Deployment Solution

I have for some time now been using both DOS and WinPE 2.1 as the pre-boot OS for PXE with redirection on over 25 Global Package Servers. The process works great but we started becoming victims of an oversized PXEManager.ini file. We had redirected configurations and BootMenu options for so many servers that we found we were over complicating the process. Since DS 6.9 SP1 (improved in DS 6.9 SP2) the process of Dynamic mapped shares using Tokens provided a much faster, easier to maintain solution with a smaller footprint on each remote server. The PXEManager.ini file also decreased from 42K to 6K with simpler management. I want to post the process we followed to achieve this solution.

First of all we scrubbed the entire process for one simple method: WinPE 2.1 as the pre-boot OS with Token redirection on the shared configuration.

1. Stop the PxeManager service on the DS Server.
2. Back up your entire PXE folder in the Express Share and move to another location (backups are always a good idea).

   The simplest method to cleanup and remove the bootmenus found in the images folders on your package servers is as follows:

3. Edit the PXEManager.ini file and remove everything below the entry below (The PXE Manager Service must be stopped to correctly edit this file):

   [DefaultPxeMgrIniEND]
   ;END of DEFAULT PXEMANAGER.INI FILE
   ;All entries below are created by PXEConfig.exe 
   

4. Save the PXEManager.ini file
5. Restart the PXEManager Service on the DS Server and open the PXE Configuration Manager
6. Open the Shared Configuration (You should now have a clean menu of Preboot OS selections). The newly edited PxeManager.ini file will force cleanup on all of your remote package servers.

This now has removed all traces of the existing PXE menu options and redirection. You can now begin the new simplified configuration.

From the Shared Configuration in the PXE Configuration Manager Utility:

1. Select New

   You will:

2. Enter a name for the new configuration Ex: WinPE 2.1 Imaging
3. Select the WinPE* radial button (assuming you've previously added WinPE 2.1, if not you can do it now providing you have the downloaded .exe file)

      •You will see ...\PXE\Images\MenuOption131 in the "FInal Location on PXE Server" field

4. Select Create Boot Image...

At this point I'm sure everyone has basically gone through the 12 steps to creating a new configuration except you'll change step 6 of 12 as follows:

A) Use the pulldown menu option in the Drive field and select the G: Drive.

B) In the path Field put <%ALTIRIS_PXE_SERVER%> followed by the express share name.
   •Ex: \\%ALTIRIS_PXE_SERVER%\Express$

C) Follow the rest of the responses which are normally the defaults (unless you have specialized configurations).

Once you have completed all of the 12 steps to a new configuration select SAVE and these configurations will be pushed out to all of your Package Servers. You do not need to setup or configure anything on the remote servers. By creating a dynamic share using the token(s) shown above you have simplified your pre-boot configurations on all remote package servers.

Following this example you should now see only two options when you PXE boot your next machine:

      ---****>>> PXE BOOT MENU <<<***----
       
        0 (131) WinPE 2.1 Imaging
        1   (0) Next Device (BIOS/EFI)

You can even further this method should you choose to by following the same creation steps and adding the preboot environments for DOS and Linux as well. This is just one way to simplify the process for redirection on multiple remote Package Servers. You can read more about Dynamic Mapped Shares using tokens Article 45890 on http://KB.Altiris.Com