Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!rochester!rutgers!sdcsvax!ucbvax!aramis.rutgers.EDU!hedrick
From: hedrick@aramis.rutgers.EDU (Charles Hedrick)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: bootp/rarp
Message-ID: <8801071746.AA16186@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 7 Jan 88 17:46:52 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 18

I am sending a copy of bootp to Jeff under separate cover.  We recommend
using bootp rather than rarp where possible:
  - it is designed to go through gateways.  You can boot a large
	network of cisco equipment from a single boot host (or from
	more than one, as long as they are all on one subnet) if
	if want to.  THis may be convenient for networks where it
	is not practical to have servers at each location.
  - it does not need a kernel change to install.  Rarp does not use
	TCP or UDP, so you need to hack some kernel tables if your
	system doesn't already implement it.  Note that Sun, which
	does claim to implement it, often can't be used to boot
	cisco equipment, because Sun's RARP drops all but one request
	when it gets several at once.
Bootp requests that your kernel have an ioctl to install a new
ARP table entry.  This is needed in order to get the response back
to the requestor.  Obviously the requestor is not yet in a position
to respond to an ARP request.  4.3, and most vendor-supplied versions
of 4.2, has such a call.