HP 310X, 175X Gateways, DHCP or BOOTP for auto-configuration of TCP/IP services, Default Gateway

Gateways

Gateways (routers) are used to connect networks together. Gateways are devices that act as translators between systems that do not use the same communication protocols, data formatting, structures, languages, or architectures. Gateways repackage the data packets and change the syntax to match that of the destination system. When networks are divided into subnets, gateways are required to connect one subnet to another.

Default Gateway

The default gateway is the gateway or router that, if not specified, will be used to move packets between networks. It is specified by an IP address.

If multiple gateways or routers exist, then the default gateway is typically the address of the first, or nearest, gateway or router. If no gateways or routers exist, then the default gateway will typically assume the IP address of the network node (such as the workstation or HP Jetdirect print server).

DHCP or BOOTP for auto-configuration of TCP/IP services

These services are used to obtain IP configuration data to print servers on the network, partially or wholly replacing the manual configuration using wizards, utilities, and the other real-time tools described on this page.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

DHCP allows a group of devices to use a set of IP addresses that are maintained by a DHCP server. The device or host sends a request to the server, and if an IP address is available, the server assigns it to that device.

BOOTP and TFTP

BOOTP is a bootstrap protocol used to download configuration parameters and host information from a network server. BOOTP uses UDP for its transport. In order for devices to boot and load configuration information into RAM, they must communicate through the bootstrap protocol BOOTP as a client with their server. The downloaded configuration data may also identify a file containing extended configuration data, to be downloaded by the print server using TFTP.