DL380G3 and DHCP

[Stuart.Mclean]

Evlauating DL380G3, I having issues getting DHCP IP address assigned to the Integrtaed NIC. When I use a DOS boot disk I receive a DHCP IP address, when I boot windows 2000 I get a DHCP IP address, but when I press F12 to boot from the NIC the NIC never gets an IP address.

I have checked the System Options to ensure the PXE boot is enabled, still no luck. What other config option am I missing?

[Mark Chisholm]

Did you ever get a solution for this? I'm having the identical issue (and it's driving me insane...)

[Mark Chisholm]

I stumbled upon this solution by accident. I don't think it's the definitive solution, at least, I hope its not. You can get your PXE enabled NIC to pick up a TCP/IP address from DHCP and contact the Deployment server if you put PXE first in the boot order. I don't know why it makes a difference, but I tried it first and it worked. Even with nothing in the CD and nothing in the A: drive, when they were listed before PXE in the boot order the NIC would not pickup a TCP/IP address. Go figure.

[Mark Chisholm]

Please disregard the previous entry. It was a case of jumping to the wrong conclusion. I tried that solution on another server and it didn't work. Turns out, and I swear this works, that it's the PortFast setting on the Cisco switch. By default, a switch will delay activating a port for 40 seconds to make sure it's not another network (something to do with spanning tree). The DHCP request times out in that 40 seconds. I'm guessing that with the boot disk the NIC is activated by initializing the TCP/IP stack and the DHCP request takes longer to go out. By that time, the port has been activated by the switch and the NIC gets a TCP/IP address. By setting PortFast to "enable" the port is activated immediately by the switch and the DHCP request from the PXE-enabled NIC is transmitted and answered with a TCP/IP address.

[Stuart.Mclean]

Hey, thanks for the info. So do you think that we can leave spanning tree enabled and just enable port fast on the switch and all will be good? If that's the case then that's wonderfull. I'll see if I can get that to work in the morning. For a while I was going down the path of if spanning tree is enabled then PXE has issues.

[Andy R_1]

I have been having a different problem with a DL380 G3 configured with W2K SBS. Whenever I try to manually configure a static IP address, if defaults back to DHCP assigned.

Anyone come across this? Is it related ir does anyone know of a fix?

Thanks.

[Armin Kerl]

Hello AndyR,

i have also serveal DL380G3 with W2000 Server.
Using ipconfig /all shows fix IP Adress, but in NIC IP Config it shows DHCP, can not change this.
Did you have also NIC Teaming?

What shows Device Manager under Computer?
All this Servers with IP problem ar all showing MPS and ACPI Prozessor (Both! at same).

thy Armin