## Last updated : Wed Aug  2 17:44:35 1995

When the bootpc code fails to find a suitable server or reply it
prints a message like:

>  Unable to locate an IP address for this host.
>      ***Please report this problem**
> 
>           [Unable to continue]
> 

The client then goes into a loop forwever sleeping.  The reason for
this is that carrying on is probably foolish so it waits for a human
to interrupt it and sort out the problem.

If it fails try running --debug --verbose to see if this sheds any
light on the problem.

The reasons it can fail that I've encountered are:

 o  No bootp server is serving this client on this network
 x  Set one up.

 o  Your default network card doesn't get you to the local network, or is
    filtered or firewalled and not letting bootp packets through.
 x  Try using --server IPaddress of the server, check the routes
    you have set allow all broadcast route to the local network.

 o  You are using --server to point to a server which doesn't run a
    bootp server
 x  Try not using it.

 o  You are using --hwaddr and the bootp server responds directly to
    the MAC address quoted not to the machine generating the request.
 x  Try not using it.

 o  The server doesn't understand RFC1497 cookies (you get not all the
    information back and a "WARNING bp_xid mismatch" probably.)
 x  Install a newer bootp server, or make do with the information you
    can get from the old one.

 o  The ping test fails with an "bootpc: unknown protocol icmp." error.
 x  You don't have ICMP defined in /etc/protocols, fix it.

If these don't seem to be the problem, use strace to trace the
execution with --debug and --verbose and mail me the output, repeat
also with --server IPaddress so I can try to see what went wrong.

e-mail them to J.S.Peatfield@damtp.cam.ac.uk, I'll try to reply with
suggestions or more questions pretty soon.

-- Jon
