IBM

IBM i
Networking
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
7.1
IBM

IBM i
Networking
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
7.1
 Note
Before using this information and the product it supports, read the information in “Notices,” on
page 59.

This edition applies to IBM i 7.1 (product number 5770-SS1) and to all subsequent releases and modifications until
otherwise indicated in new editions. This version does not run on all reduced instruction set computer (RISC)
models nor does it run on CISC models.
This edition replaces SCnn-nnnn-nn.
© Copyright IBM Corporation 1998, 2010.
US Government Users Restricted Rights – Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract
with IBM Corp.
 Contents
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol . . 1 | Using ISC's DHCP 4 . . . . . . . . . 47
What's new for IBM i 7.1 . . . . . . . . . . 1 | Considerations for using the ISC DHCP server 48
PDF file for DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 | DHCP failover . . . . . . . . . . . 48
DHCP concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Configuring clients to use DHCP . . . . . . 49
DHCP client/server interaction . . . . . . . 2 Enabling DHCP for Windows Me clients . . 49
Leases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Checking the DHCP lease for Windows Me
Relay agents and routers . . . . . . . . . 6 clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
DHCP client support . . . . . . . . . . 7 Enabling DHCP for Windows 2000 clients . . 49
BOOTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Checking the MAC address and DHCP
Dynamic updates . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 lease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
DHCP options lookup . . . . . . . . . . 9 Updating DNS A records . . . . . . . 50
Examples: DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Enabling DHCP for Windows XP clients . . . 50
Example: Simple DHCP subnet . . . . . . . 25 Checking the MAC address and DHCP
Example: Multiple TCP/IP subnets . . . . . 26 lease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Example: DHCP and multihoming. . . . . . 29 Updating DNS A records . . . . . . . 51
Example: DNS and DHCP on the same System i 33 Configuring DHCP to send dynamic updates to
Example: DNS and DHCP on different System i DNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Disabling DNS dynamic updates . . . . . 52
Example: PPP and DHCP on a single System i. . 37 Managing leased IP addresses . . . . . . . . 52
Example: DHCP and PPP profile on different Troubleshooting DHCP . . . . . . . . . . 53
System i models . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Gathering detailed DHCP error information . . 53
Planning for DHCP. . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Tracing the DHCP server . . . . . . . . 53
Security considerations . . . . . . . . . 42 Problem: Clients are not receiving an IP address
Network topology considerations . . . . . . 42 or their configuration information . . . . . . 54
Configuring DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Problem: Duplicate IP address assignments on
Configuring the DHCP server and the same network . . . . . . . . . . . 54
BOOTP/DHCP relay agent . . . . . . . . 45 Problem: DNS records are not being updated by
Configuring or viewing the DHCP server . . 45 DHCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Starting or stopping the DHCP server . . . 46 Problem: DHCP job log has DNS030B messages
Configuring the DHCP server to be started with error code 3447 . . . . . . . . . . 56
automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Related information for DHCP . . . . . . . . 56
Accessing the DHCP server monitor . . . . 46
Configuring the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent 46 Appendix. Notices . . . . . . . . . . 59
Starting or stopping the BOOTP/DHCP relay Programming interface information . . . . . . 61
agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Configuring the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent to Terms and conditions . . . . . . . . . . . 61
be started automatically . . . . . . . . 47
| Configuring the DHCP server to use ISC's DHCP
| 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2010 iii

iv IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a TCP/IP standard that uses a central server to manage
IP addresses and other configuration details for an entire network.

A DHCP server responds to requests from clients, dynamically assigning properties to them.

What's new for IBM i 7.1

Read about new or significantly changed information for the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol topic
collection.

ISC DHCP 4

The industry standard implementation of DHCP version 4 by the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), Inc.
is now available to be used on the IBM® i.
v ISC's DHCP 4 provides functions and abilities that are currently not available with the DHCP server
implementation of IBM i.
v Information on how to use ISC's DHCP 4.
v Migration considerations for using the ISC DHCP server.
v The ISC DHCP 4 server supports DHCP failover between two DHCP server peers.

How to see what's new or changed

To help you see where technical changes have been made, the information center uses:
v The image to mark where new or changed information begins.
v The image to mark where new or changed information ends.

In PDF files, you might see revision bars (|) in the left margin of new and changed information.

To find other information about what's new or changed this release, see the Memo to users.

PDF file for DHCP

You can view and print a PDF file of this information.

To view or download the PDF version of this document, select DHCP (about 625 KB).

Saving PDF files

To save a PDF on your workstation for viewing or printing:
1. Right-click the PDF link in your browser.
2. Click the option that saves the PDF locally.
3. Navigate to the directory in which you want to save the PDF.
4. Click Save.

Downloading Adobe Reader

You need Adobe Reader installed on your system to view or print these PDFs. You can download a free
copy from the Adobe Web site (www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html) .
© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2010 1
Related reference:
“Related information for DHCP” on page 56
IBM Redbooks® and Web sites contain information that relates to the DHCP topic collection. You can
view or print any of the PDF files.

DHCP concepts
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides an automated method for dynamic client
configuration. Here are some DHCP-related concepts to help you better understand DHCP.

DHCP client/server interaction

The interaction between Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients and servers enables a
client to obtain its IP address and corresponding configuration information from a DHCP server.

This process occurs through a series of steps, illustrated in the following figure.

