Bootstrap Protocol
protocol
The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) is a computer networking protocol used in
Internet Protocol networks to automatically assign an IP address to network devices from a configuration server. The BOOTP was originally defined in RFC 951 published in 1985.
While some parts of BOOTP have been effectively superseded by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), which adds the feature of leases, parts of BOOTP are used to provide service to the DHCP protocol. Some DHCP servers also provide the legacy BOOTP functionality.
When a network-connected computer boots up, its IP stack broadcasts BOOTP network messages requesting an IP address assignment. A BOOTP configuration server replies to the request by assigning an IP address from a pool of addresses, which is preconfigured by an administrator.
BOOTP is implemented using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for transport. Port number 67 is used by the server for receiving client requests, and port number 68 is used by the client for receiving server responses. BOOTP operates only on IPv4 networks.
Historically, BOOTP has also been used for Unix-like diskless workstations to obtain the network location of their boot image, in addition to the IP address assignment.
“Bootstrap Protocol” enters the record as protocol. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Bootstrap, Protocol and protocol can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q753479. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1985.
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This entry incorporates text from “Bootstrap Protocol” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.