RFC 1497 (rfc1497) - Page 1 of 8

BOOTP Vendor Information Extensions

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Network Working Group                                       J. Reynolds
Request for Comments: 1497                                          ISI
Obsoletes: 1395, 1084, 1048                                 August 1993
Updates: 951


                  BOOTP Vendor Information Extensions

Status of this Memo

   This memo is a status report on the vendor information extensions
   used in the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP).  Distribution of this memo is
   unlimited.

Introduction

   This RFC is a slight revision and extension of RFC-1048 by Philip
   Prindeville, who should be credited with the original work in this
   memo.  This memo will be updated as additional tags are are defined.
   This edition introduces Tag 18 for Extension Path.

   As workstations and personal computers proliferate on the Internet,
   the administrative complexity of maintaining a network is increased
   by an order of magnitude.  The assignment of local network resources
   to each client represents one such difficulty.  In most environments,
   delegating such responsibility to the user is not plausible and,
   indeed, the solution is to define the resources in uniform terms, and
   to automate their assignment.

   The basic Bootstrap Protocol [RFC-951] dealt with the issue of
   assigning an internet address to a client, as well as a few other
   resources.  The protocol included provisions for vendor-defined
   resource information.

   This memo defines a (potentially) vendor-independent interpretation
   of this resource information.

Overview of BOOTP

   While the Reverse Address Resolution (RARP) Protocol [RFC-903] may be
   used to assign an IP address to a local network hardware address, it
   provides only part of the functionality needed.  Though this protocol
   can be used in conjunction with other supplemental protocols (the
   Resource Location Protocol [RFC-887], the Domain Name System [RFC-
   1034]), a more integrated solution may be desirable.






Reynolds
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