BOOTP is the Bootstrap Protocol.

The BOOTP protocol is utilized by diskless workstations to gather configuration information from a network server.

The information provided by the BOOTP protocol is:

  • The IP address which should be utilized by the diskless workstation
  • The IP address of a server which will provide an Operating System image for the diskless workstation
  • The filename of an Operating System image which the diskless workstation should boot

BOOTP workstations are identified by their MAC addresses.

The BOOTP protocol utilizes UDP ports 67 and 68.

Additional Reading on BOOTP

The BOOTP protocol is defined in RFC 951: BOOTSTRAP PROTOCOL (BOOTP).