Pxe Server - Symantec DEPLOYMENT SOLUTION 6.9 SP4 Manual

PXE server

Altiris Deployment Solution™ from Symantec User's Guide
Note
You can install only one Deployment Share for each Deployment Server system.
However, if the Deployment Share's hard drive gets full, other computers can be used as
additional backup storage points. In some cases, other systems emulating a Microsoft or
NetWare environment can be used as the Deployment Share.
Note for NetWare users: If you have a problem using the Novell NetWare server as a
Deployment Share, install the Novell Client instead of the Microsoft NetWare Client.
See Deployment Server components
The PXE Server provides service to client computers on a subnet. When the Deployment
Server sends a deployment job, the client computer receives a request to boot to
automation and the PXE-enabled computers connect to the first PXE Server that they
discover, which communicates with the Deployment Server and the client computers.
The PXE Server also functions on the same protocols as a standard DHCP Server, so you
can place the PXE Server wherever you would place a DHCP server. You can also install
as many PXE Servers as required in your system, but you must also install a DHCP
Server.
The PXE Server sends a boot menu option list to the client when the computer performs
a PXE boot. The deployment job, which contains at least one automation task, uses the
default automation environment or the environment specified by a user who has the
permission to create a deployment job. Use the boot menu option to request the PXE
Server for the boot menu files and download the boot menu files from the PXE Server to
the client computer's RAM storage. The client computer always boots according to the
request and reply communications taking place between the Deployment and PXE
Servers.
Altiris supports DOS, Linux, and Windows PreInstallation Environment (WinPE) as pre-
boot environments. These options let you create a single job, but may contain multiple
automation tasks. The default automation environment (the first pre-boot operating
system files installed during the Deployment Solution installation) is used for Initial
Deployment, unless you specify otherwise.
Using a PXE Server to boot client computers to automation saves you from having to
install an automation partition on each client computer's hard disk, or from manually
starting computers using Altiris-supported bootable media.See Boot Disk Creator Help.
See Pre-boot operating system (simple)
page 133, and PXE Configuration Utility Help.
DHCP Server
The DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server is a server set up to assign TCP/
IP addresses to the client computers. This server is not an Altiris product, but is required
if you want to use the PXE Server.
We recommend that you use DHCP to manage the TCP/IP address in your network,
whether you use PXE or not. This greatly reduces the amount of time required to set up
and manage your computers.
See Deployment Server components
on page 335.
on page 367, Install automation partition
on page 335.
on
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