2 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Figure 1. DHCP client-server interaction

Client requests DHCP information: DHCPDISCOVER

First, the client sends out a DHCPDISCOVER message requesting an IP address. The
DHCPDISCOVER message contains an identifier unique to the client (typically the MAC

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 3

 address). The message might also contain other requests, such as requested options (for example,
subnet mask, domain name server, domain name, or static route). The message is sent out as a
broadcast. If the network contains routers, those routers can be configured to forward
DHCPDISCOVER packets to DHCP servers on attached networks.
DHCP server offers information to client: DHCPOFFER
Any DHCP server that receives the DHCPDISCOVER message might send a DHCPOFFER
message in response. The DHCP server might not send a DHCPOFFER message back to the client
for multiple reasons: the most common reasons are that all available addresses are currently
leased, the subnet is not configured, or the client is not supported. If the DHCP server sends a
DHCPOFFER message in response, the DHCPOFFER will contain an available IP address and any
other configuration information that is defined in the DHCP setup.
Client accepts DHCP server offer: DHCPREQUEST
The client receives DHCPOFFER messages from the DHCP servers that responded to the
DHCPDISCOVER messages. The client compares the offers with the settings that it requested,
and then selects the server that it wants to use. It sends a DHCPREQUEST message to accept the
offer, indicating which server it selected. This message is broadcast to the entire network to let all
DHCP servers know which server was selected.
DHCP server acknowledges the client and leases the IP address: DHCPACK
If a server receives a DHCPREQUEST message, the server marks the address as leased. Servers
that are not selected will return offered addresses to their available pool. The selected server
sends the client an acknowledgment (DHCPACK), which contains additional configuration
information.
The client might now use the IP address and configuration parameters. It will use these settings
until its lease expires or until the client sends a DHCPRELEASE message to the server to end the
lease.
Client attempts to renew the lease: DHCPREQUEST, DHCPACK
The client starts to renew a lease when half of the lease time has passed. The client requests the
renewal by sending a DHCPREQUEST message to the server. If the server accepts the request, it
will send a DHCPACK message back to the client. If the server does not respond to the request,
the client might continue to use the IP address and configuration information until the lease
expires. As long as the lease is still active, the client and server do not need to go through the
DHCPDISCOVER and DHCPREQUEST process. When the lease has expired, the client must start
over with the DHCPDISCOVER process.
Client ends the lease: DHCPRELEASE
The client ends the lease by sending a DHCPRELEASE message to the DHCP server. The server
will then return the client's IP address to the available address pool.
Related concepts:
“Relay agents and routers” on page 6
You can use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) relay agents and routers to efficiently and
securely transfer data throughout the network.
“Leases”
When DHCP sends configuration information to a client, the information is sent with a lease time. This is
the length of time that the client can use the IP address it has been assigned. The duration of the lease
time can be changed according to your specific requirement.

Leases
When DHCP sends configuration information to a client, the information is sent with a lease time. This is
the length of time that the client can use the IP address it has been assigned. The duration of the lease
time can be changed according to your specific requirement.

During the lease time, the DHCP server cannot assign that IP address to any other clients. The purpose of
a lease is to limit the length of time that a client can use an IP address. A lease prevents unused clients

4 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

from taking up IP addresses when there are more clients than addresses. It also enables the administrator
to make configuration changes to all of the clients on the network in a limited amount of time. When the
lease expires, the client will request a new lease from DHCP. If the configuration data has changed, the
new data will be sent to the client at that time.

Lease renewal

The client starts to renew a lease when half of the lease time has passed. For example, for a 24-hour lease,
the client will attempt to renew the lease after 12 hours. The client requests the renewal by sending a
DHCPREQUEST message to the server. The renewal request contains the current IP address and
configuration information of the client.

If the server accepts the request, it will send an DHCPACK message back to the client. If the server does
not respond to the request, the client can continue to use the IP address and configuration information
until the lease expires. If the lease is still active, the client and server do not need to go through the
DHCPDISCOVER and DHCPREQUEST process. When the lease has expired, the client must start over
with the DHCPDISCOVER process.

If the server is unreachable, the client can continue to use the assigned address until the lease expires. In
the previous example, the client has 12 hours from when it first tries to renew the lease until the lease
expires. During a 12-hour outage, new users cannot get new leases, but no leases will expire for any
computer turned on at the time that the outage starts.

Determining lease duration

The default lease time for the DHCP server is 24 hours. When setting the lease time on your DHCP
server, consider your goals, usage patterns of your site, and service arrangements for your DHCP server.
Use the following questions to help you decide on an appropriate lease time.
Do you have more users than addresses?
If so, the lease time must be short so that clients do not need to wait for unused leases to expire.
Do you have a minimum amount of time that you need to support?
If your typical user is on for an hour at minimum, that suggests an hour lease at minimum.
How much DHCP message traffic can your network handle?
If you have a large number of clients or slow communication lines over which the DHCP packets
will run, network traffic might cause problems. The shorter the lease, the heavier traffic the server
and network load from the renewal request on your network.
What kind of service plan do you have in place, and to what extent can your network handle an
outage?
Consider any routine maintenance, and the potential impact of an outage. If the lease time is at
least twice the server outage time, then running clients who already have leases will not lose
them. If you have a good idea of your longest likely server outage, you can avoid such problems.
What type of network environment is the DHCP server in? What does a typical client do?
Consider what the clients do on the network that the DHCP server is servicing. For example, if
you have an environment where the clients are primarily mobile, connecting to the network at
varying times, and checking their e-mail typically only once or twice a day, you might want a
relatively short lease time. In this case, it might not be necessary to have a single IP address set
aside for every client. By limiting the lease time, you can use fewer IP addresses to support the
mobile clients.
Alternatively, if you have an office environment where most of the employees have primary
workstations in a fixed location, a lease time of 24 hours might be more appropriate. It might also
be necessary in this environment to have an IP address available for each client that connects to

