$FreeBSD: release/9.0.0/usr.sbin/bootparamd/bootparamd/README 80203 2001-07-23 12:05:27Z kris $

This directory contains a version of the rpc.bootparamd, which have been 
written using the Sun's RPC protocol for bootparamd. To use it you must 
have a copy of the bootparam_prot.x file which on Sun systems you find in

	/usr/include/rpcsvc/bootparam_prot.x

(( This file was retrieved from the Sun-RPC source package ))


This code is not copyright, and is placed in the public domain. Feel free to 
use and modify. Please send modifications and/or suggestions + bug fixes to

	Klas Heggemann <klas@nada.kth.se>


RPC.BOOTPARAMD


The rpc.bootparamd program does NOT use the yellow pages for the bootparams
database. This data should recide in /etc/bootparams on the local host,
or another file given when the server is started.

The default router is set to the address of the machine running the server.
This may not be a good thing to do, so it can be modified using the -r 
option when startning the daemon.

This program was written with the need to keep short hostnames in the
/etc/bootparams file and long (canonical) names in the hosts database.
It probably also will work in conjunction with a nameserver, since matching
is done by comparing the canonical name of the booting machine with the
canonical name of the hosts found in the bootparams database. 

It is kept simple, e g there is no caching of data, but the bootparameter file
is read at each request. 


CALLBOOTD

The debugging tool callbootd is used to check the response you get
to a specific (booting) request. It can be used as
	callbootd server inet-address 
or
	callbootd server hostname file 
where "server" is a machine running the rpc.bootparamd program, "inet-address"
is the internet address of a booting machine, "hostname" is the name of a
booting machine and "file" the requested file, typically "root", "swap" or
"dump". 

You may also use "all" instead of a specific server, in which case a RPC
broadcast is performed. The broadcast is performed 4 times and then the 
program times out, after printing all responses. 


TODO

Cache the date, instead of rereading it. 
Maybe match by comparing the inet address instead. (But beware that caching
will prevent the server from detecting that a machine has changed name
or address.)














