Changing the Maximum Number of Hops to a BootP Relay Server

Each BootP or DHCP request includes a Hop Count field. The Hop Count field indicates how many routers the request has passed through.

When the Layer 3 device receives a BootP or DHCP request, it looks at the value in the Hop Count field.

If the hop count value is equal to or less than the maximum hop count allowed, the hop count is incremented by one and the request is forwarded.

If the hop count is greater than the maximum hop count allowed, the request is discarded.

You can change the maximum number of hops the Layer 3 device allows for forwarded BootP or DHCP requests.

Note: The BootP and DHCP hop count is not the TTL parameter.

Enter the global configuration mode by issuing the configure terminal command.
```
device# configure terminal
```

Modify the maximum number of BootP or DHCP.
```
device(config)# bootp-relay-max-hops 10
```
The example allows the Layer 3 device to forward BootP or DHCP requests that have passed through ten previous hops before reaching the Layer 3 device. Requests that have traversed 11 hops before reaching the switch are dropped. Since the hop count value initializes at zero, the hop count value of an ingressing DHCP Request packet is the number of Layer 3 devices that the packet has already traversed.