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 5

 the network during business hours. In this case, if you specify a shorter lease time, the DHCP
server negotiates the lease renewal much more frequently with the clients, which causes excess
network traffic.
How much does your network configuration change?
If your network topology changes quite frequently, you might want to stay away from longer
leases. Long leases can be disadvantageous in cases where you need to change a configuration
parameter. The length of the lease can mean the difference between having to go to every affected
client and restarting it, or merely waiting a certain amount of time for the leases to be renewed.
If your network topology rarely changes and you have enough IP addresses in your address pool,
you can configure DHCP to use infinite leases, that is, leases that never expire. However, infinite
leases are not recommended. If you use an infinite lease, the IP address is leased to the client
indefinitely. These clients do not need to go through any lease renewal process after they receive
the infinite lease. After an infinite lease is assigned to a client, that address cannot be assigned to
another client. Therefore, if you want to assign that client a new IP address or lease the client's IP
address to another client later, problems might occur.
You might have clients in your network, such as a file server, that will always receive the same IP
address. Rather than using an infinite lease, assign a specific address to the client and give it a
long lease time. The client still must lease it for a given amount of time and renew the lease, but
the DHCP server reserves the IP address for that client only. Then, if you get a new file server,
for example, you can just change the client identifier (MAC address) and the DHCP server gives
the new file server that same address. If you have given it an infinite lease, then the DHCP server
cannot give out the address again unless the lease is explicitly deleted.
Related concepts:
“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.
Related reference:
“DHCP client/server interaction” on page 2
The interaction between Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients and servers enables a
client to obtain its IP address and corresponding configuration information from a DHCP server.

Relay agents and routers

You can use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) relay agents and routers to efficiently and
securely transfer data throughout the network.

Initially, DHCP clients broadcast their DHCPDISCOVER packets because they do not know what network
they are connected to. In some networks, the DHCP server might not be on the same LAN as the client.
Therefore, it is necessary to forward the client's broadcast DHCP packets to the LAN where the DHCP
server is located. Some routers are configured to forward DHCP packages. If your router supports DHCP
packet forwarding, your router forwards the DHCP packets to the LAN where the DHCP server is
located. However, many routers do not support forwarding packets that have a destination IP address of
the broadcast address (DHCP packets). In this case, the LAN must have a Bootstrap protocol
(BOOTP)/DHCP relay agent to forward the DHCP packets to the LAN that has the DHCP server. See
“Example: DHCP and PPP profile on different System i models” on page 39 for a sample network using a
relay agent and a router.

In either case, because the DHCP server is on a separate network, your clients must have the IP address
of the router that connects your clients’ network to the network that has the DHCP server specified in the
router option (option 3).

6 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

In these scenarios, if you do not use a BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, you will need to add a DHCP server
to the other LAN to serve those clients. To help you decide how many DHCP servers to have in your
network, refer to “Network topology considerations” on page 42.
Related concepts:
“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.
Related tasks:
“Configuring the DHCP server and BOOTP/DHCP relay agent” on page 45
Use the following information to work with the DHCP server and the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, such
as configuring, starting, or stopping the DHCP server or the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent.
Related reference:
“DHCP client/server interaction” on page 2
The interaction between Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) clients and servers enables a
client to obtain its IP address and corresponding configuration information from a DHCP server.

DHCP client support

You can use a DHCP server to manage each client in your network individually, rather than managing all
of the clients as a large group (subnet).

This DHCP setup method allows only the clients identified by the DHCP server to receive IP address and
configuration information.

People often think about using DHCP to distribute IP addresses from an address pool to a subnet of
clients. When you use subnets, any client that requests DHCP information from the network might
receive an IP address from the address pool, unless they are explicitly excluded by the DHCP
administrator. However, the DHCP server can also limit DHCP service to only specific clients.

The DHCP server can limit service at the individual client level or by the type of client (Bootstrap
protocol (BOOTP) or DHCP).

To limit service at the individual client level, you must identify each network client individually in your
DHCP configuration. Each client is identified by its client ID (typically their MAC address). Only the
clients that are identified in the DHCP configuration will be served an IP address and configuration
information from the DHCP server. If a client is not listed in the DHCP configuration, it is refused service
by the DHCP server. This method prevents unknown hosts from obtaining an IP address and
configuration information from the DHCP server.

If you want even more control over your network clients and the configuration information that they
receive, you can set up your DHCP clients to receive a static IP address rather than receiving an IP
address from an address pool. If you set up the client to receive a defined IP address, that client must be
the only client that can receive that IP address to avoid address overlap. If you use dynamic IP address
allocation, the DHCP server will manage IP address assignment for the clients.

On a broader level, the DHCP server can limit service to a client based on the type of client (BOOTP or
DHCP). The DHCP server can refuse service to BOOTP clients.
Related concepts:
“BOOTP” on page 8
The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) is a host configuration protocol that was used before the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) was developed. BOOTP support is a subset of DHCP.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 7

“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.

