## Last updated : Thu Aug 18 23:47:28 1994

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 route 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 al 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.

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@amtp.cam.ac.uk, I'll try to reply with
suggestions or more questions pretty soon.

-- Jon
