Linux DHCPD mini-HOWTO by Paul Makeev v1.1, 5 March 1997 1. What is DHCPD HOWTO about? Server or client? It is about DHCP _SERVER_ daemon. There is DHCP _client_ daemon for Linux, which is not described here. Look at: Primary-site: ftp.kobe-u.ac.jp /pub/PC-UNIX/Linux/network/dhcp 32kB dhcpcd-0.5.tar.gz Alternate-site: sunsite.unc.edu /pub/Linux/system/Network/daemons 32kB dhcpcd-0.5.tar.gz 2. Is there any DHCPD for Linux? Yes, at least i have some success with Paul Vixie/ISC DHCPD. I used Beta-5.0.9, and now use 5.0.14. These are both not Linux-specific versions, but they flawlessly compile and work (not so flawlessly). You can get latest software at: http://www.isc.org/dhcp/dhcp-beta.html or, the latest version for now: ftp://ftp.vix.com/pub/dhcp/DHCPD-BETA-5.14.tar.gz NB!!! READ CAREFULY the README file before compiling and installing. It contains Linux-specific info. 3. Do i need something special in the kernel? Yes, you should have MULTICAST enabled in kernel. 4. Do i need something special in routing table? Yes, you should have "netstat -rn" saying: dhcps:~$ netstat -rn Kernel routing table Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface 255.255.255.255 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.255 UH 0 0 101 eth0 i.e., you should have multicast routing to your ethernet interface. 5. I can't do it! If your "route add -host 255.255.255.255 eth0" command says smth like "255.255.255.255: Unknown host", try adding host with this address to /etc/hosts file, and issue "route add -host hostname eth0" instead. It should work. If not, get newer Networking utils and/or upgrade kernel version. 6. How can i configure it? Read the included docs. It's too complicated to discuss here. 7. Can i run DHCPD on machine with two or more Ethercards? Not yet. But you can try. The problem is with Linux raw device (AFAIK). The author (Paul Vixie) or smbdy else could change it in newer versions. Hope this helps.