Use WDS to PXE Linux

Question

Hello,

I'm trying to accomplish to integrate syslinux together with WDS, and i'm tried the following guides:

https://kenvb.gitbook.io/deploy-linux-with-microsoft-wds/adding-syslinux

https://www.d7xtech.com/tech-info/network-boot-guide/install-syslinux-on-wds/

Unfortunately, either nothing happens or WDS encountering an error 0x000000102

It would be nice to PXE boot and start MDT/WDS, Ubuntu and other tools like memtest etc.

Anyone who succeeded with this or can share their steps, guides/videos?

If you like to give it and try and then restore WDS config, you can do it with the following commands

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x86\pxeboot.com /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x64\pxeboot.com /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\arm64\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:arm64

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\arm\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:arm

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:Boot\x86\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:x86uefi

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:Boot\x64\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:x64uefi

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x86\pxeboot.n12 /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x64\pxeboot.n12 /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\arm64\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:arm64

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\arm\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:arm

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:Boot\x86\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:x86uefi

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:Boot\x64\bootmgfw.efi /architecture:x64uefi

and WDS should boot your Litetouch image again.

Answer 1

I'm able to PXE boot with legacy, I see the menu with WDS and if I click on the menu it starts to load LiteTouch.wim.

But if I'm switching to UEFI, I get "Windows Deployment Services encountered an error:
Error code: 0x000026c

Answer 2

With this I can PXE-boot with UEFI and I see my menu, but when I click on WDS nothing happens.
I have also added C:\RemoteInstall\Boot\x64\pxelinux.cfg\default and in the default it looks like

DEFAULT      vesamenu.c32
 PROMPT       0
 NOESCAPE     0
 ALLOWOPTIONS 0
 # Timeout in units of 1/10 s
 TIMEOUT 300
 MENU MARGIN 10
 MENU ROWS 16
 MENU TABMSGROW 21
 MENU TIMEOUTROW 26
 MENU COLOR BORDER 30;44        #20ffffff #00000000 none
 MENU COLOR SCROLLBAR 30;44        #20ffffff #00000000 none
 MENU COLOR TITLE 0         #ffffffff #00000000 none
 MENU COLOR SEL   30;47        #40000000 #20ffffff

 MENU TITLE PXE Boot Menu
  #---
 LABEL wds
 MENU LABEL Windows Deployment Services
 KERNEL pxeboot.0
  #---
 LABEL Abort
 MENU LABEL AbortPXE
 Kernel    abortpxe.0
  #---
 LABEL local 
 MENU DEFAULT
 MENU LABEL Boot from Harddisk
 LOCALBOOT 0
 Type 0x80

Save this as a bat file

@echo off

:: Download syslinux version 6.04-pre2

echo Downloading syslinux 6.04-pre2...

powershell -Command "Invoke-WebRequest https://www.zytor.com/pub/syslinux/Testing/6.04/syslinux-6.04-pre2.zip -OutFile syslinux-6.04-pre2.zip"

:: Extract files from the syslinux archive

echo Extracting syslinux 6.04-pre2...

powershell Expand-Archive -Path "syslinux-6.04-pre2.zip" -DestinationPath "syslinux-6.04-pre2"

:: Copy EFI syslinux files

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\efi\syslinux.efi" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\pxelinux.0"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\elflink\ldlinux\ldlinux.e64" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\ldlinux.e64"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\menu\menu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\menu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\menu\vesamenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\vesamenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\chain\chain.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\chain.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\modules\reboot.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\reboot.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\modules\poweroff.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\poweroff.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\lib\libcom32.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libcom32.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\libutil\libutil.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libutil.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\modules\linux.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\linux.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\cmenu\libmenu\libmenu.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libmenu.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\gpllib\libgpl.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\libgpl.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\efi64\com32\lua\src\liblua.c32" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\liblua.c32"

copy "syslinux-6.04-pre2\bios\memdisk\memdisk" "c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\memdisk"

:: Rename files

echo Renaming files...

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\pxeboot.n12 c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\pxeboot.0

copy /y c:\RemoteInstall\boot\x64\abortpxe.com c:\remoteinstall\boot\x64\abortpxe.0

:: Set the server boot program

echo Setting PXE default path...

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x86\pxelinux.com /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x64\pxelinux.com /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x86\pxelinux.com /architecture:x86

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x64\pxelinux.com /architecture:x64

wdsutil /set-server /bootprogram:boot\x64\syslinux.efi /architecture:x64UEFI

wdsutil /set-server /N12bootprogram:boot\x64\syslinux.efi /architecture:x64UEFI