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From: hascall@cs.iastate.edu (John Hascall)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix,comp.protocols.tcp-ip,biz.dec.ip
Subject: Trying to write a bootp client for Ultrix
Summary: Chicken & Egg (arg!)
Keywords: bootp, client, ifconfig, ioctl, bind, help!
Message-ID: <1758@dino.cs.iastate.edu>
Date: 31 May 90 02:52:44 GMT
Sender: usenet@dino.cs.iastate.edu
Followup-To: comp.unix.ultrix
Organization: Iowa State University Computation Center
Lines: 25


   I am working on a bootp client which I hope to use as follows (in
/etc/rc.local):

     ifconfig `bootp-client`

The aim of the program is to produce a string like the following:

     se0 129.186.1.62 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 129.186.1.255

The client program creates a datagram socket, but when it attempts
to bind (to addr=INADDR_ANY, port=BOOTP) it fails unless I preceed
the bind with a SIOCSIFADDR (set address) ioctl call%.  Herein lies the
problem: the whole reason for this program is to discover the address!

If I just stick in a bogus address (say 129.186.0.0) I get the bootp
request sent fine, but I don't receive the reply.  I have tried all
sorts of things but none have worked...

   ...does any one have any ideas on how to make this work?

Thanks again,
John Hascall   hascall@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu

% according to man side effect of SIOCSIFADDR is to initialize the interface