Hi, I am working with a linux server as DHCP and PXE server. This allows me to present a nice menu, from which I can choose to install Linux, ESX, or boot on many CD Tools. This menu allows me to start on my SCCM PXE server thanks to that command : Menu label SCCM kernel pxechain.com append MyServerIP::\SMSBoot\x86\wdsnbp.com If I use the standard wdsnbp.com this is not working, it's like my request is looping between the linux dhcp and the sccm server. If I use a wdsnbp.com made on a sccm server with a DHCP on it (I took one of a previous lab), this is working fine. It's working for months now, but as I have time I try to understand and look for something more regular. The problem is that I can't find what wdsnbp.com exactly do. I try many things copying pxeboot.com/n12 on the linux, appending directly pxeboot.com etc...with no success. If you can explain me the process in detail, I am very interested

WDSNBP contains the network boot program which a small chunk of machine specific code that intiates the download of the actual boot image via TFTP. More details can be found on Technet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2008.10.desktopfiles.aspx & http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732351(WS.10).aspx. I have no idea what is difference between the standard WDS NDP and the one that ConfigMgr uses but suspect it has something to do with boot image selection and advertisment detection. Jason | http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/jsandys | http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/jsandys/default.aspx | Twitter @JasonSandys

Thanks Jason, for what I see, wdsnbp.com serve these purpose : 1. Architecture detection 2. Pending computer scenarios. When the Auto-Add policy is enabled, this NBP is sent to pending computers to pause the network boot and report back the client computer's architecture to the server. 3. Network boot referral cases (including use of Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) options 66 and 67) In my case - prestaged sccm computers - I don't need Architecture detection (the right boot image is associated with my installed imaged, so with the TS). I don't need pending computer scenario. So I could start directly on pxeboot.n12 which is my next step. What do you think. But if I directly pxechain pxeboot.n12, I have an error. This is the point I don't understand. I'll make some more tries tomorrow.

I try to prestage the the server as X86 Windows 2008 VM and then boot directly thru kernel pxechain.com append MyServerIP::\SMSBoot\x86\pxeboot.n12 I have this error : \Boot\BCD 0xc000000f An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration This is typically an exemple where I can't understand the role of wdsnbp.com. Because If I pxechain wdsnbp.com, it will call the same pxeboot.n12 and this time it's working...

That question or problem seems Linux related if I understood that right. I guess you will get better answers if you would ask that question in a Linux forum (as it's not ConfigMgr related at all).

Yes you can think that way if you assume that SCCM is a black box, and you don't have to use it outside the official rules. I think that the goal is to start a Computer with the right Microsoft file. Linux is just a tool to call that file. I understand that this is a little borderline. I close the post. Thanks