How Does Network Hardware Bootstrap?
Cisco http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/fundamentals/configuration/guide/cf_autoinstall.html#wp1148764
- Connect the machine to the network and turn it on.
- If you do not respond to the setup prompts, AutoInstall will begin automatically after a short period of time.
- It sends out a DHCP request hunting for its ip address. Through DHCP, the machine receives an IP, a TFTP server IP (dhcp option 150), and a DNS server IP (dhcp option 6). The machine receives the TFTP server's IP address using ridiculous proprietary cisco DHCP option 150 (yes dhcpd will have to serve this. yes I mad).