said by TomS_:ROMMON is software stored in a ROM,...
Firmware yes, software no.
I believe what you guys are getting confused is that ROMMON is a binary code that functions very few commands. In order for it to understand an IP it would require access to ports. The ports are not loaded until the IOS gets loaded 1st. ROMMON does not have access to any port and hence you cannot connect to any of the ports 1 -48
On Switches with OOBM ports the ports is defined in the ROMMON which can be accessed.