Spanning Tree Protocol can cause PXE Boot Failure on Dell Systems

This article describes work-arounds for Spanning Tree Protocol issues that may arise on newer Dell systems while attempting to image across a network.

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Newer Dell systems may experience difficulties PXE boot imaging across a network when utilizing the Spanning Tree Protocol. The Spanning Tree Protocol is common to Dell, Cisco, other managed switches. Newer Dell System BIOS have a limited time-out when PXE booting to a system during the imaging process. This means the system may not be in a state to receive DHCP information in the time-frame in which the switch is offering the response. If the Spanning Tree Protocol is suspected, the following work-around may resolve the issue:

Delay the PXE DHCP request until the system is prepared to listen:

1. Press the Pause button on the keyboard as soon as the DHCP cursor starts spinning on the display
2. Wait approximately 30 seconds, then press the Up Arrow to resume the DHCP process

The following link describes the steps to enable, or disable the Spanning Tree functionality on a Dell PowerConnect 3248 from the Port Settings page. It also discusses the Fast Link functionality that can be enabled or disabled from the Port Settings page. How Do I Enable FastLink for a Port on a Managed PowerConnect 3248 or 5224 Switch? - KB Article - 130062 

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