How to Setup Windows Deployment Services with Separate DHCP Server on Windows Server 2012 R2

In this post, I'll show you how to setup WDS when there is a separate DHCP server running on the network. This guide assumes you have already configured a DHCP server with an active scope.

Prerequisites

Your machine should meet the following requirements before WDS is configured.

  1. Administrator account has a strong password.
  2. Static IP is configured.
  3. Latest windows updates are installed.
  4. Firewall is turned off.

Installing Windows Deployment Server

Step 1: Open the Server Manager Dashboard from the task bar. Click Manage and scroll to Add Roles and Features. Click on Add Roles and Features.

Add Roles and Features

Step 2: Read the important notes and make sure you fulfill all of them before you continue. Then click Next.

Read the prerequisites.

Step 3: Choose Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.

Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
Step 4: Select the destination server on which you want to install to WDS role and click Next.

Select Destination server
Step 5: Choose Windows Deployment Services from server roles. As soon as you mark the check box, another small window will pop up alerting you to install other required features as well along with WDS. Click on Add Features.

Add features

Step 6: Server roles, click Next to proceed.

Accept the defaults and click on next.
Step 7: Features, click Next.

Accept preselected features
Step 8: Note down the related notes and click Next.

Read the WDS installation notes

Step 9: Keep default selections and click Next.

Role services
Step 10: Confirm your installation selections and when you are done, click Install.
Confirm installation selections

Step 11: When an installation is succeeded click Close.
Installation progress

Configuring Windows Deployment Server

Step 1: Open the Server Manager Dashboard, click on Tool and scroll down to Windows Deployment Services and click it.

Server management dashboard
Step 2: Right-click on your machine located under Servers. Scroll to Configure Server and click it.

Configure server
Step 3: Before you continue further read the requirements and make sure you meet them. Click Next.

Read the installation requirements and accept them.
Step 4: Choose Standalone server and click Next.

Choose Standalone server
Step 5: Browse and choose the path on your drive where you would like to place boot images, install images, PXE boot files, and other WDS tools. Click Next.
Choose remote installation folder path

Step 6: Ignore the warning and click Yes.

Accept warning
Step 7: Choose Respond to all client computers (known and unknown) and click Next.
Respond to all client computers

Step 8: Add images to your WDS server by keeping Add images to the server now field checked. Click Finish.

Add images to your WDS server
Step 9: Provide the path of your installation DVD which contains boot.wim and install.wim. Click Browse.
Provide the path of your installation DVD

Step 10: Choose sources folder and click OK.

Choose sources folder
Step 11: Accept the path and click Next.

Keep the path and continue
Step 12: Provide an image group name and click Next.

Provide an image group name
Step 13: Verify the information and click Next.

Check information
Step 14: Click Finish.

Finish

Step 15: Right-click Multicast Transmission, scroll to Create Multicast Transmission and click it.

Create Multicast Transmission

Step 16: Provide the name of this transmission and click Next.

Set transmission name

Step 17: Choose the image you would like to transmit using multicasting and click Next.

Choose installation image
Step 18: Choose Auto-cast and click Next.
Choose Auto-cast

Step 19: Click Finish.

Operation Complete

Configuring DHCP Scope Options

Step 20:  Go to your DHCP server, expand IPv4 node. Right-click Scope Options and then click Configure Options.

 

Scope Options

 

Step 21: Locate option 66 and check it. Provide an IP address of WDS server in String value and click OK.

066 Boot Server Host Name

Step 22: On DHCP server console, right-click your dhcp -> All Tasks -> click Restart.

DHCP server console
Conclusion

You are done with configuring WDS and a scope option on DHCP server. Restart your DHCP service. Take a client machine,  and boot it it trough the network boot option and check that your configuration is working.