Various RIS problems and questions

[ixion]

Hi, I am having a few issues with RIS and finding it really difficult to find any kind of clarification on the web about some of the issues or queries I am having with RIS

If I setup a new domain with a new DHCP server and new DNS servers etc, install RIS on the DHCP server and add an image it seems to work straight away. Every single time I move DHCP to another server RIS just stops working, my PXE clients just stop at "DHCP..." and report that no TFTP filename was recieved

I have tried installing RIS on the new DHCP server, re-adding images, running the RIS setup checker thing, restarting services and everything else I can think of and I just cant get RIS to work.

I decommision the domain controllers, format the machines and setup a new domain, install RIS and DHCP etc on the same box and it works again. When it comes time to move the DHCP server or RIS to another box it simply just stop working again.

I have gone through this same procedure a number of times now and each time I need to make a change to my network (ie move DHCP/DC/RIS) and I end up re-doing my entire domain again.

My last effort seems to have been my most succesfull. I manage to move DHCP from the DC/RIS server to another box and RIS stopped working. No matter what I tried I could not get RIS to work again until I moved RIS to the new DHCP server. I have tried this several times without success but this time it did work.

Now my questions are, does anyone know exactly how DHCP is supposed to be configured, whether the RIS server itsefl needs DHCP server installed etc etc because Im tired of going round in circles with RIS now and I want to know exactly what its requirements are and how it should be setup.

Reading FAQ's on the internet and MS site I can see the same list of troublshooting techniques popping up:

one entry is always

"make sure the RIS server is authorised in DHCP"

and another is

"IF DHCP and RIS are on the same server make sure the following resgistry setting is changed....."

Judging by the second entry DHCP and RIS do not HAVE to be on the same server otherwise it would not say IF. How then are you supposed to authorise a server in DHCP if it does not have DHCP server installed?

Other things I tried before I got it working were:

Adding another image to RIS and choosing "use the new client install screens"

Restarting RIS services

Re-installing DHCP on the original RIS server and then authorising it even though there was no active scope

Configuring "server options" in DHCP (not scope options, server options)

Unchecking "respond to clients" and rechecking it - then restating services

Unchecking respond to DHCP and BOOTP in the DHCP MMC

As I said I finally managed to get RIS working succesfully after a migration for the first time but I have no idea why or which of the above managed to fix the problem. I find the documentation on RIS weak and unhelpfull as it fails to cover DHCP requirements properly.

Does anyone know RIS well? Can anyone help me figure out what the requirements actually are, how to troubleshoot it correctly etc etc

Any questions, comments, suggestions welcome!

Thanks

[RogueSpear]

I read your post in a little bit of a rush, but from what I could gather your difficulties seem to lie in DHCP authorization. As you know, you have to authorize all DHCP servers in a forest. This is to prevent the neophyte down the hall from sticking up a DHCP server without the admin knowing about it.

What I've noticed on a few occasions is that when someone is setting up RIS for the first time, they forget to authorize the RIS server in the DHCP management tool. Even if your RIS server is not actively running DHCP, it still needs to be authorized since it is what your clients are booting to.

EDIT: You can authorize a RIS server just by selecting "Add Server" in the DHCP snap in and then authorizing it. In my main shop I have RIS running on a member server seperate fromt the domain controller that DHCP is running on.

Edited September 14, 2005 by RogueSpear

[ixion]

I fully understand your rushing through my post - I did mention that I know the server has to be authorised, but one of my questions which related to this was, does DHCP have to be installed on the RIS server in order to authorise it?

[RogueSpear]

No, it does not. Just manually enter the ip address or the domain name (risserver.mydomain.local) when you click on Add Server in the DHCP snapin.

[ixion]

I posted a new problem here, will start a new thread instead

Edited September 15, 2005 by ixion