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Catalyst 3750 SwitchSoftware Configuration Guide
OL-8550-09
Chapter3 Assigning the Switch IP Address and Default Gateway
Assigning Switch Information
DHCP Server and Switch Stacks
The DHCP binding database is managed on the stack master. When a new stack master is assigned, the
new master downloads the saved binding database from the TFTP server. If the stack master fails, all
unsaved bindings are lost. The IP addresses associated with the lost bindings are released. You should
configure an automatic backup by using the ip dhcp database url [timeout seconds | write-delay
seconds] global configuration command.
When a stack merge occurs, the stack master that becomes a stack member loses all of the DHCP lease
bindings. With a stack partition, the new master in the partition acts as a new DHCP server without any
of the existing DHCP lease bindings.
For more information about the switch stack, see Chapter5, “Managing Switch Stacks.”
Configuring the TFTP Server
Based on the DHCP server configuration, the switch attempts to download one or more configuration
files from the TFTP server. If you configured the DHCP server to respond to the switch with all the
options required for IP connectivity to the TFTP server, and if you configured the DHCP server with a
TFTP server name, address, and configuration filename, the switch attempts to download the specified
configuration file from the specified TFTP server.
If you did not specify the configuration filename, the TFTP server, or if the configuration file could not
be downloaded, the switch attempts to download a configuration file by using various combinations of
filenames and TFTP server addresses. The files include the specified configuration filename (if any) and
these files: network-config, cisconet.cfg, hostname.config, or hostname.cfg, where hostname is the
switch’s current hostname. The TFTP server addresses used include the specified TFTP server address
(if any) and the broadcast address (255.255.255.255).
For the switch to successfully download a configuration file, the TFTP server must contain one or more
configuration files in its base directory. The files can include these files:
•The configuration file named in the DHCP reply (the actual switch configuration file).
•The network-confg or the cisconet.cfg file (known as the default configuration files).
•The router-confg or the ciscortr.cfg file (These files contain commands common to all switches.
Normally, if the DHCP and TFTP servers are properly configured, these files are not accessed.)
If you specify the TFTP server name in the DHCP server-lease database, you must also configure the
TFTP server name-to-IP-address mapping in the DNS-server database.
If the TFTP server to be used is on a different LAN from the switch, or if it is to be accessed by the switch
through the broadcast address (which occurs if the DHCP server response does not contain all the
required information described previously), a relay must be configured to forward the TFTP packets to
the TFTP server. For more information, see the “Configuring the Relay Device” section on page3-9. The
preferred solution is to configure the DHCP server with all the required information.
Configuring the DNS
The DHCP server uses the DNS server to resolve the TFTP server name to an IP address. You must
configure the TFTP server name-to-IP address map on the DNS server. The TFTP server contains the
configuration files for the switch.
You can configure the IP addresses of the DNS servers in the lease database of the DHCP server from
where the DHCP replies will retrieve them. You can enter up to two DNS server IP addresses in the lease
database.