Network Configuration Servers

Network configuration servers are the servers that supply the TCP/IP configuration information to hosts that are configured in network client mode. These servers support three booting protocols:

• RARP – Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) maps Ethernet addresses (48 bits) to IPv4 addresses (32 bits), which is the reverse of ARP. When you run RARP on a network configuration server, hosts that are running in network client mode obtain their IP addresses and TCP/IP configuration files from the server. The in.rarpd daemon enables RARP services. Refer to the in.rarpd(1M) man page for details.

• TFTP – The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is an application that transfers files between remote systems. The in.tftpd daemon executes TFTP services, enabling file transfer between network configuration servers and their network clients. Refer to the in.tftpd(1M) man page for details.

• Bootparams – The Bootparams protocol supplies parameters for booting that are required by clients that boot off the network. The rpc.bootparamd daemon executes these services. Refer to the bootparamd(1M) man page for details.

Network configuration servers can also function as NFS file servers.

If you are configuring any hosts as network clients, then you must also configure at least one system on your network as a network configuration server. If your network is subnetted, then you must have at least one network configuration server for each subnet with network clients.