Could someone please help with the DHCP/PXE configuration issues. I have to same problem with the PXE client not receiving the DHCP Offer from the DHCP server. We have run a sniff on the network and determined that the DHCP server receives the request and replies with an Offer. The packets never get back to the PXE client.
I am trying to install ESX 3.0.1 using a PXE boot to a MS DHCP/PXE server. The ESX server (Dell 1955 blade) is connected to the network via a switch port on a 6509. The DHCP/PXE server is a Windows 2003 server running in a VM on another ESX host on the same subnet and vlan (Native) as the PXE client.
The cisco port configuration of the ESX server containing the DHCP server VM is as follows:
interface GigabitEthernet3/39
switchport
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk native vlan 322
switchport trunk allowed vlan 2-4094
switchport mode trunk
switchport nonegotiate
no ip address
no cdp enable
spanning-tree portfast
spanning-tree bpduguard enable
spanning-tree guard root
end
The cisco port configuration of PXE client machine is as follows:
interface GigabitEthernet3/42
switchport
switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport trunk native vlan 322
switchport trunk allowed vlan 2-4094
switchport mode trunk
switchport nonegotiate
no ip address
no cdp enable
spanning-tree portfast
spanning-tree bpduguard enable
spanning-tree guard root
end
We have the Virtual Switch on the ESX host that the DHCP VM is running on, set up with a pxe vlan defined with 322 (the vlan defined as native) to allow the Virtual Switch to see the native vlan. and a mgmt (vlan 310) vlan defined to allow tagged vlan traffic to go through to our subnet.
We have 2 vNICs defined in the DHCP VM one using the pxe vlan and one using the mgmt vlan to allow RDP and other network type connections to work across the tagged vlans.
I have tried disconnecting the mgmt vlan connected vNIC to make sure there was not conflict there. (Both Nics have IP addresses on the same subnet I KNOW I KNOW If someone can tell me how to add a second vlan to the one vNIC i would appreciate that as well.) DHCP is setup to only service the vNIC using the the pxe vlan. With this setup the RDP traffic fails and the DHCP Offer is still outbound and not received by the PXE client.
If anyone can please point me to some documentation with the complete configurations needed to setup the Cisco ports and the vSwitches and vNICs or can help me with this directly I would greatly appreciated it.