Multiple OS Deployment Server in the same network

Usage and Config OSD
1

Hi,

Can we have multiple OS deployment servers in the same network? To which Server the bare metal clients will connect while network booting?

Thanks

2

Yes, you can have.
Bare metal clients connect to the Bare Metal server specified in the DHCP configuration (https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS63NW_9.5.0/com.ibm.bigfix.lifecycle.doc/Lifecycle/OSD_Users_Guide/c_configuring_DHCP.html)

Regards

3

In our environment, we haven’t make any changes in DHCP configuration as the documentation says BigFix will automatically configure DHCP server. So assume if we have two OS Deployment servers configure with the same DHCP server, then will bare metal targets try to figure out to which OSD server they will connect or is there any sequence which will take precedence over one?

4

Hi,
actually if the DHCP does not provide the PXE boot server (bare metal server) IP address through its options configuration (43 and 60 for legacy bios computers, 60 and 67 for UEFI ones), it’s in charge to the PXE server to propose itself as PXE server for the network booting computers.
I’d say that the faster will be the one that will make the target computer to boot from it, so it could be that in different PXE boots the target computer will boot on different PXE servers and, if for example a deployment task is running from one of them and at a following restart, during the task execution, it will boot from the other one, the deployment task will not continue.
So to have deployment tasks to work properly in a subnet with more than one bare metal server, without risking that the target computers boot on different bare metal server at different boots, the DHCP options must be configured properly or, alternatively, you could use a network boot media that specified to the PXE booting target which is the PXE server it must refer to. More details at the following link -> https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS63NW_9.5.0/com.ibm.bigfix.lifecycle.doc/Lifecycle/OSD_Users_Guide/c_create_dep_media.html
By the way, I think that the first suggestion is, if possible, to have only a PXE boot server serving a subnet.
Thanks.

5

Is there any flexibility to allow the bare metal targets to choose OS deployment servers upon network boot? Like while booting it should display available OS deployment server, so we can choose anyone as per our requirement the way bare metal profiles are available through binding menu.

Thanks

6

Hello,
yes, I didn’t try it but it should be possible through a PXE boot menu following this example:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS3HLM_7.1.1.17/com.ibm.tivoli.tpm.osd.doc_7.1.1.17/install/cosd_pxeboottype.htm

7

Thanks @sergio_tarchi, I’ll check the above link and post the observation soon.

8

I did try, and it works, using the DHCP Option 43 to provide a PXE boot menu. It was handy as we had a long transition from RHEL Kickstart and Microsoft WDS to Bigfix OSD. For a time we needed to allow a client to choose between any of the three PXE servers. I also use this option today to allow a client to select between an operational and test OSD server.

If you want a given client to always use a particular server, you can configure reservations based on MAC address in DHCP. Handy for allowing auto-provisioning without having to choose. Let us know if that’s the case and we can give more pointers.

9

Yeah @JasonWalker, that’s exactly how we want to configure in our environment coz we have multiple OSD servers. So we want to allow the client to choose the OSD server as per their preference by displaying them a list of OSD servers.

It would be nice if you can share me any link or steps to achieve that.

Thanks

10

What you would need then is to configure DHCP Option 43 to present a PXE boot menu. Unfortunately Option 43 is a hex-encoded value that is not easily readable. IBM used to distribute a tool to generate the value but now the working download link I can find is in this thread PXE Boot - missing PXE menu and/or prompt information

Give that a try. I can look up my notes on using it late tomorrow if you have trouble using the tool.

11

Sure @JasonWalker, Let me go through it.

12

Also some instructions on page 58 of the pdf here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/form/anonymous/api/wiki/90553c0b-42eb-4df0-9556-d3c2e0ac4c52/page/5304ca52-4ca7-4f5b-9c1f-fed6489f7dfd/attachment/36c962c8-d9f3-44b6-9a0d-5336c2c9c6f3/media/Guide%20to%20Windows%207%20Migration%20using%20IEM%20OSD%203.4.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiCmu3jhY3fAhVOOKwKHZPZC_4QFjACegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw0_qKKXXnANxvRfvYTCmaH9

13

Thanks @JasonWalker for ur help.