Product specifications

Efficient Networks
®
Router family
Technical Reference Guide
Chapter 4: System Management
Efficient Networks
®
Page 4-15
BootP Service
This section first discusses what BootP is and then describes the BootP service
available from the router.
BootP Concepts
BootP refers to the Bootstrap Protocol. In general, BootP requests have these
purposes:
• To obtain an IP address to use.
• To obtain a TFTP server address and file information to continue the booting
up process.
For example, a diskless workstation could use a BootP request to get an IP address
for itself, the TFTP server address where it is to get the kernel it is to load and run,
and the file name of that kernel.
A BootP server waits for incoming BootP broadcasts from BootP clients. The server
looks up the MAC addresses of the incoming BootP request in its database. If the
MAC address is found, the server normally responds to the requestor with an IP
address. It may also respond with boot information, that is, the IP address of a TFTP
server, and the name of a file.
BootP Service by the DHCP Server
BootP is a subset of DHCP. The router has a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol) server (as described in detail on page 4-2). By default, the DHCP server
ignores BootP requests. However, if desired, you can enable the DHCP server in the
router to process BootP requests. BootP processing can be enabled globally, on a per
subnetwork basis, or on a per client (IP address) basis. For more information, see
“Managing BootP” on page 4-10.
If the DHCP server in the router is disabled, it, of course, cannot process BootP
requests even if BootP processing is enabled. The DHCP server in the router disables
itself if one of the following occurs:
• If another DHCP server is active on the network.
• If you enter the commands dhcp disable all and save.
• If the DHCP relay list contains one or more IP addresses.