DL580 G5 keeps booting into winpe after distributed install.

[fluidville]

I have just recieved a batch of DL580 G5 servers of which I am trying to intergrate into my RDP enviroment, and am coming across the following problem which seems specific to these servers as all the other flavours of HP servers I have seem to work fine.

In the deployment process when it gets to the job where it throws down the distribution files and starts the unattended install, it does so but when the server reboots to continue the unattend install it boots back into winpe, it will continue to loop through the winpe process untill you manually cancel the PXE boot so that it continues the windows install.

Like I say it only seems to be happening on these servers. has anybody come across this, any help would be appreciated.

I have my primary look up key set only to serial number.

[Gordon Leonard · Accepted solution]

You should never change the default RDP setting for the primary look up key.

[fluidville]

Gordon,

For the past 5 years we have been using this product we have always set the primary look up key to just the serial number, and have never had a problem with the solution we use.

We use a solution by where we group our servers based on an imported .CSV file listed in this .csv file is the serial numbers of our servers, the default settings you talk of has the primary look up keys as serial and mac address, we do not populate the .csv with mac addresses so dont feel the need to use this lookup key.

As mentioned before this problem is only specific to these new DL580 G5 servers so am baffeled as to why the mac address would need to be set in the RDP look up key. when we dont use this for all our other servers.

[Gordon Leonard]

Not too concern about the past....welcome to the future.

".. in newer ProLiant servers the SMBIOS has been located higher in memory where the 16-bit PXE bootstrap code can't access it."

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/rdp/knowledgebase/00000189.html

[fluidville]

Gordon,


As I roll back the stone of my warm and familiar cave, it seems I can see the light is that maybe the torch of change.


Many thanks again for help on this, opens up a bit more work for myself but least it gets me on the right path.

Cheers

[Gordon Leonard]

Maybe in the future you'll toss some of us some points for helping you. :)