Chapter 5 RARP Reverse Address Resolution Protocol

Chapter 5 Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)

Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) is a network layer protocol used to resolve
an IP address from a given hardware address (such as an Ethernet address). It has been
rendered obsolete by BOOTP and the more modern DHCP, which both support a much
greater feature set than RARP.

The primary limitations of RARP are that each MAC must be manually configured on a
central server, and that the protocol only conveys an IP address. This leaves configuration
of subnetting, gateways, and other information to other protocols or the user.

Another limitation of RARP compared to BOOTP or DHCP is that it is a non-IP protocol.

This means that like ARP it can't be handled by the TCP/IP stack on the client, but is
instead implemented separately.

RARP is the complement of ARP. RARP is described in RFC 903.

In computing, BOOTP, short for Bootstrap Protocol, is a UDP network protocol used by
a network client to obtain its IP address automatically. This is usually done in the
bootstrap process of computers or operating systems running on them. The BOOTP
servers assign the IP address from a pool of addresses to each client. The protocol was
originally defined in RFC 951.

BOOTP enables 'diskless workstation' computers to obtain an IP address prior to loading

any advanced operating system. Historically, it has been used for Unix-like diskless
workstations (which also obtained the location of their boot image using this protocol)
and also by corporations to roll out a pre-configured client (e.g. Windows) installation to
newly purchased PCs.

Originally requiring the use of a boot floppy disk to establish the initial network
connection, the protocol became embedded in the BIOS of some network cards
themselves (such as 3c905c) and in many modern motherboards thus allowing direct
network booting.

Recently those with an interest in diskless stand-alone media center PCs have shown new
interest in this method of booting a Windows operating system (see eg. Personal
Computer World, Feb 2005, pg 156 'Putting the Boot in').

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is a more advanced protocol based on

BOOTP, but is far more complex to implement. Most DHCP servers also offer BOOTP
support.

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a set of rules used by a

communications device such as a computer, router or networking adapter to allow the
device to request and obtain an IP address from a server, which has a list of addresses
available for assignment.

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Introduction
DHCP is a protocol used by networked computers (clients) to obtain IP addresses and
other parameters such as the default gateway, subnet mask, and IP addresses of DNS
servers from a DHCP server. It facilitates access to a network because these settings
would otherwise have to be made manually for the client to participate in the network.
The DHCP server ensures that all IP addresses are unique, e.g., no IP address is assigned
to a second client while the first client's assignment is valid (its lease has not expired).
Thus IP address pool management is done by the server and not by a human network
administrator.

DHCP emerged as a standard protocol in October 1993. As of 2006, RFC 2131 provides
the latest ([dated March 1997]) DHCP definition. DHCP functionally became a successor
to the older BOOTP protocol, whose leases were given for infinite time and did not
support options. Due to the backward-compatibility of DHCP, very few networks
continue to use pure BOOTP.

The latest non-standard of the protocol, describing DHCPv6 (DHCP in an IPv6

environment), appeared in July 2003 as RFC 3315.

Overview

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automates the assignment of IP

addresses, subnet masks, default gateway, and other IP parameters. The assignment
occurs when the DHCP-configured machine boots up or regains connectivity to the
network. The DHCP client sends out a query requesting a response from a DHCP server
on the locally attached network. The query is typically initiated immediately after booting
up and before the client initiates any IP based communication with other hosts. The
DHCP server then replies to the client with its assigned IP address, subnet mask, DNS
server and default gateway information.

The assignment of the IP address generally expires after a predetermined period of time,
at which point the DHCP client and server renegotiate a new IP address from the server's
predefined pool of addresses. Typical intervals range from one hour to several months,
and can, if desired, be set to infinite (never expire). The length of time the address is
available to the device it was assigned to is called a lease, and is determined by the
server.

Configuring firewall rules to accommodate access from machines who receive their IP
addresses via DHCP is therefore more difficult because the remote IP address will vary
from time to time. Administrators must usually allow access to the entire remote DHCP
subnet for a particular TCP/UDP port.

Most home routers and firewalls are configured in the factory to be DHCP servers for a
home network. An alternative to a home router is to use a computer as a DHCP server.
ISPs generally use DHCP to assign clients individual IP addresses.

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DHCP is a broadcast-based protocol. As with other types of broadcast traffic, it does not
cross a router unless specifically configured to do so. Users who desire this capability
must configure their routers to pass DHCP traffic across UDP ports 67 and 68. Home
users, however, will practically never need this functionality.

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