wrc2810
asked on
pxe boot "network not found" error with WDS
I am working in a networked environment trying to pxe boot a new laptop (HP 8560p EliteBook) to work with Windows Deployment Services and grab an image. I have created and stored the image on the WDS server, and the boot image is on a shared network folder. We have configured DHCP (on a different server from WDS) 66 and 67 to match above settings. When I pxe boot the laptop, it is assigned an ip address, shows the correct default gateway, but then errors out:
“Network not found.”
We have everything set up properly based on the instructions we are following, but there is obviously something causing it to not fully work. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
“Network not found.”
We have everything set up properly based on the instructions we are following, but there is obviously something causing it to not fully work. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Seaton007
One possibility: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923834
Have you "injected" the NIC drivers in your boot image? Check Seaton007's link (above), this is what I would have recommended too
Also, can you let us know exactly what steps were reached successfully?
Did the boot image loaded and did it begin to run for instance?
And the EXACT error message (I can't remember that "Network not found" was a standard message). Wasn't it
WdsClient: An error occurred while starting networking
for instance?
Also, can you let us know exactly what steps were reached successfully?
Did the boot image loaded and did it begin to run for instance?
And the EXACT error message (I can't remember that "Network not found" was a standard message). Wasn't it
WdsClient: An error occurred while starting networking
for instance?
ASKER
Exact order of events.
Turn on destination PC. Hit f12 to network boot.
Network booting starts DHCP../ (the / rotates; looking for the server)
Client IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx MASK IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx DHCP IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx Gateway IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx
TFTP
PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel Boot Agent
Then the next screen shows: Network not Found.
I have tried on different hardware, with the same result.
The DHCP and Gateway IP's both are correct with our environment and the Client IP is assigned correctly too. Thanks for the assistance so far, but I don't believe it's the network driver as it is being assigned an ip address properly (and the driver wouldn't be installed until you already have a communication with the server, is my understanding) I think it is a setting with WDS or our servers that gets the communication going.
Turn on destination PC. Hit f12 to network boot.
Network booting starts DHCP../ (the / rotates; looking for the server)
Client IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx MASK IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx DHCP IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx Gateway IP: xxx.xxx.xx.xx
TFTP
PXE-M0F: Exiting Intel Boot Agent
Then the next screen shows: Network not Found.
I have tried on different hardware, with the same result.
The DHCP and Gateway IP's both are correct with our environment and the Client IP is assigned correctly too. Thanks for the assistance so far, but I don't believe it's the network driver as it is being assigned an ip address properly (and the driver wouldn't be installed until you already have a communication with the server, is my understanding) I think it is a setting with WDS or our servers that gets the communication going.
OK, things gets clearer:
You don't even get the PXE Network Boot Program.
It seems to me that your WDS environment is not correctly working or that you have an issue on the client side
You must understand that there are several steps in a PXE boot process.
The first one is the PXE portion.
There is a PXE ROM (a small program) that takes control of the computer.
This PXE ROM embeds a NIC driver for your computer.
It is in charge of the first DHCP negotiation and configuration and then uses its own internal mechanisms to download another (bigger) program that will actually "boot" the computer. This is the NBP (Network Boot Program). If is downloaded by the PXE environment on your client and uses TFTP to download the NBP in RAM before running it.
In your case, the TFTP step fails.
What is strange is that it seems that you do not get any other message before the PXE-M0F (which is the message that PXE display when it exists on error).
For instance, if you disconnect the network cable, you should get a PXE-E61 error before PXE-M0F
The first thing I would do would be to update the BIOS on the client.
If this does not solve your issue, you should check your TFTP server environment and configuration, logs etc. You can also use a Network Packet Analyzer (Wireshark, MS NEtMon) on the server, filter on UDP 69, which is the port use by TFTP, and check if something is obviously not working.
Note that "Network Not found" error is then invoked by the boot program (not a PXE one) that gets launched when PXE exits (and this is the BIOS that would then take control and, usually, load and run the MBR on the HDD that would attempt to load and run an OS)
You don't even get the PXE Network Boot Program.
It seems to me that your WDS environment is not correctly working or that you have an issue on the client side
You must understand that there are several steps in a PXE boot process.
The first one is the PXE portion.
There is a PXE ROM (a small program) that takes control of the computer.
This PXE ROM embeds a NIC driver for your computer.
It is in charge of the first DHCP negotiation and configuration and then uses its own internal mechanisms to download another (bigger) program that will actually "boot" the computer. This is the NBP (Network Boot Program). If is downloaded by the PXE environment on your client and uses TFTP to download the NBP in RAM before running it.
In your case, the TFTP step fails.
What is strange is that it seems that you do not get any other message before the PXE-M0F (which is the message that PXE display when it exists on error).
For instance, if you disconnect the network cable, you should get a PXE-E61 error before PXE-M0F
The first thing I would do would be to update the BIOS on the client.
If this does not solve your issue, you should check your TFTP server environment and configuration, logs etc. You can also use a Network Packet Analyzer (Wireshark, MS NEtMon) on the server, filter on UDP 69, which is the port use by TFTP, and check if something is obviously not working.
Note that "Network Not found" error is then invoked by the boot program (not a PXE one) that gets launched when PXE exits (and this is the BIOS that would then take control and, usually, load and run the MBR on the HDD that would attempt to load and run an OS)
ASKER
Thank you for the update. The BIOS is up todate. Can you eloaborate on what is necessary for a TFTP setup in this situation. The server is currently running the Solar Winds TFTP server, but we are still getting the same results. Thank you for your attention to this issue.
You should have TFTP server as a service of the WDS server, not as a 3rd party service.
It should run on the same server that run the other WDS services (PXE services, Image services etc).
Check these links:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766320
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd348502
And this Winword doc file:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/1/0/b106fc39-936c-4857-a6ea-3fb9d1f37063/step-by-step_guide_for_windows_deployment_services_in_windows_server_2008.doc
It should run on the same server that run the other WDS services (PXE services, Image services etc).
Check these links:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766320
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd348502
And this Winword doc file:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/1/0/b106fc39-936c-4857-a6ea-3fb9d1f37063/step-by-step_guide_for_windows_deployment_services_in_windows_server_2008.doc
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Check my article related to PXE, DHCP options 60 (and 66 and 67, in the comments). If useful, please click the appropriate button.
https://www.experts-exchange.com/Networking/Misc/A_2978-PXEClient-what-is-it-for-Can-I-use-PXE-without-it.html
Also note that with a proper WDS/PXE setting, options 66 and 67 should NOT be set on teh DHCP server, the PXE server takes care of that (but if set at the DHCP level, it has a higher priority).
https://www.experts-exchange.com/Networking/Misc/A_2978-PXEClient-what-is-it-for-Can-I-use-PXE-without-it.html
Also note that with a proper WDS/PXE setting, options 66 and 67 should NOT be set on teh DHCP server, the PXE server takes care of that (but if set at the DHCP level, it has a higher priority).
ASKER
We found the answer through our own research and troubleshooting. Expert help was good, but unable to find the small issue we had. Not being inside our environment made it harder for outside help to discover the issue.