bootpd[3008]: Option 43: Client specified unacceptable option length (86 octets)

[Frank de Vries]

We have an old K class donkey with HPux10.10 PA_RISC.
In the /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log
I found this line repeated about 40 times
bootpd[3008]: Option 43: Client specified unacceptable option length (86 octets)

What does it mean? Or in which direction does it point ? Hardware ? Kernel ? Othere ?

[Ivan Ferreira]

This looks like a DHCP server message indicating that received a wrong value from a client.

Probably this server is running DHCPD.

[Frank de Vries]

Probability is a funny thing.

In the 7 years I managed this ol' donkey
I never heard of our old unix server
being dhcp server as well.

With ps -ef | grep -i dhc
= nothing
grep -i dhc inittab
= nothing
grep -i dhc inetd.conf
= nothing
grep -i dhc /sbin/init.d/*
= nothing

Don't think it is running.

Any other probable clues anyone ?

[Ivan Ferreira]

If it's very old, then maybe is using the bootpd daemon. Check the precense of bootpd in inetd.conf.

[Luk Vandenbussche]

It is not a dhcp issue, it is a bootp issue

check if bootd is running and also check /etc/bootptab

[Matti_Kurkela]

DHCP is actually an extension of bootp, and in more modern HP-UXes the bootpd can speak DHCP too. I don't know whether or not HP-UX 10.10's bootpd is DHCP-aware or not.

Anyway, bootp option 43 is "vendor specific options". Apparently some bootp client tried to give your bootp server a very long string of vendor-specific information, and bootpd is unhappy about it. To find out what it might mean, you'll need to examine that particular client and its documentation.

The message comes from bootpd, so bootpd is obviously running. The cause might simply be an excessively verbose bootp implementation in some bootp client.

MK

[Frank de Vries]

Yep,
bootpd is running since this machine was installed (way back in the nineties).

So, can I take it out the inittab
and /sbin/init.d/
so it won't bother me again, or has
it something vital to do ??

[Frank de Vries]

Oh by the way,
contents of this /etc/bootpdtab
test:\
bf=C2300B:\
hd=/usr/lib/X11/700X/bin:\
hn:\
ht=ether:\
vm=rfc1048:\
ha=080009000000:\
ip=192.30.103.01

What the 4x does that mean ??
Stun me.

[Luk Vandenbussche]

Frank,

I think you can remove this entry

ha=080009000000 => normally the mac adres of a card. This a non existing mac address, so you can remove it.

[Matti_Kurkela · Accepted solution]

Looks like a basic bootp entry for HP 700X series Xterminal.

Translation:
"If a host with Ethernet interface (ht) MAC address 080009000000 (ha) asks for boot parameters, bootpd should give it IP address 192.30.103.01 (ip) and indicate the boot file for the Xterminal is located at /usr/lib/X11/700X/bin/C2300B (hd, bf). The client should begin using the host name "test" (hn + name of the entry). The answer should be sent in RFC1048 style (vm)."

If I remember correctly, this would make the Xterminal to use TFTP to download the C2300B file, and maybe also some other files located in the same directory. The client will send the TFTP request to the same server that answered the client's bootp request.

If this is the only entry in the bootptab file and you no longer have an Xterminal in use, you can safely disable the bootpd daemon. You should also disable the tftpd service from /etc/inetd.conf, if it isn't used for anything else.

(Luk: I assume Frank may have replaced the actual MAC address with a dummy one to avoid accidentally publicizing sensitive information.)

MK