BOOTP
The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) is a host configuration protocol that was used before the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) was developed. BOOTP support is a subset of DHCP.

In BOOTP, clients are identified by their MAC addresses and are assigned a specific IP address.
Essentially, each client in your network is mapped to an IP address. BOOTP does not have dynamic
address assignment: each network client must be identified in the BOOTP configuration, and the clients
can only receive a limited amount of configuration information from the BOOTP server.

Because DHCP is based on BOOTP, the DHCP server can support BOOTP clients. If you are currently
using BOOTP, you can set up and use DHCP without affecting your BOOTP clients. To support BOOTP
clients successfully, you must specify the IP address of the bootstrap server and the boot file name option
(option 67), and turn on the BOOTP support for the entire system or for various subnets.

Using DHCP to support BOOTP clients is preferred over using a BOOTP server. Even when you use
DHCP to support your BOOTP clients, each BOOTP client is essentially being mapped to a single IP
address, and that address is therefore not reusable by another client. The advantage, however, of using
DHCP in this case is that there is no need to configure a one-to-one mapping of BOOTP clients to IP
addresses. The DHCP server will still dynamically assign an IP addresses to the BOOTP client from the
address pool. After the IP address is assigned to the BOOTP client, it is permanently reserved for use by
that client until you explicitly delete the address reservation. Eventually, you might want to consider
converting your BOOTP clients to DHCP for easier host configuration management.
Related concepts:
“DHCP client support” on page 7
You can use a DHCP server to manage each client in your network individually, rather than managing all
of the clients as a large group (subnet).
BOOTP
“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.

Dynamic updates
You can configure a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to work with a Domain Name
System (DNS) server to dynamically update the client information in the DNS when DHCP assigns the
client an IP address.

DNS is a distributed database system for managing host names and their associated IP addresses. With
DNS, users can locate hosts using simple names, such as www.example.com, rather than using the IP
address (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx).

In the past, all DNS data was stored in static databases. All DNS resource records had to be created and
maintained by the administrator. Now, DNS servers running BIND 8 can be configured to accept requests
from other sources to update zone data dynamically.

You can configure your DHCP server to send update requests to the DNS server each time it assigns a
new address to a host. This automated process reduces DNS server administration in rapidly growing or
changing TCP/IP networks, and in networks where hosts change locations frequently. When a client

8 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

using DHCP receives an IP address, that data is immediately sent to the DNS server. Using this method,
DNS can continue to successfully resolve queries for hosts, even when their IP addresses change.

You can configure DHCP to update address mapping (A) records, reverse-lookup pointer (PTR) records,
or both on behalf of a client. The A record maps the client's DNS name to its IP address. The PTR record
maps a host's IP address to its host name. When a client's address changes, DHCP can automatically send
an update to the DNS server so that other hosts in the network can locate the client through DNS queries
at its new IP address. For each record that is updated dynamically, an associated text (TXT) record is
written to identify that the record was written by DHCP.

Note: If you set DHCP to update only PTR records, you must configure DNS to allow updates from
clients so that each client can update its A record.

Dynamic zones are secured by creating a list of authorized sources that are allowed to send updates.
DNS verifies that incoming request packets are coming from an authorized source before updating the
resource records.

Dynamic updates can be performed between DNS and DHCP on a single System i® model, different
System i models, or other systems that are capable of dynamic updates.
Related concepts:
Domain Name System
“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.
“Problem: DNS records are not being updated by DHCP” on page 55
The System i DHCP server is capable of dynamically updating DNS resource records. The DHCP server
uses name resolution functions and programming interfaces to determine the appropriate dynamic DNS
server to update. You can use this information when troubleshooting dynamic update errors.
Related tasks:
“Configuring DHCP to send dynamic updates to DNS” on page 51
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server can be configured to send update requests to
the DNS server each time it assigns a new address to a host. This automated process reduces DNS server
administration in rapidly growing or changing TCP/IP networks, and in networks where hosts change
locations frequently.
Configuring DNS to receive dynamic updates
Related reference:
Domain Name System resource records

DHCP options lookup

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) has many configuration options that can be sent to clients
when they request information from the DHCP server. You can use a lookup tool to see all of the DHCP
options.

DHCP options define additional configuration data that the DHCP server passes along to clients in
addition to an IP address. Typical options include subnet mask, domain name, router IP addresses,
domain name server IP addresses, and static routes.

Standard DHCP options, based on definitions in RFC 2132: DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor
Extensions, are described in the following table. You might also configure customized options using the
DHCP Options display in System i Navigator.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 9

Table 1. Standard DHCP options
Option
number Option Description
1 Subnet mask The subnet mask option specifies the client's subnet mask as per Request for
Comments (RFC) 950. If both the subnet mask and the router option are
specified in a DHCP reply, the subnet mask option must be specified first.

The code for the subnet mask option is 1, and its length is 4 octets.

2 Time offset The time offset field specifies the offset of the client's subnet in seconds from
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The offset is expressed as a two's
complement 32-bit integer. A positive offset indicates a location east of the zero
meridian and a negative offset indicates a location west of the zero meridian.

The code for the time offset option is 2, and its length is 4 octets.

