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PXE boot configuration

deepak.chakrath
Level 1
Level 1

Hi Experts,

Clients have asked me to configure PXE boot across vlans for setting up a Symantec server for re-imaging the desktops and laptops. We have IP-helper address in place.can you please let me know how i can accomplish this. below is the running configuration of the SVI interface.

Core-SW1#sh run int vl 20

Building configuration...

Current configuration : 290 bytes

!

interface Vlan20

description Users Vlan

ip address 10.1.7.254 255.255.252.0

ip helper-address 10.1.108.1

ip helper-address 10.1.108.2

ip helper-address 10.1.108.3

ip nbar protocol-discovery

ip flow ingress

ip flow egress

standby 1 ip 10.1.4.1

standby 1 preempt

end

5 Replies 5

Peter Paluch
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hello Deepak,

To my best knowledge, no further configuration shall be necessary. You have correctly configured the ip helper-address on the interface facing the client stations.

Assuming that at least one of the 10.1.108.1-3 is a DHCP server, the remaining configuration has to be performed on the DHCP server itself which must specify the TFTP server from which the PXE bootloader is to be downloaded, and the name of the file that shall be downloaded via TFTP.

Has the DHCP server been correctly configured? Is it possible to verify this configuration whether it works?

Best regards,

Peter

Hello Pete,

Thanks for your valuable comments.

Is there any chances for any probloms if we didnt enable multicasting.The imaging will be performing more than one server at a time.

Thanks,

Deepak

Hello Deepak,

Using multicasts in Symantec Ghost has been problematic.

Most issues relate to the fact that the DOS IP driver used by older Symantec Ghost versions did not send proper IGMP Membership Report messages. Basically, the stations did not properly subscribe to the multicast group used to send the image. As a result, there could have been issues with the multicast flow delivery to the stations. It was necessary to have the imaging server in the same VLAN as the stations being restored to avoid the multicast routing, and at the same time, the IGMP Snooping which is active by default on Catalyst switches had to be deactivated. Perhaps the newest Symantec Ghost version uses an improved IP driver that properly implements IGMP so that both IGMP Snooping and multicast routing can work nicely but this is something you must test yourself, as I do not have the most recent Ghost version available for testing.

If your imaging servers are in different VLANs than the restored stations then if you want to use multicasting, you absolutely have to configure IP multicast routing.

Best regards,

Peter

Hello Peter,

We have two separtate Buildings and using diffrent VLANs for the users.

Thanks,

Deepak.

Hello Deepak,

Assuming you have a single GhostCast server from which the multicast streaming is performed, you will definitely need to activate multicast routing, as the clients are - according to your own words - located in different VLANs.

There is actually one possibility of circumventing the multicast routing with a Cisco-specific feature called Multicast VLAN Registration, or MVR. It basic idea is to enclose the entire multicast traffic into a single specific VLAN, and whenever a station in a different VLAN subscribes to a particular multicast group, the switch will start "leaking" that particular group from the multicast VLAN into the user's VLAN. However, this feature may still require multicast routing in order to get the multicast traffic from the GhostCast server into the multicast VLAN (unless you place the server into the multicast VLAN directly), and must be supported by the individual switches where clients are connected. You may want to read more about this feature here:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst2960/software/release/15.0_2_se/configuration/guide/swigmp.html#wp1035911

Honestly, I believe the multicast routing is a better option but please get acquainted with the MVR and decide for yourself.

Best regards,

Peter

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