Hi,
DS7.1, new installation here. 6.9 is still on the same site server. All part of a new NS7 migration (which went well eventually)
Initially during testing we got the same type of F8 prompt menu on first PXE connect that i got in 6.9. Then at some stage during configuration it stopped appearing completely. This means that the standard boot image will be sent if the conditions are true. Perhaps this wouldnt be a problem if the following wasnt also true:
Under certain conditions DS/NS totally forgets about a machine. On first connect my understanding is that PXE checks to see if a PC is known or unknown...from this basis it either runs an initial deployment job or acts in a default manner.
On restarting the PXE services a previously known machine WITH NO JOB SCHEDULED has the following happen to it:
1) Hits PXE, no menu,
2) Automation WInPE starts loading.
3) WinPE loads. The PC stays here...forever, no IP job. no reboot.
The long and the short of it chaps is that in this environment we have some PC's that 1rst boot device is NIC and some not. Either way, some will hit PXE... Whether they are known or not, what we have found is that DS7.1 mostly sends these machines off into some kind of purgatory and we never see them until they are restarted and forced into HDD boot. these are PC's with no job sceduled in DS - ie they are expected to just be told to boot to next device by PXE.
Its a convincing reason not to use 7.1 and a rather scary option to enable on an enterprise of 11,000 clients. Our contractor is leaving site tomorrow none the wiser.
Our collective thinking is that PXE thinks its an unknown PC but half way through realises it isnt and gets stuck. We believe there to be a mechanism that the Site server uses to build a list of PC's that are known and this process is not running correctly, especially in time for that first boot connection.
Any thoughts, advice, whinges, even some laughter or "i told you so" would be appreciated :)