Chapter 3
Assigning the Switch IP Address and Default Gateway
The switch broadcasts TFTP server requests if the TFTP server is not obtained from the DHCP replies,
Note
if all attempts to read the configuration file through unicast transmissions fail, or if the TFTP server
name cannot be resolved to an IP address.
Example Configuration
Figure 3-3
autoconfiguration.
Figure 3-3
Cisco router
Table 3-2
Table 3-2
DHCP Server Configuration
Binding key (hardware address)
IP address
Subnet mask
Router address
DNS server address
OL-26520-01
The default configuration file contains the hostnames-to-IP-address mapping for the switch. The
switch fills its host table with the information in the file and obtains its hostname. If the hostname
is not found in the file, the switch uses the hostname in the DHCP reply. If the hostname is not
specified in the DHCP reply, the switch uses the default Switch as its hostname.
After obtaining its hostname from the default configuration file or the DHCP reply, the switch reads
the configuration file that has the same name as its hostname (hostname-confg or hostname.cfg,
depending on whether network-confg or cisconet.cfg was read earlier) from the TFTP server. If the
cisconet.cfg file is read, the filename of the host is truncated to eight characters.
If the switch cannot read the network-confg, cisconet.cfg, or the hostname file, it reads the
router-confg file. If the switch cannot read the router-confg file, it reads the ciscortr.cfg file.
shows a sample network for retrieving IP information by using DHCP-based
DHCP-Based Autoconfiguration Network Example
Switch 1
00e0.9f1e.2001
10.0.0.10
DHCP server
shows the configuration of the reserved leases on the DHCP server.
Switch A
00e0.9f1e.2001
10.0.0.21
255.255.255.0
10.0.0.10
10.0.0.2
Catalyst 2960 and 2960-S Switches Software Configuration Guide, Release 15.0(1)SE
Switch 2
Switch 3
00e0.9f1e.2002
00e0.9f1e.2003
10.0.0.1
10.0.0.2
DNS server
Switch B
00e0.9f1e.2002
10.0.0.22
255.255.255.0
10.0.0.10
10.0.0.2
Assigning Switch Information
Switch 4
00e0.9f1e.2004
10.0.0.3
TFTP server
(tftpserver)
Switch C
Switch D
00e0.9f1e.2003
00e0.9f1e.2004
10.0.0.23
10.0.0.24
255.255.255.0
255.255.255.0
10.0.0.10
10.0.0.10
10.0.0.2
10.0.0.2
3-9