Re: RIS, same GUID, duplicates, Dell GX60's
From: NIC Student (nospam_at_nospam.land)
Date: 01/20/05
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- In reply to: Martin: "Re: RIS, same GUID, duplicates, Dell GX60's"
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Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 13:31:25 -0800
Thanks for the update, Martin. Maybe your notes will help someone in the
future.
-- Scott Baldridge Windows Server MVP, MCSE "Martin" > As an update for all, this is now "sort of" resolved. Dell have provided > BIOS updates and settings for these GX60's so they can boot straight from > their NIC without the requirement of the MS RIS boot disk. > > This has fixed my problems for now. The chances of finding other machines > that (a) can't boot from the network, and (b) don't work with the RIS disk > I > think are minimal. > > > > "Martin" wrote: > >> Scott, >> >> Thanks for your reply. >> >> The NIC is unfortunately onboard - so cannot flash it or re-configure it >> to >> enable the bootrom. Hence the requirement of the RIS boot disk. >> I attempted some Intel NIC configuration programs but they didn't help me >> progress. However, they and the SM_INFO.EXE program I have confirm that >> they >> at least are reading the correct GUID and MAC address from the Dell BIOS. >> >> It appears that the MS RIS boot disk is booting, then attempting to find >> the >> GUID on the Dell. At this stage, it can't find it, so decides to get the >> MAC >> address and slap 20 zeros in front of it for the new GUID. >> >> Unfortunately it looks like the RIS boot disk looks in the wrong place >> for >> the MAC address and comes back with some Dell ROM code that is static and >> the >> same on each GX60 (of the old batch), and just slightly different on the >> newer lot of GX60's I have. I've just found that even the newer GX60's >> have >> problems because of the latest two, although their "MAC" addresses >> according >> to the RIS disk are different from the older batch, they are the same as >> each >> other. >> Their true MAC addresses however are obviously not the same. >> >> I'd love to be able to either run a hex editor over the GX60 ROM and see >> if >> I can match up the "MAC" address that the RIS disk finds with some other >> location in the ROM, or disassemble the RIS boot disk file which probes >> the >> ROM and find out at which address it's looking. Because it's definately >> NOT >> the same location where Dell stores the MAC address of the on-board NIC. >> >> Anyone know of newer type RIS build disk file? >> Or how about a different boot disk that allows the Intel NIC to boot just >> as >> a normal remote-boot enabled NIC with PXE enabled? (ie. F12 network >> boot?) >> >> That wouldn't fix the problem but would bypass it me thinks. >> >> I'm in contact with Dell support but so far they are looking for ways to >> hand the ball back to me and say it's a Microsoft problem. >> >> Thanks Scott, and thanks to anyone else who has got any suggestions they >> can >> send me. >> >> Martin. >> >> >> >> >> "NIC Student" wrote: >> >> > >> > Hi Martin, >> > >> > My first thought is the boot agent on the nic needs to be updated. Are >> > these nics part of the motherboard or pci devices? If onboard, I would >> > have >> > guessed that a system BIOS update would have fixed it... If not >> > onboard, >> > then you go to Intel's site, you'll need the latest ProBoot. I found >> > the >> > pxe20-pdk.exe file from Intel's site, when extracted, has some flash >> > updates >> > for your nic bios. It has to be run from a server and a floppy is >> > created >> > to flash the nic bios. It's up to you if you want to try that... maybe >> > if >> > you have a machine set up in a test lab. >> > >> > I found this blurb on Intel's site: >> > >> > Some BIOS do not properly communicate GUID, or properly recognize boot >> > agent. You will need to contact your motherboard or computer vendor to >> > find >> > the latest system BIOS. >> > >> > If the nic is onboard and you have updated the latest bios, then I >> > suspect >> > the nic drivers are not entirely correct, update the drivers in your >> > RIS >> > image: >> > >> > http://support.intel.com/support/network/sb/CS-000023.htm >> > >> > If you go this route, you can try the Intel Pro100 drivers from my >> > site: >> > >> > http://www.mvps.org/serverstuff/RIS/Intel/Intel100VM.htm >> > >> > -- >> > Scott Baldridge >> > Windows Server MVP, MCSE >> > >> > "Martin" >> > > Hi All, >> > > >> > > Hope someone can help me with this baffling problem. I've been >> > > searching >> > > for three days for a fix. Apologies for the following novel - hope >> > > it's >> > > thorough enough! ;-) >> > > >> > > I'm deploying Windows XP by RIS from Windows 2000 SP4 servers. The >> > > RIS is >> > > on a server with no DHCP, while DHCP is been serviced by another two >> > > servers. >> > > >> > > Most of the client computers are Dell Optiplex GX60's. These have >> > > the >> > > Intel >> > > 100+ pro onboard. The Dell's do not support PXE boot, so I'm using >> > > the >> > > boot >> > > disk made with RBFG.EXE. >> > > >> > > The major problem is that of the 25 odd GX60's, about 20 of them >> > > display >> > > the >> > > same GUID when booting from the floppy disk, and hence all get the >> > > same >> > > workstation name from the RIS server as it thinks that it is the same >> > > machine. >> > > >> > > I'm not using a shared NIC with the machines. The PXE boot process >> > > is >> > > obviously not finding a GUID on the computers and is attempting to >> > > generate a >> > > unique ID based on the MAC address. >> > > >> > > However, although these GX60's were purchased at the same time and >> > > are all >> > > part of the same batch with similar MAC addresses, obviously they are >> > > not >> > > the >> > > same. >> > > EG. (GX60's MAC addresses): >> > > 000BDB741826 >> > > 000BDB741866 >> > > 000BDB741867 >> > > 000BDB741882 >> > > >> > > Now as soon as the floppy disk boots, it states: >> > > NODE: C082FFBF0080 >> > > DHCP.... >> > > >> > > Finds the RIS server, asks for username and password, then displays: >> > > GUID: 00000000000000000000C082FFBF0080 >> > > COMPUTER NAME: Workstation-1 >> > > >> > > This same Node ## and GUID appears for all of these GX60's. So hence >> > > the >> > > computer name is the same. >> > > >> > > If I start the build process of one of these computers, then move on >> > > to >> > > another, it will start the build process on the second machine, say >> > > it's >> > > the >> > > same name as the first computer name, get as far as loading windows >> > > files >> > > from the RIS server (after giving username password etc.), state >> > > "Starting >> > > Windows" then bluescreen with "IP address conflict". >> > > >> > > From either of the DHCP servers I can see that the DHCP servers >> > > receive >> > > the >> > > MAC address of C082FFBF0080 from these clients when booting from the >> > > floppy. >> > > But if I boot from Windows on these computers their proper MAC >> > > adddress is >> > > registered with the DHCP servers. >> > > >> > > Now, to add to the puzzle, other Dell optiplex GX60's which are only >> > > about >> > > 3 >> > > months old (the batch of approx. 18 GX60's with the problems are >> > > approx. 2 >> > > years old, while another two or three ordered over the last year >> > > display >> > > the >> > > same problem) do not have this problem. Almost anyway.... >> > > >> > > When using the boot disk on the newer GX60's, they show the Node >> > > address >> > > to >> > > be SLIGHTLY different than the above node address that is displayed >> > > for >> > > the >> > > large amount of the GX60's. >> > > Each of the newer GX60's display Node addresses very similar but not >> > > quite - >> > > eg. >> > > C083FFBF0080 >> > > C0F2FFBF0080 >> > > >> > > So these computers build ok with individual computer names, however >> > > you >> > > can >> > > still see that the Node addresses which are supposed to be the MAC >> > > addresses >> > > of their NIC's are still not correct (their MAC addresses are vastly >> > > different). >> > > >> > > So far I have tried: >> > > - Re-installing RIS on the same server >> > > - Removing RIS from server and installing on another server >> > > - shutting down other DCHP servers and having DHCP run from just the >> > > RIS >> > > server >> > > - Checking that BINLSVC has been updated and is running correctly. >> > > - Rebuilding the floppy boot disk a number of times >> > > - Formatting some of the GX60's so they contain no software apart >> > > from >> > > their >> > > BIOS. >> > > - Updated BIOS's on older GX60's - they now all have A09. >> > > >> > > I'm thinking that this must be some problem between the boot disk and >> > > the >> > > hardware of the GX60. It seems to get or generate the Node number >> > > (which >> > > should be the MAC address) before talking to the servers, and it >> > > seems >> > > that >> > > this Node address which later becomes the GUID is the heart of the >> > > problem. >> > > >> > > I have run 3rd party programs on the GX60's to check their UUID's and >> > > found >> > > although again they are extremely similar, they differ slightly >> > > between >> > > each >> > > other. >> > > >> > > I don't know if this is helpful in anyway, but previous to this >> > > attempt to >> > > RIS all these desktops, their builds were managed by Norton Ghost so >> > > in >> > > effect each HD was an exact replica of each other. >> > > >> > > The only thing I can think of now is that the PXE sequence on the >> > > floppy >> > > is >> > > using some weird third method of generating the GUID's based on MAC + >> > > UUID >> > > + >> > > HD ID and mixed all together or something???????? >> > > >> > > Any help greatly appreciated! I love RIS but am frustrated that if I >> > > can't >> > > resolve I'm going to have to go back to Ghost which is a pain in the >> > > proverbial... >> > > >> > > Thanks
- Previous message: wjspellm_at_bakerd.com: "Missing Recent File List"
- In reply to: Martin: "Re: RIS, same GUID, duplicates, Dell GX60's"
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