Windows NT Does Not Provide Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) Service

• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0

SUMMARY

Although Windows NT provides dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) services, and DHCP is based on the Bootstrap protocol (BOOTP), Windows NT does not provide BOOTP services.

NOTE: The latest Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 U.S. Service Pack adds some BOOTP functionality to the Microsoft DHCP Server component. For additional information, please see the README.TXT file included with the Service Pack, or see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q152841
   TITLE     : Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 Readme.txt File (40-bit)

MORE INFORMATION

Windows NT uses DHCP to retrieve information from a DHCP server, but does not retrieve information directly related to diskless booting, nor does it provide BOOTP services to manage and initiate diskless booting.

BOOTP, as defined in RFC 951 (with clarifications and extensions applied in RFC 1542), is both a service and a protocol (used to implement the service). The BOOTP service allows a diskless client to access the BOOTP server host to determine (using programmable read-only memory [PROM] code), its own IP address, the address of a BOOTP server host, and boot file to load into memory. The diskless client can then boot itself.

Windows NT does not provide BOOTP server code to locate and indicate (to the diskless client) an NT boot image file, nor does it provide services to allow a BOOTP client to boot Windows NT.

Using a BOOTP Router to Relay DHCP Frames

A router with BOOTP relay-agent capability (clarified in RFC 1542) can recognize BOOTP protocol frames and process (relay) them appropriately. Because routers see DHCP frames as BOOTP frames, a router with BOOTP relay- agent capability can relay DHCP frames just like standard BOOTP frames.

NOTE: Because this router-based BOOTP relay-agent capability was not clearly defined until RFC 1542, use a router that conforms to RFC 1542.

For more information, please refer to RFCs 951 (BOOTP), 1542 (Clarifications and extensions for BOOTP), 1541 (DHCP), and 1534 (Interoperation between DHCP and BOOTP).