11 November 2022

Difference between bootp and dhcp | Bootp Vs DHCP

BOotp is an older protocol that is mostly used for the diskless workstation. It is not as commonly used as DHCP. DSCP is a newer protocol that can be used for booting diskless workstations as well as for assigning IP addresses to devices on a network. The IP address of the host and bootstrap data are obtained using the DHCP and BOOTP protocols. Both protocols operate differently in some ways. The BOOTP protocol has been expanded into the DHCP protocol. BOOTP and DHCP differ significantly in that BOOTP allow for the static setup of IP addresses while DHCP allows for dynamic configuration. It indicates that DHCP has some additional functionalities in addition to automatically assigning and obtaining IP addresses from internet-connected computers. So let's debate the difference between Bootp and DHCP to understand more about it. 

What does DHCP mean?

DHCP stands for, It is a network management protocol that is used on an IP network to automatically assign IP addresses and other communication parameters to devices that are connected to the network via a client-server architecture.

What is BOOTP?

Bootstrap stands for, It is a method for obtaining configuration file data, such as an internet-connected computer's IP address, subnet mask, router address, and IP address of the name server. This data is necessary for a computer to be connected to a TCP/IP network. The Boostrap protocol is a client protocol designed to retrieve the aforementioned information, including the IP address, subnet mask, router address, and IP address of the name server, from a diskless computer or a computer that is booting for the first time. If the computer or workstation lacks a hard drive, the operating system and networking software are kept in read-only memory. 

Bootp Vs DHCP | Difference between Bootp and DHCP:

  • The acronyms for DHCP and BOOTP stand for dynamic host configuration protocol and bootstrap protocol, respectively.
  • Using manual configuration, the static protocol BOOTP can be used. DHCP is a dynamic protocol, and it supports manual, dynamic, and autoconfiguration of IP addresses.
  • An on-demand IP address is provided in DHCP whereas BOOTP does not support the impermanent allocation of IP addresses.
  • DHCP can handle mobile machines, BOOTP is not able to configure or access information from mobile machines and it only works well with stationary connections.
  • BOOTP is prone to errors because of using manual configuration while in DHCP errors occur seldomly.
  • BOOTP does not support DHCP clients while DHCP supports BOOTP clients.
  • In BOOTP, the manual configuration takes place, while in DHCP, auto-configuration takes place.
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