What is PXE Redirection and how is it used in the Ghost Solution Suite Server?

Products

• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

 What is PXE server Redirection and how is it used in Ghost Solution Suite Server?

Environment

GSS 3.3.x

Resolution

PXE redirection is the ability to have a single shared PXE boot menu item that is redirected to many remote PXE server Local configurations.

You have three PXE servers across a WAN environment that each have their own Local PXE configuration. In their PXE configurations they have different drive mappings to local file stores (directories that are shared) on local servers. For example, on one of the local PXE configurations, you may have the following drive mappings defined in a WinPE PXE configuration:

F: \\MainServer\eXpress 

G: \\LocBServer\images 

Note: On both local PXE configurations and Shared PXE configurations, there must always be a drive mapping back to the Deployment Server eXpress share. While this mapping is usually the F: drive, you can choose another drive mapping, especially if you find WinPE is already mapping machine drives C:, D:, E:, F:, etc., because of multiple hard drives or an installed memory card reader.

You then have a Shared PXE configuration which all remote PXE servers will also have, that may only have the F: drive mapped to the eXpress share. You can redirect the Shared configuration to each of the Local configurations. This means that when a job is sent out to any or all computers managed by the Deployment Server, the job is configured to use the Shared configuration. However, when the client computers PXE boot via the local PXE server, the menu options are redirected to use the Local PXE configurations instead of the Shared configuration. This will cause the designated drive mappings to be defined which will allow you to set imaging jobs to pull images from a local source (by referring to the G: drive, for example).

To set up PXE redirection, you simply need to go into the PXE Configuration Utility, select a specific PXE server from the File pull-down menu (not the Shared configuration), and highlight the Shared boot menu that you wish to redirect before clicking on the Redirect button. It will then ask you for the Local configuration that you wish to be redirected to.