Configuring and Managing MPE/iX Internet Services (August 2002)

Chapter 4
BOOTP Service
The bootpd Configuration File
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The bootpd Configuration File
When bootpd is started, it reads a configuration file to find out information about clients and relays, then
listens for boot request packets. By default, bootpd uses the configuration file /etc/bootptab, but you may
specify another configuration file.
The BOOTP server will reread its configuration file and update its information about new, deleted or modified
hosts on two occasions other than startup: when you send it a SIGHUP signal, or when it receives a boot
request packet and detects that the configuration file has been edited.
Creating and Linking bootpd Configuration File
You may already have a configuration file for bootpd installed on your system. If you know that you have
such a file, and it is accessible by the POSIX file name /etc/bootptab you may skip these steps.
If not, follow the steps below to create the file and link to it. If you have such a file, but are unsure whether or
not it is linked, perform step 2 only.
1. Create your own configuration file by using the COPY command to rename the sample file. Enter:
:COPY BPTABSMP.NET.SYS TO BOOTPTAB.NET.SYS
2. Create a symbolic link from /etc/bootptab in the POSIX name space to BOOTPTAB.NET.SYS. Enter:
:NEWLINK /etc/bootptab, BOOTPTAB.NET.SYS
3. Check the security provisions of the file and change them, if necessary. Hewlett-Packard recommends
that only MANAGER.SYS has write access to BOOTPTAB.NET.SYS, and write and purge access to
/etc/bootptab.
Editing the bootpd Configuration File
Use the following steps to edit the bootpd configuration file:
1. Open the file with an MPE text editor. You may edit the /etc/bootptab file from the POSIX shell or the
BOOTPTAB.NET.SYS file from MPE/iX, whichever you prefer. Both file names should point to the same file.
2. Add, delete, or change any of the entries in the file. The following sections give you more information
about the contents of the bootpd configuration file.
3. Save the file and exit the editor program.
Adding Client and Relay Data to bootpd Configuration File
To allow a client to boot from your local system or to allow a boot request to be relayed to the appropriate boot
server, you must add information about the client to the bootpd configuration file. This file contains client
entries and relay entries. Client entries provide the information necessary to allow clients to boot from your
system. Relay entries provide the information necessary to relay a boot request to one or more bootpd
servers.
The information that you need to collect for these types of entries is explained in the next two sections.
Collecting Client Information
To make an entry for the client in the bootpd configuration file, you need to collect information about the
client such as the following: