Description
This is a follow-up on document http://community.landesk.com/support/docs/DOC-28279. As indicated in that document, options 66 and 67 in the DHCP Scope Options should not be used. However... what if this really really really is your only option?
DHCP Scope Options and WinPE
As described in the document referenced above, after the client receives the PXE answer it needs to go to the next step, which is to download a boot environment. This is where DHCP options 66 and 67 come in. Option 66 tells the PXE booted client what the Bootserver is and option 67 the Bootfile that needs to be loaded.
This removes all flexibility of the LANDesk PXE menu, as we can only download the WinPE boot file, without the variable (WinPE menu/Managed WinPE/Provisioning) passed on by PXE booting.
So, how do we handle this...
First let's set the DHCP Scope options.
Option 66 is pretty self-explanatory, this is the bootserver aka the server that hosts your PXE representative (basically, the host of the TFTP server). Use the IP address of the PXE representative here.
Option 67 is the relative path to the bootfile, in case of the LANDesk PXE representative this is x86pc\undi\provwin\startrom.0 The path is relative to the root of the TFTP server. You can basically reference any of the startrom.0 paths under the UNDI path.
This will boot WinPE on the device that PXE boots. You can reference any of the startrom.0 files because the startnet.cmd in the boot.wim WinPE file won't receive the code generated by PXE menu boot that tells it to go into Provisioning/WinPE menu or Managed WinPE mode. The result is a running WinPE, without any OSD menu/provisioning menu.
If we want to use Provisioning or automatically load the OSD menu, we need to edit the startnet.cmd in the boot.wim file. To do this, mount the boot.wim file in the Program Files (x86)LANDesk\Managementsuite\landesk\vboot map on the Core Server. Open the startmenu.cmd in the \windows\system32 map in the mounted wim file. Find the following lines:
set /a option = %errorlevel%
@rem option refer to boot option:
@rem -2 means in provisioning vboot (not in winpe2.0)
@rem -1 means not in winpe2.0
@rem 1 means pxemenu
@rem 2 means managed pxeboot
@rem 3 means provisioning winpe
Replace the %errorlevel% in the first line by the number matching the startup type you need, for example, provisioning = 3:
REM ------CHANGES NEEDED FOR DHCP SCOPE OPTION 67----
REM set /a option = %errorlevel%
set /a option = 3
@rem option refer to boot option:
@rem -2 means in provisioning vboot (not in winpe2.0)
@rem -1 means not in winpe2.0
@rem 1 means pxemenu
@rem 2 means managed pxeboot
@rem 3 means provisioning winpe
REM ------END OF CHANGES---
Save the startnet.cmd file and unmount the boot.wim file, committing the changes.
Re-deploy your PXE representative(s). The Boot.wim file will now load simulating Provisioning was chosen in the PXE menu.
