Patent ID: 8122113

Claim:
A method, comprising: intercepting at a second network node a configuration message from a first network node that is a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, the configuration message being addressed to a third network node that is a client device having a device type, wherein: the second network node is disposed between the first network node and the third network node so that the configuration message from the first network node DHCP server to the third network node client device passes through the second network node; the DHCP server is not aware of the device type of the third network node; the DHCP server does not have a bootserver address information suitable to devices having a predetermined device type; the bootserver address information for the predetermined device type is not included in the configuration message from the DHCP server; the second network node has the bootserver address information for the predetermined device type; and the second network node is aware of the device type of the third network node; and at the second network node, in response to the device type of the third network node matching the predetermined device type, the bootserver address information for the predetermined device type not being included in the configuration message from the DHCP server, and the second network node being aware that the device type of the third network node is the predetermined device type, modifying the intercepted configuration message from the DHCP server to provide for the third network node client device a modified configuration message, wherein the modified configuration message includes the bootserver address information for the predetermined device type, wherein the modified configuration message comprises a DHCP message and the DHCP message has a siaddr field, and wherein the siaddr field in the DHCP message is modified to include the bootserver address information.