3 Router The router option specifies a list of IP addresses for routers on the client's
subnet. Routers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the router option is 3. The minimum length for the router option is
4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

4 Time server The time server option specifies a list of RFC 868 time servers available to the
client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the time server option is 4. The minimum length for this option is 4
octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

5 Name server The name server option specifies a list of IEN 116 name servers available to the
client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the name server option is 5. The minimum length for this option is
4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

10 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
6 Domain Name The domain name server option specifies a list of Domain Name System (STD
Server 13, RFC 1035) name servers available to the client. Servers should be listed in
order of preference.

The code for the domain name server option is 6. The minimum length for this
option is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

7 Log server The log server option specifies a list of MIT-LCS UDP log servers available to
the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the log server option is 7. The minimum length for this option is 4
octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

8 Cookie server The cookie server option specifies a list of RFC 865 cookie servers available to
the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the cookie server option is 8. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

9 LPR server The LPR server option specifies a list of RFC 1179 line printer servers available
to the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the LPR server option is 9. The minimum length for this option is 4
octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

10 Impress server The Impress server option specifies a list of Imagen Impress servers available to
the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the Impress server option is 10. The minimum length for this
option is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 11

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
11 Resource location This option specifies a list of RFC 887 Resource Location servers available to the
server client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for this option is 11. The minimum length for this option is 4 octets,
and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

12 Host name This option specifies the name of the client. The name might or might not be
qualified with the local domain name (see section 3.17 for the preferred way to
retrieve the domain name). See RFC 1035 for character set restrictions.

The code for this option is 12, and its minimum length is 1.

13 Boot file size This option specifies the length in 512-octet blocks of the default boot image for
the client. The file length is specified as an unsigned 16-bit integer.

The code for this option is 13, and its length is 2.

14 Merit dump file This option specifies the path-name of a file to which the client's core image
should be dumped in the event the client crashes. The path is formatted as a
character string consisting of characters from the NVT ASCII character set.

The code for this option is 14. Its minimum length is 1.

15 Domain name This option specifies the domain name that client should use when resolving
hostnames through the Domain Name System.

The code for this option is 15. Its minimum length is 1.

12 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
16 Swap server This specifies the IP address of the client's swap server.

The code for this option is 16, and its length is 4.

17 Root path This option specifies the path-name that contains the client's root disk. The path
is formatted as a character string consisting of characters from the NVT ASCII
character set.

The code for this option is 17. Its minimum length is 1.

18 Extensions path A string to specify a file, retrievable via TFTP, which contains information that
can be interpreted in the same way as the 64-octet vendor-extension field within
the BOOTP response, with the following exceptions:
v The length of the file is unconstrained
v All references to Tag 18 (that is, instances of the BOOTP Extensions Path field)
within the file are ignored.

The code for this option is 18. Its minimum length is 1.

19 IP forwarding This option specifies whether the client should configure its IP layer for packet
forwarding. A value of 0 means disable IP forwarding, and a value of 1 means
enable IP forwarding.

The code for this option is 19, and its length is 1.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 13

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
20 Non-Local source This option specifies whether the client should configure its IP layer to allow
routing forwarding of datagrams with non-local source routes. A value of 0 means
disallow forwarding of such datagrams, and a value of 1 means allow
forwarding.

The code for this option is 20, and its length is 1.

21 Policy filter This option specifies policy filters for non-local source routing. The filters consist
of a list of IP addresses and masks which specify destination/mask pairs with
which to filter incoming source routes.

Any source routed datagram whose next-hop address does not match one of the
filters should be discarded by the client.

The code for this option is 21. The minimum length of this option is 8, and the
length must be a multiple of 8.

22 Maximum This option specifies the maximum size datagram that the client should be
datagram prepared to reassemble. The size is specified as a 16-bit unsigned integer. The
reassembly size minimum value legal value is 576.

The code for this option is 22, and its length is 2.

23 Default IP time to This option specifies the default time-to-live that the client should use on
live outgoing datagrams. The TTL is specified as an octet with a value between 1
and 255.

The code for this option is 23, and its length is 1.

14 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
24 Path MTU aging This option specifies the timeout (in seconds) to use when aging Path MTU
timeout values discovered by the mechanism defined in RFC 1191. The timeout is
specified as a 32-bit unsigned integer.

The code for this option is 24, and its length is 4.

25 Path MTU plateau This option specifies a table of MTU sizes to use when performing Path MTU
table Discovery as defined in RFC 1191. The table is formatted as a list of 16-bit
unsigned integers, ordered from smallest to largest. The minimum MTU value
cannot be smaller than 68.

The code for this option is 25. Its minimum length is 2, and the length must be a
multiple of 2.

26 Interface MTU This option specifies the MTU to use on this interface. The MTU is specified as a
16-bit unsigned integer. The minimum legal value for the MTU is 68.

The code for this option is 26, and its length is 2.

27 All subnets are This option specifies whether the client can assume that all subnets of the IP
local network to which the client is connected use the same MTU as the subnet of that
network to which the client is directly connected. A value of 1 indicates that all
subnets share the same MTU. A value of 0 means that the client should assume
that some subnets of the directly connected network might have smaller MTUs.

The code for this option is 27, and its length is 1.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 15

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
28 Broadcast address This option specifies the broadcast address in use on the client's subnet. Legal
values for broadcast addresses are specified in section 3.2.1.3 of RFC 2132.

The code for this option is 28, and its length is 4.

29 Perform mask This option specifies whether the client should perform subnet mask discovery
discovery using ICMP. A value of 0 indicates that the client should not perform mask
discovery. A value of 1 means that the client should perform mask discovery.

The code for this option is 29, and its length is 1.

