NetSUS Appliance - Netboot across VLANS

[stlukesgrammar]

Hi all.

I'm investigating pulling out JSS and Netboot services off our current Mac Mini's and putting them into our virtualised environment.

I've downloaded and set up the latest NetSUS ova, wanted to know how to netboot across VLANs (NetSUS appliance on server VLAN, clients on our imaging VLAN). Am I already barking up the wrong tree here - can the NetSUS appliance serve netboot images across VLANs?

Thanks in advance.
--Nathan

[daz_wallace]

Hey Nathan,

The NetSUS certainly supports netbooting across VLANs but with a few notes:

1) You need to add those VLANs into the section on the Netboot config page of the NetSUS.

2) You might need to have the IP Helper statements on your network switches adjusted to use the new IP of your NetSUS box.

Hope that helps!

Darren

[stlukesgrammar]

Thanks Darren.
Quick question though, I have already entered the imaging VLAN on the NetSUS appliance, but I can't see the netboot image when I hold option whilst booting the machine. When I used the Mavericks Server app to do netbooting, the netboot images would appear fine. I don't believe our network guys had set up any helper IP's for that system - so does the NetSUS appliance not advertise itself like OSX server netboot does?
Cheers,
Nathan

[jhuhmann]

@stlukesgrammar - It should send out broadcasts the same way that OSX netboot servers do. If you're able to use your OSX netboot across VLANs then your network guys have an ip helper address set up. I don't think there is any other way to do it.

[clifhirtle]

FWIW, I see the same thing: OSXS NetBoot broadcasts across subnets, NetSUS does not. With IP Helpers in place. We also run PXE boot for Windows.

[stlukesgrammar]

@clifhirtle - That is interesting - same setup here, running PXE boot with SCCM 2007 for our windows machines. I tried disabling the WDS service, but that hadn't changed anything, but perhaps it does have something to do with our mixed environment..?

[Easton]

We noticed identical behavior between OS X NetBoot and NetSUS. We needed IP Helpers for both and you will need inbound firewall rules on the network with the NetBoot or NetSUS server (for DHCP ports).

In addition, we have no issues having PXE and NetBoot on the same networks

[scharman]

I am trying to get this to work with a PXE boot server present and a main DHCP server that handles all the subnetting, atm my netsus seems to be getting blocked by our dhcp server saying no available leases, yet I am putting a summary route into the netsus to encapsulate all subnets, am I to mirror the subnetting config between the netsus and the main DHCP server?

[jacensolo]

Hi Guys,

seen this above

1) You need to add those VLANs into the section on the Netboot config page of the NetSUS.

but also seen this

OSXS NetBoot broadcasts across subnets, NetSUS does not.

Does anyone know the definitive answer to this? and if is possible then we can't find the section in the netsus web UI to add the vlans. If this has been hardcoded where are the config files and what is the syntax to add the vlans?
We've searched for documentation but it's hard to find anything relevant to this.

Thanks

[bzuckrow]

+1 for the answers given.

Definitely add ALL the subnets to NetSUS config. And yes to adding IP helper addresses - to every switch for SCCM/PXE and NetSUS server addresses.

We use SCCM for PXE booting - the NetSUS for Mac imaging (or used to) - and Windows DHCP - all 3 play nicely together.

[jacensolo]

@bzuckrow - Thanks. As per your reply below, where do we add the subnets? We are using Ubuntu 18.04 x64 / NetSUS 5.0, and can't see anywhere in the webUI where we can add these subnets???

We've looked through the documentation and seeing nothing about this.

Definitely add ALL the subnets to NetSUS config.

[bzuckrow]

@jacensolo - screen shot attached.

I am using the NetSUS Virtual Appliance 4.1.0. Maybe this is different from what you are doing.

We have 2 "data centers" and each has a NetSUS configured for local subnets to keep traffic localized. Then switches local to one data center get that IP for the IP Helper and vice versa for the other.

I had a terrible time getting the update services to work and gave up on that once HighSierra came out. Really don't use netboot anymore either and have moved to using Restore mode to update OS.

[jacensolo]

@bzuckrow

Thanks, so somethings gone wrong in our install as we're only getting:

we've installed it twice, once as the OVA from Git, but it wouldn't work with our DR solution and showed up the same, second time manually following the instructions.
Any idea where we went wrong? or if there is a config file we need to edit?

[bzuckrow]

Sorry - you are over my head - definitely different versions of the Appliance and looks like things have changed.