Provisioning from TFTP Server using DHCP Option 66

Provisioning the device from a third-party TFTP server is suitable when the network in which the device is deployed includes a provisioning TFTP server for all network equipment, without the capability of distinguishing between the device and other third-party devices.

Upon startup, the device checks for DHCP Option 66 in the DHCP response received from the DHCP server. If Option 66 contains a valid IP address (or FQDN) of the TFTP provisioning server, the device attempts to download through TFTP, a configuration file whose filename contains the device's MAC address (e.g., 00908f0130aa.ini).

This method uploads the configuration file to the device as a one-time action. The download is repeated only if the device is manually restored to factory defaults (by pressing the hardware reset button while the Ethernet cable is not connected) and DHCP is enabled (see note below).

To configure the device for automatic provisioning through TFTP using DHCP Option 66:
1. Enable DHCP client functionality, by configuring the following ini file parameter:
DHCPEnable = 1
2. Enable the device to include DHCP Option 66 in DHCP Option 55 (Parameter Request List) when requesting TFTP provisioning parameters from a DHCP server, using the following ini file parameter:
DHCPRequestTFTPParams = 1
3. Restart the device with a save-to-flash for your settings to take effect.
Access to the core network through TFTP is not NAT-safe.
The TFTP data block size (packets) when downloading a file from a TFTP server for the Automatic Update mechanism can be configured using the AUPDTftpBlockSize parameter.