Configuring DHCP Server for working with vSphere Auto Deploy

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to configure a Windows and Non-Windows based GUI DHCP Server for using vSphere Auto Deploy.

Symptoms:

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0

Resolution

To configure Windows DHCP Server for using vSphere Auto Deploy:

1. Install the DHCP service.
2. Configure the DHCP service.
3. Create a DHCP Scope for the range you want to be the PXE boot range (for example, 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.200).
4. Ensure that your scope is activated.
5. Authorize your DHCP server.
   
   Note: For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 300429.
   
6. Set up your DHCP server to point at the TFTP server where the TFTP ZIP file is located
   
   
   1. Open you DHCP Management tool.
   2. Expand your scope created in Step 4.
   3. Right-click Scope Options and click Configure Option.
   4. Select option 66 and type in the computer name or IP address of your TFTP server
   5. Select option 67 and type this boot file name:
      
      undionly.kpxe.vmw-hardwired
      
      
7. Set each host you want to provision with Auto Deploy to network/PXE boot. For more information, see the manufacturer's documentation.

To configure Non-Windows, GUI based DHCP Server for using vSphere Auto Deploy:

Note: This configuration has been seen on both Infoblox and Cisco DHCP servers.

1. Install the DHCP service.
2. Configure the DHCP service.
3. Create a DHCP Scope for the range you want to be the PXE boot range (for example, 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.200).
4. Ensure that your scope is activated.
5. Authorize your DHCP server.
6. Set up your DHCP server to point at the TFTP server where the bootfile is located
   
   
   1. Follow above instructions on configuring option 66 and option 67 for DHCP
   2. Configure the "next-server " and "bootfile " bootp options with same configuration as in 66 and 67:
      
      next-server = option 66 (IP address or computer name of TFTP server)
      bootfile = options 67 (undionly.kpxe.vmw-hardwired )
      

When you turn on a host that is set up for Auto Deploy, it contacts the DHCP server and is directed to the Auto Deploy server that provisions the host with the image specified in the active rule set.

Note: For more information about vSphere Auto Deploy server configuration, see the Preparing for vSphere Auto Deploy section in the vSphere Installation Guide.

Additional Information

For information on DHCP Configuration for platforms other than Windows, see Sample DHCP Configuration in the vSphere Installation Guide.