it to run even if it is in the DB.

Subscribe to this article to help get it supported in dagent for use in WinPE. https://kb.altiris.com/article.asp?article=44107&p=1