Unable to contact DHCP server with RIS boot disk (255952)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
This article was previously published under Q255952

SYMPTOMS

When you start a Remote Install Service (RIS) client by using the Remote Install boot disk you created with the Remote Boot Floppy Generator (Rbfg.exe), you may receive the following error message:
Error: Can't resolve IP address address of the DHCP server
Press a key to reboot system.

CAUSE

This problem can occur in either of the following circumstances:

The default gateway (router), defined in the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lease (option 3) is unavailable.

-or-

The Remote Boot Floppy Generator client is ignoring the subnet mask. This may cause the client to not be able to reach the RIS server when the RIS server is on another subnet in a subnetted environment, or when the RIS server is on the same network in a supernetted environment.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. 
   Date        Time    Version      Size     File name
   --------------------------------------------------
   6-Dec-2001  21:26   2.0.0.19       299,008  Rbfg.exe

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2.

MORE INFORMATION

The RIS client disk always communicates through the default gateway (if the default gateway is configured) to connect to RIS. This occurs even if the RIS and DHCP server are on the same subnet that the computer is on.

However, this is not true for computers that support Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) in BIOS or Boot ROM.

Only certain PCI-based network adapters are supported currently and they are listed in the Rbfg.exe utility that creates the boot disk. This utility is in the %Systemroot%\System32\Reminst folder. Click Rbfg.exe, and then click the adapter list button in the Remote Boot Disk Generator screen to see the supported adapters.

You cannot add additional network adapters to the RIS Boot disk. Microsoft adds additional network adapters over time and makes the updates in the Rbfg.exe tool available through typical distribution channels, such as the Internet, Windows Update, and future service pack or feature pack updates.

For additional information about related topics, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

242920 How the Remote Installation boot disk works

246184 How to add third-party OEM network adapters to RIS installations

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/12/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kberrmsg kbfix kbWin2000PreSP2Fix KB255952
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