PXE-E99 : Unexpected network error – SCCM OSD

The PXE boot may fail with PXE-99 error on random machines when you try Operating System Deployment through Configuration Manager | SCCM.

>>Start PXE Over IPv4

Station IP address is : xx.xxx.xxx.xxx

Server IP address is : xx.xxx.xxx.xxx

NBP filename is smsboot\x64\Wdsmgfw.efi

NBP filesize is 0 bytes

PXE-E99: Unexpected network error.

Cause:

This issue may happen when SCCM OSD Task Sequence deployed only to Unknow Computers collection. The machine was build earlier and a record was present in SCCM database. Hence, device is not recognized as unknow computer and SCCM do not find any deployment for the machine. Hence ConfigMgr PXE enabled Distribution Point discard boot image request.

Solution

The quick way to look for machine record in SCCM by device MAC address. We can quickly search for the same from ConfigMgr console or through ConfigMgr report. However many times we may not find any record in ConfigMgr with MAC address.

We need to dig deeper in that case. The SMSPXE.log on PXE enabled Distribution Point come to our rescue.

Open smspxe.log in CMTrace and try PXE boot on problematic machine. You can find the real time logs for machine communicating with PXE enabled DP. See what’s happened in our case.

We tried to find the machine in SCCM using device MAC address however could not find any records. However the smspxe.log show that device is in the database and it could not find any deployment available for the device.

D3:15:C2:5C:6A:C7, X023984C-15DB-99Z2-A25D-F43DB2F4X123: Device is in the database.

D3:15:C2:5C:6A:C7, X023984C-15DB-99Z2-A25D-F43DB2F4X123: no advertisements found

We now tried to search the record in SCCM console using SMBIOS ID and found the record in SCCM. Once we deleted the record from SCCM, the machine become unknow and the PXE boot worked fine at next retry.

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