AutoInstall

The AutoInstall feature enables the configuration of a switch automatically when the device is turned on and, during the boot process, no configuration file is found in device storage. By communicating with a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server, AutoInstall obtains an IP address for the switch and an IP address for a TFTP server. AutoInstall attempts to download a configuration file from the TFTP server and install in on the switch.

The DHCP server that the switch communicates with must provide the following information:

The IP address and subnet mask (option 1) to be assigned to the switch.
The IP address of a default gateway (option 3), if needed for IP communication.
The identification of the TFTP server from which to obtain the boot file. This is given by any of the following fields, in the priority shown (highest to lowest):
- The sname field of the DHCP reply.
- The hostname of the TFTP server (option 66). Either the TFTP address or name—not both—is specified in most network configurations. If a TFTP hostname is given, a DNS server is required to translate the name to an IP address.
- The IP address of the TFTP server (option 150).
- The address of the TFTP server supplied in the siaddr field.
- The name of the configuration file (boot file or option 67) to be downloaded from the TFTP server. The boot file name must have a file type of *.cfg.
The IP addresses of DNS name servers (option 6). The IP addresses of DNS name servers should be returned from the DHCP server only if the DNS server is in the same LAN as the switch performing AutoInstall. A DNS server is needed to resolve the IP address of the TFTP server if only the “sname” or option 66 values are returned to the switch.

After obtaining IP addresses for both the switch and the TFTP server, the AutoInstall feature attempts to download a host-specific configuration file using the boot file name specified by the DHCP server. If the switch fails to obtain the file, it will retry indefinitely.

To access this page, click System > Firmware > AutoInstall.

AutoInstall Fields

Field	Definition
Admin Mode	The current administrative mode of the AutoInstall feature: Start: AutoInstall is enabled, and the feature will attempt to automatically configure the device during the next boot cycle. Stop: AutoInstall is disabled. The automatic process will begin only if no configuration file is located during the next boot cycle.
Persistent Mode	If this option is selected, the settings you configure on this page are automatically saved to persistent memory in the startup-config file when you apply the changes. If this option is not selected, the device treats these settings like any other applied changes: the changes are not retained across a reboot unless you save the configuration.
AutoSave Mode	If this option is selected, the downloaded configuration is automatically saved to persistent storage. If this option is not selected, you must explicitly save the downloaded configuration in non-volatile memory for the configuration to be available for the next reboot.
AutoReboot Mode	If this option is selected, the switch automatically reboots after a new image is successfully downloaded and makes the downloaded image the active image. If this option is not selected, the device continues to boot with the current image. The downloaded image will not become the active image until the device reboots.
Retry Count	When attempting to retrieve the DHCP-specified configuration file, this value represents the number of times the TFTP client on the device tries to use unicast requests before reverting to broadcast requests.
Status	The current status of the AutoInstall process.

Click Refresh to display the most recently configured AutoInstall state from the switch.

Published October 2018prev | next

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