Uploading software and config files with tftp
When working with Cisco (and other) network gear, one of the common tasks I perform is copying configuration files or system images to/from a router/switch/firewall using tftp. In many cases I am transfering these to my laptop using a tftp server running on my laptop and the tftp client built into the network device.
Many years ago someone told me about this tftp server called PumpKIN and I have been using it ever since. The entire program comes in a 144k download and it installs in about half a second. Works like a champ and it is just so dirt simple, it has never failed me.
PumpKIN
The one thing to note is that if you accidentally un-check the box in the bottom right corner, it will stop responding to requests (or if you launch multiple copies of the server, only one can be bound to the socket at a time).
Here is a screenshot of the options window. I always set the settings as shown below so that I don’t have to approve each time a device needs to “get” a file from the server (many devices send multiple requests when downloading an image to verify it’s existance and such before download). I also set the directory to c:\tftp such that it is easy to find and get access to.
PumpKIN Options
I should note that after this latest install in Windows Vista I had to open udp port 69 in the Windows Firewall to get PumpKIN to work.
-Eric