Unable to download PXE variable file. Exit code=14.

Question

Hello,

One of the VM is boot from PXE and it provides the below message. It fails immediately after the below message.

Executing: X:\sms\bin\x64\smstftp.exe get 10...* SMSTemp\0000000007.var X:\sms\data\variables.dat
Set command line: "X:\sms\bin\x64\smstftp.exe" get 10...* SMSTemp\0000000007.var X:\sms\data\variables.dat
Executing command line: "X:\sms\bin\x64\smstftp.exe" get 10...* SMSTemp\0000000007.var X:\sms\data\variables.dat with options (0, 0)
Process completed with exit code 14
Failed to download PXE variable file after 6 retries. Exit code=14.
PxeGetPxeData failed with 0x8004016c
HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(dwError), HRESULT=8004016c (tsmbootstraputil.cpp,1519)
TSMBootstrapUtil::PxeGetPxeData(&bPxeBooted, sVariablesFile, sPxePasswd), HRESULT=8004016c (tsmediawizardcontrol.cpp,2698)
oTSMediaWizardControl.Run(sMediaRoot, true, sTSLaunchMode), HRESULT=8004016c (tsmbootstrap.cpp,1139)
Failed to run from PXE in WinPE
Execute( eExecutionEnv, sConfigPath, sTSXMLFile, uBootCount, bReloadEnv, &uExitCode ), HRESULT=8004016c (tsmbootstrap.cpp,1291)
Exiting with return code 0x8004016C
hMap != 0, HRESULT=80070002 (..\environmentscope.cpp,493)
m_pGlobalScope->open(), HRESULT=80070002 (..\environmentlib.cpp,335)
this->open(), HRESULT=80070002 (..\environmentlib.cpp,561)
Execution complete. TSBootShell

This VM received IP address because it boots from PXE. Please help how to troubleshoot this.

Answer 1

I remember receiving similar error about variable file download and the troubleshooting was very tricky - at the end we found out, that network router was handling requests in the wrong way, but that did consern every machine, physical or virtual. Virtuals can be tricky some time, will the physical machine load the config to display the Task Sequence menu to you from the same subnet?

Answer 2

Hi @Boopathi S ,

Could we know if PXE server and PXE client are in the same subnet? If so, we could try to uncheck and re-check the option of Enable PXE Responder without WDS (Windows Deployment Service).

Here is the article about this operation, refer to it:
https://www.prajwaldesai.com/enable-pxe-responder-without-windows-deployment-service-sccm-1806/
Note: Non-Microsoft link, just for the reference.

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