• How Computers in a Pending State Are Handled
  
  
• Diagram of the Auto-Add Policy
  
  

If a computer requires approval before the installation will start, the computer will be in a pending state. The following steps detail the process a pending computer goes through to get approved:

1. A client Pre-Boot Execution Environment (PXE) boot request is received by the PXE server and passed to Windows Deployment Services.
   
   
2. Windows Deployment Services checks the Auto-Add policy to see it should answer clients. If the Auto-Add policy is set to answer clients, the process continues. If the Auto-Add policy is set to not answer clients, the client request is ignored.
   
   
3. Windows Deployment Services queries AD DS. If the device is prestaged, the device is answered and Auto-Add policy is not used. If the device is not prestaged, the process continues.
   
   
4. If the Auto-Add policy is set to answer only known clients and the client is not prestaged, the client request is ignored. If the server is set to answer all clients — even those that are not known — the process continues.
   
   
5. The Auto-Add policy is queried. If pending functionality is enabled, then the client will await approval from the administrator. If pending functionality is not enabled, then the client installation will proceed.
   
   
6. The Auto-Add devices database is queried.
   
   
   • If the device does not exist in the Auto-Add devices database, this computer has not attempted to boot before. Skip to step 7.
     
     
   • If the device does exist in the Auto-Add devices database and the status of the device is approved, the device is placed into the pending queue awaiting AD DS replication. Actions beginning at step 3 will be repeated per the client’s defined polling interval.
     
     
   • If the device does exist in the Auto-Add devices database and the status of the device is rejected, the client request is ignored.
     
     
   • If pending functionality is turned on, the device is added to the Auto-Add devices database.
     
     
7. The device remains in the pending state until one of the following occurs:
   
   
   • If the device is approved, it is sent the settings for its architecture. Additionally, it is possible for you to override the defaults when you manually approve a device. Skip to step 8.
     
     
   • If the device is rejected, it will be sent the file Abortpxe.com, causing the device to boot to the next device in the boot order.
     
     
   • If the device times out, the device will boot from the next device in the boot order.
     
     
   • If the user cancels the PXE request, the device will boot from the next device in the boot order. The device will re-enter the pending state on the next reboot if the Auto-Add Devices database still contains the computer entry.
     
     
8. If the device is approved, the following will occur:
   
   
   • A unique name is created for the device, and the device will be added to AD DS, using the Auto-Add policy settings (if a name was not specified when you approved the device using the WDSUTIL command-line utility or the MMC snap-in).
     
     
   • The computer and all of its properties will be added to a domain controller where the computer account object will be created.
     
     
   • The computer is sent another network boot program (NBP). If you did not specify this NBP when the device was approved, the default settings will be used.
     
     

     	Note
     	All computer properties as set on the prestaged computer account are immediately in effect (as if the client had always existed in AD DS and Windows Deployment Services searched and found it there).

   • The computer record is updated to approved in the Auto-Add devices database. If this process fails, the device is still answered.
     
     

The following diagram illustrates the Auto-Add policy.