Configuring IP Parameters
TCP/IP configuration parameters (such as IP address, subnet mask, default gateway) can be configured on the HP Jetdirect print server in a variety of ways. These values can be configured manually (for example, through Telnet, the embedded Web server, the arp and ping commands, and HP management software), or they can be automatically downloaded using DHCP or BOOTP each time the print server is turned on. For configuration methods, see Chapter 3.
When powered on, a new HP Jetdirect print server that is unable to retrieve a valid IP address from the network will automatically assign itself a default IP address. The default IP address will depend on the type of network to which the print server is connected. On a small private network, a technique called
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
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.
To configure the device, the client broadcasts a boot request packet containing at least the hardware address of the device (HP Jetdirect print server hardware address). The server answers with a boot reply packet containing the information the device needs
to configure.
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