Deployment Solution

Hey

I'm using DS 7.1 with CMS 7 and having having an issue with PXE booting.

We've got 5 PXE servers (including the NS) in four sites and PXE config is set not to respond to unknown computers. We're not using Automation folders.

The problem I'm having is that when I boot a computer (known to the DS) off the network it attempts to PXE boot (like it did in DS6.9) but then comes up with the following:

Altiris pre-select Automation processing
PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM
Operating System not found

The computer has an OS on it already (XP SP3) so I was expecting the computer to see that it doesn't have a job waiting for it and proceed to boot off the next boot device which is the HDD (again, like it did in DS6.9).

Does anyone have any ideas what's going on?

Thanks in advance.

Ollie

pl. check, when you create a PXE image all four symantec PXE services on server (NS + siteservers) are running.

the Operating System not found error is not for client machine OS, its for PXE server. It means, the PXE server is not getting any OS, in this case it might be Windows PE or Linux PE.

To create Preboot, from console, navigate Settings | Deployment and Migration | Symantec Boot Services

Here create a Preboot Configuration and assign those image through PXE Server Configurations.

We've got a number of PXE images (I've attached a screenshot of the available images).

Is there a way I can check if the PXE images have been replicated to the site servers? They don't appear in the Agent software list.

The PXE only images seem to work fine of they're used in a task, but what I'm not understanding is why the client is even trying to download a PXE image if there's no task assigned to it...

Thanks for your help

Ollie

make sure that at the time of creation the pxe services (SBS) are running. in services.msc these services are started by _Symantec.

You can check that images are created on siteserver by browsing to

c;\Program files\altiris agent\agents\deployment\Task handler\SBS\Images.

It takes 15-20 minutes to create an image and 1 hour to get configuration. you can reduce the configuration update time by clicking on Altiris Agent (siteserver machine) and clicking on Update button.

In you case, it seems the machine is getting boot up from PXE, may be the first boot device in BIOS is set to network card. pl. confirm.

Hi

The PXE services were running and the images are all showing up in the Images directory on the site servers.

When the computer boots I'm hitting F12 so that it PXE boots (HDD is first in the boot order). Since there's no job assigned to it I'm expecting it to cancel out of the network boot and continue to boot off the next device, in this case the HDD. However, it sits there saying 'Operating System not found'.

I'm new to DS 7.1 (having come from using 6.9 and being dropped into 7.1!) so I'm not sure if it's got something to do with these Automation Folders - we've turned the policy off and are not using them.

Just to throw a curve ball (!), I've just assigned a reboot to PXE job to a computer while it was on and the Agent picked it up and rebooted the machine to PXE. I cancelled the task (and it's gone from the Job/Task History in the DS portal) and now each time the computer boots from the network it tries to download the PXE image! It seems to be all or nothing with 7.1!

Am I missing something obvious here?! What I want to achieve is:

• If a computer boots from the network and there is no job assigned to it, it should cancel out and continue to boot of the HDD (next in the boot order)
• If a computer boots from the network and there is a job assigned to it, it should download the PXE image and run the assigned job(s)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ollie

I think PXE is working as it should.  To prove this when PXE starts in the client with DHCP.... press ESC to bypass PXE booting altogether.  You probably will see "Operating System not found".  This will mean something happened to your OS.  Dont press F12 so it will boot from HDD.  If PXE is shown again it is an attempt by the server to be provisioned.

now to the "Altiris pre-select Automation processing PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM" part.

From your post it says that the client is a known machine to DS, and if you assigned any PXE reboot (automation or production) then the next time you will PXE boot u will see the message you are seing.

Nelo

Thanks for the information. I think I've got to grips with the 'operating system not found' thing.

The other things that's confusing me is that whenever I boot a computer off the network it will start downloading WinPE despite there being no jobs or tasks assigned to any computer in the DS. Do you know why this would be?

Thanks for your help.

Ollie

I could think of three scenarios for this case.

1. PXE Server Configuration page "Respond to Unknown Computers" is checked so if it is not known to NS and DS (PXE Server) then the client will be served with whatever PXE image is set in conjunction with unknown computers.

2. Once a client is in WinPE (via a reboot to PXE or respond to unkown computers) the PECTAgent.exe cannot communicate to NS to register the client. Then if the client reboots it will be picked up again by a reboot to PXE or respond to unkown computers

3. A reboot to PXE (Winpe) task was assigned to the client.  In Order to tell PXE not to service the client to PXE a reboot to production task needs to be issued.

Hey Nelo

Thanks for your comment. I started to think that it might have something to do with assigning the computer a reboot to production task. We've not got PXE configured to respond to unknown computers so I think this must be the cause.

Thanks for your help everyone! DS 7.1 is an entirely new beast!