30 Mask supplier This option specifies whether the client should respond to subnet mask requests
using ICMP. A value of 0 indicates that the client should not respond. A value of
1 means that the client should respond.

The code for this option is 30, and its length is 1.

31 Perform router This option specifies whether the client should solicit routers using the Router
discovery Discovery mechanism defined in RFC 1256. A value of 0 indicates that the client
should not perform router discovery. A value of 1 means that the client should
perform router discovery.

The code for this option is 31, and its length is 1.

32 Router solicitation This option specifies the address to which the client should transmit router
address option solicitation requests.

The code for this option is 32, and its length is 4.

16 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
33 Static route This option specifies a list of static routes that the client should install in its
routing cache. If multiple routes to the same destination are specified, they are
listed in descending order of priority.

The routes consist of a list of IP address pairs. The first address is the
destination address, and the second address is the router for the destination.

The default route (0.0.0.0) is an illegal destination for a static route.

The code for this option is 33. The minimum length of this option is 8, and the
length must be a multiple of 8.

34 Trailer This option specifies whether the client should negotiate the use of trailers (RFC
encapsulation 893) when using the ARP protocol. A value of 0 indicates that the client should
not attempt to use trailers. A value of 1 means that the client should attempt to
use trailers.

The code for this option is 34, and its length is 1.

35 ARP cache timeout This option specifies the timeout in seconds for ARP cache entries. The time is
specified as a 32-bit unsigned integer.

The code for this option is 35, and its length is 4.

36 Ethernet This option specifies whether the client should use Ethernet Version 2 (RFC 894)
encapsulation or IEEE 802.3 (RFC 1042) encapsulation if the interface is an Ethernet. A value of
0 indicates that the client should use RFC 894 encapsulation. A value of 1 means
that the client should use RFC 1042 encapsulation.

The code for this option is 36, and its length is 1.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 17

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
37 TCP default TTL This option specifies the default TTL that the client should use when sending
TCP segments. The value is represented as an 8-bit unsigned integer. The
minimum value is 1.

The code for this option is 37, and its length is 1.

38 TCP keep-alive This option specifies the interval (in seconds) that the client TCP should wait
interval before sending a keepalive message on a TCP connection. The time is specified
as a 32-bit unsigned integer. A value of zero indicates that the client should not
generate keepalive messages on connections unless specifically requested by an
application.

The code for this option is 38, and its length is 4.

39 TCP keep-alive This option specifies whether the client should send TCP keepalive messages
garbage with an octet of garbage for compatibility with older implementations. A value
of 0 indicates that a garbage octet should not be sent. A value of 1 indicates that
a garbage octet should be sent.

The code for this option is 39, and its length is 1.

40 Network This option specifies the name of the client's NIS domain. The domain is
information service formatted as a character string consisting of characters from the NVT ASCII
domain character set.

The code for this option is 40. Its minimum length is 1.

18 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
41 Network This option specifies a list of IP addresses indicating NIS servers available to the
information servers client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for this option is 41. Its minimum length is 4, and the length must be a
multiple of 4.

42 Network time This option specifies a list of IP addresses indicating NTP servers available to the
protocol servers client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.
option
The code for this option is 42. Its minimum length is 4, and the length must be a
multiple of 4.

44 NetBIOS over The NetBIOS name server (NBNS) option specifies a list of RFC 1001/1002
TCP/IP name NBNS name servers listed in order of preference.
server
The code for this option is 44. The minimum length of the option is 4 octets, and
the length must always be a multiple of 4.

45 NetBIOS over The NetBIOS datagram distribution server (NBDD) option specifies a list of RFC
TCP/IP datagram 1001/1002 NBDD servers listed in order of preference.
distribution server
The code for this option is 45. The minimum length of the option is 4 octets, and
the length must always be a multiple of 4.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 19

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
46 NetBIOS over The NetBIOS node type option allows NetBIOS over TCP/IP clients which are
TCP/IP node type configurable to be configured as described in RFC 1001/1002. The value is
specified as a single octet which identifies the client type as follows:

In the above chart, the notation '0x' indicates a number in base-16 (hexadecimal).

The code for this option is 46. The length of this option is always 1.

47 NetBIOS over The NetBIOS scope option specifies the NetBIOS over TCP/IP scope parameter
TCP/IP scope for the client as specified in RFC 1001/1002.

The code for this option is 47. The minimum length of this option is 1.

48 X Window System This option specifies a list of X Window System Font servers available to the
Font server client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for this option is 48. The minimum length of this option is 4 octets,
and the length must be a multiple of 4.

49 X Window System This option specifies a list of IP addresses of systems that are running the X
display manager Window System Display Manager and are available to the client.

Addresses should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the this option is 49. The minimum length of this option is 4, and
the length must be a multiple of 4.

20 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
51 IP address lease This option is used in a client request (DHCPDISCOVER or DHCPREQUEST) to
time allow the client to request a lease time for the IP address. In a server reply
(DHCPOFFER), a DHCP server uses this option to specify the lease time it is
willing to offer.

The time is in units of seconds, and is specified as a 32-bit unsigned integer.

The code for this option is 51, and its length is 4.

58 Renewal (T1) time This option specifies the time interval from address assignment until the client
value transitions to the RENEWING state.

The value is in units of seconds, and is specified as a 32-bit unsigned integer.

The code for this option is 58, and its length is 4.

