PXE Boot menu for deploying Linux with Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

Marko Viinikainen · Nov 1, 2019

We have Windows Server 2016 Essentials and it has Windows Deployment Service configured and couple of windows images installed. It works fine when you want to install Windows through PXE Boot. You know press f12 to boot from network and so on...
I would also like to deploy Linux installations the same way and found out these instructions : WDSLINUX - Syslinux Wiki

Everything went fine until I tested the custom PXE boot menu, it always gives same error message: Failed to load vesamenu.c32 or Failed to load menu.c32. Tested with Syslinux version 6.03.

My questions: Is it possible to do this in UEFI environment and with Windows Server 2016? Is the version for Syslinux the correct one?

Is it possible to deploy different Linux installations same way as deploy different windows versions with Windows Deployment Services? Oh and changing the operating system on the server is not an option.

Marko Viinikainen · Nov 4, 2019

Addtional info: boot goes fine, press f12 to network boot no problem. Next computer says xxx \boot\x64\pxelinux.com (this file loads fine, it says version number and some other data)
Then it hits the problem: failed to load vesamenu.c32. It does not matter what i write to default file that sits in pxeconfig-directory. Seems that file newer gets read.
Now because pxelinux.com file loads, doesn't that mean TFTP-connection is established? Or does it happen after this file?
All the necessary ports are open through the firewall, if I have time tomorrow will examine connection with Wireshark.

All I need is simple incructions to build environment where I could deploy Linux installations as easily as you can deploy Windows to different machines through network boot.

SleepyDude · Nov 4, 2019

Hi,

Where is the file vesamenu.c32 located?

Edit: A possibility is to use Process Monitor - Windows Sysinternals and filter the calls related to vesamenu.c32 that should show where the TFTP expect to find the file

Marko Viinikainen · Nov 4, 2019

Tried several directories to copy the file but no luck. Will try tomorrow your suggestion about Process Monitor.

Marko Viinikainen · Nov 5, 2019

Process monitor and Wireshark helped me to solve the problem. TFTP-connection was fine, actual problem was that I had wrong files in the wrong directory. Now the PXE boot menu works.
Tomorrow I will try to add images to install. Instructions on the internet all say this works with legacy boot options, does anyone know will this work in UEFI environment?

Search

Search

PXE Boot menu for deploying Linux with Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

Marko Viinikainen

Member

Marko Viinikainen

Member

SleepyDude

Windows Update Moderator, Security Analyst

Marko Viinikainen

Member

Marko Viinikainen

Member