Q: Why isn’t the System Center Configuration Manager 2012 PXE boot working?

A:First the basics: Make sure you have installed the Windows Deployment Services (WDS) role on your System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2012server that’s acting as a PXE point. There’s no separate PXE role in SCCM 2012 anymore, so you need to make sure the distribution point that has theWDS role installed is enabled for PXE.

To do this, select the properties of the distribution point. Under the PXE tab (see screen shot below), enable PXE support, including options tosupport unknown devices and whether a password should be required.

sccm2012pxesupport-Copy

Next, make sure the x86 and x64 boot images are distributed to the PXE-enabled distribution point. Even if all your clients are x64, you still need thex86 PXE boot image to be available. In the properties of the boot image, under Data Source, make sure the check box labeled Deploy this boot image from the PXE service point is selected (see screen shot below).

sccm2012frompxe-Copy

Create a task sequence and distribute it, making sure it’s configured as Make available to boot media and PXE. If machines can’t boot via PXE,open up the SMSPXE.LOG file in the CMTrace.exe tool on the SCCM PXE, and look for problems. (See also, "10 Steps to Migration: Configuration Manager 2012").

Need more FAQs about System Center? Maybe virtualization? Or other Windows issues? See John Savill's FAQs for Windows!