59 Rebinding (T2) This option specifies the time interval from address assignment until the client
time value transitions to the REBINDING state.

The value is in units of seconds, and is specified as a 32-bit unsigned integer.

The code for this option is 59, and its length is 4.

62 NetWare/IP Specifies the Netware/IP domain name.

domain name
63 NetWare/IP Specifies the NetWare sub-options you want. The range is 1 to 255. Use option
62 to specify the NetWare/IP domain name.
64 NIS domain name This option specifies the name of the client's NIS+ domain. The domain is
formatted as a character string consisting of characters from the NVT ASCII
character set.

The code for this option is 64. Its minimum length is 1.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 21

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
65 NIS servers This option specifies a list of IP addresses indicating NIS+ servers available to
the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for this option is 65. Its minimum length is 4, and the length must be a
multiple of 4.

66 Server name This option is used to identify a TFTP server when the 'sname' field in the
DHCP header has been used for DHCP options.

The code for this option is 66, and its minimum length is 1.

67 Boot file name This option is used to identify a bootfile when the 'file' field in the DHCP header
has been used for DHCP options.

The code for this option is 67, and its minimum length is 1.

68 Home address This option specifies a list of IP addresses indicating mobile IP home agents
available to the client. Agents should be listed in order of preference.

The code for this option is 68. Its minimum length is 0 (indicating no home
agents are available) and the length must be a multiple of 4. It is expected that
the usual length will be four octets, containing a single home agent's address.

69 SMTP servers The SMTP server option specifies a list of SMTP servers available to the client.
Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the SMTP server option is 69. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

22 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
70 POP3 server The POP3 server option specifies a list of POP3 available to the client. Servers
should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the POP3 server option is 70. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

71 NNTP server The NNTP server option specifies a list of NNTP available to the client. Servers
should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the NNTP server option is 71. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

72 WWW server The WWW server option specifies a list of WWW available to the client. Servers
should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the WWW server option is 72. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

73 Finger server The Finger server option specifies a list of Finger available to the client. Servers
should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the Finger server option is 73. The minimum length for this option
is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

74 IRC server The IRC server option specifies a list of IRC available to the client. Servers
should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the IRC server option is 74. The minimum length for this option is
4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 23

Table 1. Standard DHCP options (continued)
Option
number Option Description
75 StreetTalk server The StreetTalk server option specifies a list of StreetTalk servers available to the
client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the StreetTalk server option is 75. The minimum length for this
option is 4 octets, and the length must always be a multiple of 4.

76 STDA server The StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA) server option specifies a list of STDA
servers available to the client. Servers should be listed in order of preference.

The code for the StreetTalk Directory Assistance server option is 76. The
minimum length for this option is 4 octets, and the length must always be a
multiple of 4.

77 User class Specifies the class name of which the host is a member. You must have
previously defined this class to the DHCP server during DHCP server
configuration.
78 Directory agent Specifies the IP address of the directory agent if clients use Service Location
Protocol to transact messages.
79 Service scope Specifies the scope of the directory agent that uses Service Location Protocol to
respond to service request messages.
80 Naming authority Specifies the naming authority for the directory agent if clients use Service
Location Protocol to transact messages. The naming authority specifies the
syntax for schemes that are used in URLs.

Related information:
DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor Extensions

Examples: DHCP
By reviewing diagrams and examples of how different networks are set up, you can determine which is
the best choice for your installation.

Looking at how someone else has used a technology is often the best way to learn about that technology.
The following examples show how DHCP works, how it is incorporated into different network setups,
and how to tie in some of the V5R4 functions. It is a great place to start whether you are a beginner to
DHCP or an experienced DHCP administrator.
Related concepts:
“Network topology considerations” on page 42
When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.

24 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Example: Simple DHCP subnet
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server in a simple LAN with four PC clients and a LAN-based printer.

In this example, the System i model acts as a DHCP server for the 10.1.1.0 IP subnet. It is connected to
the LAN with its 10.1.1.1 interface.

Figure 2. Simple LAN setup for System i model

With so few PC clients, administrators can easily type the information that is related to each PC's IP
address and maintain this information. (They only need to visit four PCs in this case.) Now imagine that
the four PCs become 200 PCs. Setting up each PC's IP information now becomes a time-consuming task
that might result in accuracy errors too. DHCP can simplify the process of assigning IP information to
clients. If the subnet 10.1.1.0 has hundreds of clients, an administrator only needs to create a single DHCP
policy on the system. This policy distributes IP information to each client.

When PC clients send out their DHCPDISCOVER signals, the server responds with the appropriate IP
information. In this example, the company also has a LAN-based printer that obtains its IP information
from the DHCP server. But because PC clients depend on the printer's IP address remaining the same, the
network administrator must account for that in the DHCP policy. One solution is to assign a constant IP

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 25

address to the printer. You can use the DHCP server to define a client, like the LAN printer, in the DHCP
policy by its MAC address. In the DHCP client definition, you can then assign specific values, such as IP
addresses and router addresses, to the intended client.

For a client to communicate with a TCP/IP network, it requires at least an IP address and subnet mask.
The clients will get their IP address from the DHCP server, and the DHCP server passes additional
configuration information (for example, their subnet mask) using the configuration options.

