6.9 BOOTP

The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) allows diskless network clients to learn their IP addresses and the locations of their boot files and boots. BOOTP requests and replies are forwarded at the application level (via UDP), not at the network level. Thus, their IP headers change as the packets are forwarded. The network client broadcasts the request in a UDP packet to the routers. The routers then forward the packets to BOOTP servers.