Help Required: Debugging PXE Boot Error on Mixed-Environment Network

[Envy]

Hello Everyone ,

I would appreciate any help as I am having trouble with PXE booting on our mixed-environment network. So far, FOG Project has proven to be an excellent tool for managing our imaging process. We’ve encountered a barrier, though, that I can’t seem to go over.

Configuring a Network:

• A mixed environment featuring legacy BIOS and UEFI systems.
• Ubuntu 20.04 operating on the FOG server.
• On a different Windows Server 2019 computer, the DHCP server is configured.
• Workstations from Dell, HP, and Lenovo in various models.
• Problem: Some of our UEFI computers fail to obtain an IP address during PXE boot attempts, while others appear to continue but finally clock out with a “No configuration methods succeeded” error.

What’s interesting is that PXE boots up without any problems on Legacy BIOS computers.

What I’ve Attempting:

• made sure the DHCP options 66 and 67 are configured properly. I’ve set ipxe.efi as option 67 for UEFI.
• Confirmed that TFTP is operating and that the FOG server has the appropriate permissions.
• Verified that network boot is enabled and selected as the default boot option by looking through the BIOS options.
• both the DHCP and FOG servers were restarted.
• I looked for comparable problems in the FOG wiki and forums, but I wasn’t able to find a clear answer.

Extra Details:

• We employ both dynamic and static IP addresses in our network.
• It appears that the problem varies amongst UEFI devices.
• Older BIOS systems regularly and flawlessly boot into PXE.

I’m contacting you to check if anyone has encountered problems similar to mine or can offer golang troubleshooting tips that I may have overlooked. Any advice or insights would be very valued!

Thank You in Advance.

[george1421]

@Envy said in Help Required: Debugging PXE Boot Error on Mixed-Environment Network:

Problem: Some of our UEFI computers fail to obtain an IP address during PXE boot attempts, while others appear to continue but finally clock out with a “No configuration methods succeeded” error.

First since you have a mix environment I would start with setting up your dhcp server to send both bios and uefi boot files: https://wiki.fogproject.org/wiki/index.php/BIOS_and_UEFI_Co-Existence#Using_Windows_Server_2012_.28R1_and_later.29_DHCP_Policy

Second the no configuration methods succeeded and not getting an IP address sounds a lot like you have the default spanning tree configured. Where you should be running one of the fast spanning tree protocols like port-fast fast-stp, rstp, mstp, or what ever your switch mfg calls it. A quick test is to put one of those cheap 5 port unmanaged network switches between the pxe booting computer and the enterprise switch. If that fixes the problem then talk to your network admins to enable one of the fast stp protocols on all network ports where you have clients that need to pxe boot. Understand this is an infrastructure issue and not specifically a fog issue.

Also make sure you have the latest version of FOG installed or at least recompile ipxe to the latest version: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/15826/updating-compiling-the-latest-version-of-ipxe

But I think I would work on the first two issues I mentioned first. Your network troubles really sound like the second issue I mentioned.