Installation guide

Chapter 2 Installing and Starting Up the Switch
Assigning Switch Information
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Catalyst 3500 Series XL Hardware Installation Guide
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Using BOOTP
You can use BOOTP to assign IP information to a Catalyst 3500 XL switch. A
database with a list of physical MAC addresses and corresponding IP addresses
must be set up on the BOOTP server. Other optional information, such as the
corresponding subnet masks and default gateway addresses, can also be stored in
the database. The switch must be able to access the BOOTP server through one of
its ports.
If the switch starts and no IP address has been assigned, it transmits a BOOTP
broadcast request to all of its connected ports, requesting a mapping for its
physical MAC address. A valid response includes the IP address, which is
mandatory, and the subnet mask and the default gateway, which are optional.
The reception of a valid BOOTP response immediately activates the rest of the
system protocol suite, without requiring a system reset. The running configuration
is set, but the saved configuration in Flash memory is not automatically updated.
To save the IP information, log in to the CLI, and enter the write memory
command. The IP information is then preserved, and the switch does not issue
BOOTP messages the next time it resets.