PXE boot is the new trend, actually not new it has a very old history. Any way PXE (Pre-Execution Environment) is the way to boot PCs over network. Using this we can install OSs via network which make easier to network administrators, specially IT lab setup guys. Because when we going to install OS/OSs in several hundreds of PCs that's going to be a hard situation if we are using DVDs or USB booting. When we use PXE boot to install OSs we just have to go to the PC and boot it from PXE network boot and the rest of the thing going to be the same as a normal OS installation.
Windows Server had make it easier. Using WDS (Windows Deployment Service) we can select our installation image using installation media and just using few clicks we can install OS in to a PC using PXE. There is a more featured application for windows Server which is System Center gives you some elevation doing system administration, but here we are going to talk about a tool which bundled with System Center.
So here is the steps.
Install DHCP role in server going to be the WDS server. (No matter if it's on a different server).
Install DNS role.
Configure as usual.
Now go to Server Manager and go to Add roles and features.
Add the new role "Windows Deployment Services".
After you add the role in Server Manager go to "Tools" and click on "Windows Deployment Services".
Click on "Servers" click on Your server. Right click on your server and select "Configure Server"
Click Next.
In this menu check the "Integrated with Active Directory" if you have an AD. You can check like those boxes by reading the things in-front of them
Click next. In this current menu make sure both boxes are checked.
click next and you will be on PXE server initial Settings
check the third radio box. Because we need to boot unknown PCs also.
Then finish.
Creating folder to store the OS files
Create a folder in any where.
Open your OS's ISO file and inside that file there will be several files and folders. You just copy all of them in to the folder that we just created.
Go to the WDS window and in your server right click on "Boot images"
And click on "Add boot image"
Browse to the location to the folder that you have created.
Go to "sources" folder in it.
There will be a file "boot.wim". Double click on that and Next Next.
You will see that Boot image has been added.
Then right click on "Install images". and click "Add install image"
You will prompt to select an Existing Image group or to add an image group.
Select add an image and give name to your install image group.
If you are going add windows installation setups in to this group it's better to name this as "Windows image group". just a suggetion.
Browse again to the folder you created and go to "sources"
Now double click on "install.wim"
If that OS iso contains several images you may have to select which one or which images to be in install menu. Select as your need and finish it.
Right click on your server go to properties and click on "Boot" tab.
select "Always continue the PXE boot" in both known and unknown.
To affect all this make sure WDS service has started.
Right click your server, go to All tasks and click on start. (if started it will be grayed)
DHCP Settings
This is very important part.
Go to Server options in your dhcp settings and check is there "PXEclient" option. If not go again to WDS windows and right click on you server go properties and select DHCP tab. and make sure you have checked "Configure DHCP options to indicate that this ....".
Then you will see.
In DHCP settings Right click on "PXEclient" and edit.
remove what ever inside string value and enter your WDS server ip address.
Go to scope and scope option and make sure there also "PXEclient" value has changed to the just you added.
Now you can do PXE boot.
Errors;
If you get an error at boot
"No boot file recieved"
in DHCP settings right click on "server options" and click Configure Option.
In genral tab go to 066 "Boot Server Host Name"
In string value type your WDS server ip.
go to 067 "Boot file name"
In string value type "boot\x64\wdsnbp.com" if it not worked, "boot\x86\wdsnbp.com"
check again if PXEClient option value set to the server.
and try again.
Moslty done.
If you get an error when starting the setup
"Wdsclient : check ip address or dhcp configuration" something like that.
check PXEClient option again by refreshing.
And the main problem for this issue could be there are two or more DHCP server in network. Make sure there is only one DHCP on network.
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