Simplify the management of PXE clients in networks with multiple PXE servers

With PXE Server Directory Service (PXESDS), network administrators can specify which PXE server a client will boot from, and thus only need to configure and maintain that client's boot -related files on the designated PXE server.

Prior to the availability of PXESDS, networks with multiple PXE servers had no means to predict which PXE server would respond to a client’s boot request. When multiple PXE servers were running on the same network, PXE clients would either boot from the PXE server running on the same system as the DHCP server (because it has the highest priority), or they would boot from whichever other PXE server was the first to respond. This situation resulted in unpredictability as to which PXE server should be configured for each client and which PXE server should host the boot-related files for each client.

The PXESDS service is normally installed on one server in the network. Installing PXESDS on multiple servers will offer fault tolerance, at the expense of having to maintain multiple copies of the client database. PXESDS uses a standard-compliant implementation of the PXE client/server protocol to direct PXE clients to their designated PXE server. On the client system, the PXE agent must be capable of supporting the PXESDS feature and should have PXESDS functionality enabled.