WDS and UEFI deployment

[crakeador]

Hallo WDS experts,

 

I would like to share with all one problem that I have. Last year I have configured WDS under WS2012 that helps me a lot in my job. Now all installations are complete unattended includind software and some customizations. Now I am starting to receive new computers with windows 8. These computers are using UEFI BIOS instead LEGACY BIOS. When I try to install windows using WDS, the installation fails. I would like to ask if somebody has experience in this field using WDS.

[Jorgen Nilsson]

Hi,

Which OS are you trying to install? Windows 7? Windows 7 x86 doesn't support UEFI at all and x64 has some limitations as well.

 

Regards,
jörgen

[crakeador]

Thanks for helping me Jörgen.

 

Currently I can deploy Windows 7 and Windows 8 if machines are running in legacy mode. But new models come now under UEFI mode with GPT partition. When this machine connect to WDS and you try to install Windows 7 or Windows 8 you receive an error about digital signature directly. If you swap in each new machine UEFI mode to LEGACY mode, then this new machine can connect correctly and you can install systems perfectly.

[moob]

Hi

I'm trying to deploy Windows 8.1 x64 to HP Machines with uefi.

WDS and DHCP are in the same network and I am using DHCP options 66 and 67, which ist working perfectly with BIOS Computers.

My Bootloader is boot\x64\wdsmgfw.efi

 

When my client starts using wdsmgfw.efi, it loops for some minutes and stops showing error 0x102.

[anyweb]

don't use dhcp scope options for UEFI, use iphelpers instead.

[moob]

My understanding has been that a ip helper address can only be used if dhcp and wds are on the same box ...???

[Peter van der Woude]

Nope, you can always use IP helpers. Especially when you've got UEFI and legacy BIOS devices, you need to use IP helpers, because they need different boot files and with DHCP options you can only specify one file.

[moob]

Got DHCP options removed and ip helper address pointing to wds installed - boot.wim can now be downloaded. Thank you guys!

[moob]

My experience here is as follows:

 

I put an ip helper address in place and remove all the dhcp options: Immediately my uefi client starts booting from LAN, it downloads wdsmgfw.efi and starts downloading the boot.wim...

 

BUT

 

It keeps on working for one or two days and then, suddenly the happiness comes to an end: pxe-e16: No offer received.

 

Then I would put the dhcp options in place again in order to be able to set up my bios clients.

I would let 2 days go by before trying again to pxe an uefi-pc.

 

After the 2 days, I would re-remove the options and pxe boot with uefi clients would work again, as if nothing hat happened.

 

and on and on and on...

 

Sounds funny, but it is not.

[anyweb]

do you mean that UEFI network boot works fine for two days and then all of a sudden it fails with that error ? what does the smspxe.log file tell you when you receive that failure ?

[moob]

do you mean that UEFI network boot works fine for two days and then all of a sudden it fails with that error ? what does the smspxe.log file tell you when you receive that failure ?

yes. last night before I went home pxe-boot worked and now, 14 hrs later I get the error pxe-e16: No offer received.

I will do some wiresharking on the switch now.