Installation Guide

Table Of Contents
Task 13: Zero Touch Configuration Using DHCP
Option 66
Task 13: Zero Touch Configuration Using DHCP
Option 66
This feature allows an SM to get its configuration via DHCP option 66. This can be
used for the initial configuration of an SM as well as managing the configuration of
SMs on an ongoing basis. Here is how it works in brief :
1. When the SM boots up, if it is set to use DHCP client, it will send out a DHCP
Discover packet which includes a request for DHCP Option 66.
2. In case of a brand new SM out of the box, the DHCP Discover packet is sent out if
the SM connects to an AP using Installation Color Code (ICC), even though DHCP
client is not enabled in factory default config.
3. An appropriately configured DHCP server will respond with a DHCP Offer and
include a URL in response to the Option 66 request. The URL should point to the
configuration file.
4. The device will download the configuration file and apply it. The device will reboot
automatically if needed. (Note: this requires “rebootIfRequired” flag to be added to
the config file. See Creating a Golden config file on page 177.
Configuration Steps
The Zero Touch Configuraiton steps are the following:
1. Create the golden config file(s)
2. Host it on an TFTP/FTP/HTTP/HTTPS server
3. Configure the DHCP server to return the URL of the golden config file in option 66
When the SM boots up, it will get the URL for the golden config from the DHCP
server via option 66, download it and apply it.
If all the SMs are configured exactly the same, then you can create just new golden
config file that can be used with all SMs.
If the SMs are not configured the same, see if it is possible to group the SMs such
that SMs with the same configuration are served by the same DHCP pool. User can
then create multiple golden config files and configure the DHCP server to use the
appropriate config file for each pool.
User can also create one config file per SM. This provides the most flexibility, but is
practical only if you have a software tool/script to generate the config files for each
MAC address. The files should be named <mac>.cfg where <mac> is the MAC
address of the SM, and stored in the same directory on the file server. The DHCP
server should be configured to return the directory name ending with a ‘/’ in option
66. The SM will automatically add “<mac>.cfg” to the path and get its config file.
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pmp-0957 (April 2015)