XenDesktop Fact: Provisioning Services does not require PXE

XenDesktop Fact: Provisioning Services does not require PXE -

I hear again and again from different sources (some of which are very unreliable) that Provisioning Services requires PXE. This is simply not the case.

When using Provisioning Services, which is an optional component of XenDesktop, the target device using a boot file, which initializes the flow Provisioning Services. The target device must obtain the bootstrap file, or the current will never start. This is where some people believe that the only method to send the bootstrap is PXE and TFTP.

Provisioning Services has a few different options to provide the bootstrap file (these were the most common approaches for many years):

1. DHCP method:
   Target device starts and sends DHCP discover broadcast
   DHCP server responds with an IP address of the client option 66 and 67
   Target device uses the IP address and contacts the server identified in option 66 requesting the file from the option 67.
   PVS server sends the request via TFTP boot file to the target device
2. PXE method :.
   target device starts and sends DHCP discover broadcast with Option 60 PXE client
   DHCP server responds with IP
   PVS servers that are running PXE services, respond with boot server
   the client uses the IP address and takes a PLWHA answers and request more information
   PVS server replies with name boot / file information [contact
   from the boot server and the target device application the filename.
   PVS server sends the boot file via TFTP requests to the target device.
3. Local method: a local file is created with the start Device Manager, a component of Provisioning services. The local file is the bootstrap file, which tells the target how to contact the Provisioning Services farm. He is assigned to each target device as either ISO deices attached to the target DVD drive, USB drive, or as a small logged VHD.

There is a very good mix of organizations opting for DHCP or local, much less using the PXE method. Both work, but DHCP and PXE requires greater integration with your current environment that the local method

Daniel -. Lead Architect

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