LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Glen Turner <glen.turner@aarnet.edu.au>
  To  : David Newall <davidn@rebel.net.au>
  Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 23:34:01 +1030

Re: boopd

David Newall wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 28 Feb 2000 valex@style.senet.com.au wrote:
> > Can anyone tell me what the main difference is between bootpc and bootpd.
> > I am trying to set up an X-term
> 
> I haven't got either loaded, but all bootpd's I've seen are BOOTP servers.
> Permit me to guess: bootpc is a BOOTP client.  Maybe it's purpose is as a
> diagnostic for bootpd; maybe it's purpose is to query a BOOTP server and
> update your local configuration accordingly.  Either way, if you need either
> it would be bootpd that provides network configuration for an X terminal.

The BOOTP protocol uses two port numbers, one for client requests
and another for server responses.  Client requests can be picked
up by a router, stamped with the subnet they were heard on, and
forwarded to a corporate BOOTP server who's address has been configured
into the router.

As we don't want the responses being stuffed about with by
the routers, they use a different port number.

The BOOTPS response that allocates the IP address is a directed
broadcast to the subnet that router stamped in the BOOTPC request.

DHCP is implemented as a BOOTP protocol option, so it behaves
the same as BOOTP as far as routers are concerned.

Personally, I'd install the ISC DHCP server (it does BOOTP too)
rather than configure a static IP address ever again.  It pays
for the time taken the first occassion you make a network change that
requires an IP address renumbering.  It also lets you safely
change the IP address of DNS servers, something that's otherwise
almost impossible otherwsie (to the extent that I'd put a DNS server
in its own subnet if I had to hardcode IP addresses).

-- 
 Glen Turner                                 Network Engineer
 (08) 8303 3936      Australian Academic and Research Network
 glen.turner@aarnet.edu.au          http://www.aarnet.edu.au/
--
 Earth is a single point of failure

-- 
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