Deployment Solution

I've read that for the 6.x platform it was possible to use an off-box PXE server (the DHCP server, specifically) to handle PXE.  

We will be migrating from DS 6.9 to 7.5, but need to do so in chunks.  6.9 is our production imaging server, so we need to be able to use it for imaging while we slowly move to imaging using 7.5.  

In short, we need to be able to have a PXE server that can offer up boot options for both the 6.9 WinPE environments and the 7.5 WinPE environments.  i.e. - we need PXE options to point to both servers' WinPE environments.

Is this possible?

Hi,

The answer is yes -kind of, but not I think in the way you are imagining (One box to server nboth DS6.9 and DS7.5 PXE). You can however use both your DS7.5 and DS6.9 PXE boot servers in a migration scenario.

To do this you need to create a list of the MAC addresses of the machines you want to be served by the DS6.9 servers, and a list of those you want to be managed by the 7.6 Servers for each stage of your migration.

To use the lists do the following,

• Use the DS6.9 list on the DS6.9 server in the PXE Configuration Tool as "Use Mac Address Filtering -> Service Listed Addresses" 
   
• Use the 7.6 list in the 7.6 SMP server similarly in "Netboot Service-> Settings" to again "Service NetBoot clients with the following MAC addresses only"

As the migration proceeds, you should effectively be removing MAC addresses from the DS6.9 list and addding them to the 7.6 list.

This way, each client will only get a response from the server you choose.

Great idea, thanks.  I'll talk this over with our Desktop Management team.

One question, though - in Altiirs 7.6, Settings > Deployment > Predefined Computers I'm able to add the MAC addresses of computer I'd want to be serviced by the 7.6 PXE services.  Currently all PCs in our environment are being managed by both the 7.6 and 6.9 environments - they have agents from both installed.  

If I insert a list of predefined MAC addresses for PCs in a lab on campus, but tell the NBS server to NOT respond to managed devices (because I don't want it to respond to all computers on campus), will they be ignored?  In other words, will the "Predefined Computers" list be checked before the "Managed Computers" list? 

If you tell the NBS Server not to respond to manage computers, it really won't. The MAC list permits fine control over the machines it will respond to.