Bare metal install/PXE Issues

[Gareth]

Hey all

 

Hoping someone can help me before I pull my hair out! Relatively new to SCCM, but given the name of the site I should fit in fine

 

Currently trying to do a bare metal install to some new PC’s (And servers if I can get this working). I have managed to get OSD working with clients that are already managed by SCCM, so I’m reasonably confident it’s not a DP or PXE issue (using the same task sequence, just targeting bare metal machines). I’ve verified all the correct files and folders are in place e.g. X:\Remoteinstall and have the appropriate permissions (WDSServer).

 

My PSP has Unknown Computer Support enabled and I have imported the MAC address of my target PC’s using the “Import Computer Information” function so it is in the SCCM database.

 

I don’t believe it’s a DHCP issue as the target machines get an IP address when PXE booting and are located in the same subnet as my SCCM managed machines which PXE boot fine.

 

At the last moment the whole thing falls over with the following:

 

Download WDSNBP…

 

Architecture x64

 

The details below show the information relating to the PXE boot

request for this computer Please provide these details to your

Windows Deployment Services Administrator so the this request can be

approved.

 

Pending Request ID: 5

 

Contacting Server: 192.168.48.13

 

PXE Boot aborted. Booting to next device….

PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE ROM.

 

Have also tried uninstalling the WDS role and PSP and reinstalling them, recreating the C:\Windows\Temp folder, removing boot WIMs from DP and then redistributing (both x64 and x86 boot WIMs are distributed to my DP and PXE share)

 

Other information:

Windows 2008 R2 Datacenter

ConfigMgr SP2 (ver 4.00.6487.2000)

Site Server and PXE located on same server

DHCP located on a different server

Attempting to Depoy Win7 Enterprise x64

 

 

I’m sure I’ve just missed something terribly simple and embarrassing, but after many hours of searching windows-noob, myitforum and googling, the only thing I’m closer to is taking an axe to my datacentre haha. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers, Gareth

 

EDIT: Hmmm looks like I may have been a bit premature (thats what she said anyone?)in my request for assistance. Just tried a bare metal PC that is a different model and it had no issues. So am I correct in assuming I will need to hunt down the NIC drivers and insert them to my boot WIMs?

 

EDIT #2: Upon taking my own advice and injecting the x64 and x86 NIC drivers for both boot images (Tried injecting the corresponding driver to its boot WIM and injecting both drivers into both WIMs)and updating the DPs, still getting the same issue. What am I missing here?

[Eswar Koneti]

Yes,you would need to inject the NIC Drivers to Boot images and the client which is about to get installed by OS should have atleast one Task seqeunce assigned to it. Check this link for pxeboot aborted issues : http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/669-how-to-get-rid-of-abortpxe-com/

Check,if the computer has any Task sequence assigned to it ,btw,if you are using Unknown computer support,you dont have to import MAC ID into SCCM.You can somply advertise task sequence to All Unknown computers collection.

Here is nice explantion by StevaRac on how unknown support works http://blogs.msdn.com/b/steverac/archive/2008/09/21/unknown-computers-in-sccm-2007-r2-how-it-works.aspx

 

 

 

[Gareth]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately still having issues. I injected the NIC drivers into my boot WIMs as is required, distributed the driver package I made (not sure if this step is need but I thought it couldn't hurt) to my DP, updated my DP and PXE share with the latest boot WIM's and still having the same issue. Also totally removed the boot WIM's and then redistributed them and restarted the WDS service with no luck.

 

Had a read of that link you posted as well. Did I interpret that correctly as the target already needs to be an SCCM client or at least in AD (so it appears in a collection)? My target computer is neither as it has no OS installed, so I cannot carry out the steps outlined there.

 

Sorry to be a pain, but I'm running out of idea's.

[anyweb]

are you still geting abortpxe errors or something else ?

[Gareth]

are you still geting abortpxe errors or something else ?

 

Still abortpxe errors. To try something different, I just installed a vanilla Windows 7 from the CD onto one of my problem PC's, manually installed the SCCM client. Advertised the task sequence to it and it's booted fine. So it's not drivers.

 

Doesn't make sense to me, as other unknown computers do not have this issue within my environment. Also, what log files should I investigate?

[anyweb]

well if it's abortpxe then the computer is known to SCCM (ie: it's in the sccm database), and it's doing what it's suppsed to,

have you tried the fix mentioned here ? how to get rid of abortpxe.com

 

or to be clear, are you getting this issue below ?

 

The details below show the information relating to the PXE boot

request for this computer Please provide these details to your

Windows Deployment Services Administrator so the this request can be

approved.

[Gareth]

or to be clear, are you getting this issue below ?

 

The details below show the information relating to the PXE boot

request for this computer Please provide these details to your

Windows Deployment Services Administrator so the this request can be

approved.

 

Yeah it was. Have it working now in a round about way. Ended up deleting the record for the PC in sccm so it became an unknown computer again and it is now PXE booting and installing my OS. So I guess it doesn't really solve the issue, but at least it's working. Guess I'll just do bare metal OSD's from now on as unknown computers instead of using the "import computer information" function.

 

Thanks all for your time help and putting up with my noobishness, appreciate it.

 

Cheers, Gareth

[Peter van der Woude]

Guess I'll just do bare metal OSD's from now on as unknown computers instead of using the "import computer information" function.

This is still possible as long as you advertise the Task Sequence to a different collection then Unknown Computers.