Planning the DHCP setup for a simple LAN

Table 2. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Configuration options Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Option 6: Domain name 10.1.1.1
server
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com
Subnet addresses not assigned by the system 10.1.1.1 (Domain name server)
Is the system performing DNS updates? No
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 3. Subnet for PCs

Object Value
Subnet name SimpleSubnet
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.2 - 10.1.1.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration options

Inherited options
Options from Global configuration

Table 4. Client for printer

Object Value
Client Name LANPrinter
Client Address 10.1.1.5
Configuration options

Inherited options
Options from Global configuration

Related reference:
“Example: Multiple TCP/IP subnets”
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server with two LANs connected by a DHCP-enabled router.
“Example: DHCP and multihoming” on page 29
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server for a LAN that is connected to the Internet by an Internet router.

Example: Multiple TCP/IP subnets

This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server with two LANs connected by a DHCP-enabled router.
26 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
This example is similar to the Simple DHCP subnet example except that there is now an additional
TCP/IP subnet. Suppose that the office and data entry clients are on different floors of an office building
and are separated with a router. If the network administrator wants all of the clients to receive their IP
information through DHCP, this situation presents some unique differences from a simple DHCP subnet.
The following figure shows an example network layout for a System i DHCP server connected to two
LANs using a router between the networks. The figure intentionally has a limited number of clients so as
not to become cluttered. An actual enterprise generally has considerably more clients on each subnet.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 27

Figure 3. Multiple LANs connected through a router

The router that connects the two networks must be enabled to pass DHCPDISCOVER packets. If it is not,
the data entry clients will not be able to receive their IP information and access the network. Also, the
DHCP policy needs two subnet definitions--one for the data entry subnet and the other for the office

28 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

subnet. At a minimum, the differences between the subnets are their IP subnets and router addresses. The
data entry subnet needs to receive a router address of 10.1.2.2 to communicate with the office subnet.

Planning the DHCP setup for multiple LANs

Table 5. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Configuration Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
options
Option 6: Domain name server 10.1.1.1
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com
Subnet addresses not assigned by the system 10.1.1.1 (Domain name server)
Is the system performing DNS updates? No
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 6. Subnet for Office clients

Object Value
Subnet name Office
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.3 - 10.1.1.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Option 3: Router 10.1.1.2
options
inherited options Options from Global configuration
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 10.1.1.2 (Router)

Table 7. Subnet for Data Entry clients

Object Value
Subnet name DataEntry
Addresses to manage 10.1.2.3 - 10.1.2.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Option 3: Router 10.1.2.2
options
Inherited options Options from Global configuration
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 10.1.2.2 (Router)

Related reference:
“Example: Simple DHCP subnet” on page 25
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server in a simple LAN with four PC clients and a LAN-based printer.

Example: DHCP and multihoming

This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server for a LAN that is connected to the Internet by an Internet router.

This example is much like the Simple DHCP subnet example. In this example, the data entry clients are
only communicating among themselves and the System i model. They obtain their IP information
dynamically from the System i DHCP server.

However, a new version of their data entry application requires that the network communicates with the
Internet, and the company decides to provide Internet access through an Internet router as shown in the
following figure. In addition to the router, the administrator also adds another interface with an IP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 29
address to communicate with the Internet. When multiple IP addresses are assigned to the same adapter,
the system is multihoming.

Figure 4. Using DHCP with multiple IP addresses assigned to the same adapter

Note: Although this is a feasible way to connect your network to the Internet, it is not the most secure
way. It suits the purposes of this DHCP example, but you must consider the security implications
when you configure your own DHCP server.

When configuring the DHCP setup, take into account that the System i model is known by two different
IP addresses. To understand how to set up DHCP correctly for this scenario, it is helpful to understand
what happens when a client sends out a DHCPDISCOVER packet.

When a client sends out a DHCPDISCOVER packet, it is broadcasted on the ring. Therefore, the System i
DHCP server cannot determine which IP address the packet is intended for. If this packet is marked with
the 10.1.1.1 interface IP (the one used for DHCP), your clients receive their IP information as expected.

30 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

But it is possible that the packet can actually get marked with the 192.168.1.1 address (the one connected
to the Internet). If the packet is received on the 192.168.1.1 interface, your data entry client does not
receive any IP information.

To set up DHCP in this situation, you must create not only the data entry DHCP subnet, but also a
subnet for the Internet network. The Internet policy consists of a subnet with no available addresses. The
easiest way to do this is to define the subnet with at least one IP address (like 192.168.1.1), and then
exclude that same IP address. With the two subnets defined, you combine the two (or more) subnets into
a subnet group. If the DHCPDISCOVER packet gets marked with the 192.168.1.1 interface, the data entry
subnet still issues valid IP information.

To make this scenario work, the data entry subnet must pass its clients their router address for access to
the Internet. In this case, the router address is the System i interface of 10.1.1.1. You must also set IP
datagram forwarding to On for the two interfaces to route packets to each other. This example uses
reserved IP addresses to represent both internal and external IP addresses. If your network matches this
scenario, you also need to use network address translation (NAT) for your data entry clients to
communicate with the Internet.

Using subnet groups to eliminate this marking problem is not limited to only multihoming examples.
Any time multiple interfaces are connected to the same network, you might encounter the same problem.
The following figure illustrates how the System i model can have two physical connections to the data
entry network. This network configuration requires a similar DHCP group policy as the multihoming
setup because DHCPDISCOVER packets might conceivably be answered by the 192.168.1.1 interface.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 31

Figure 5. Using DHCP with multiple interfaces connected to the same network

Planning the DHCP setup for multihoming

Table 8. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Is the system performing DNS updates? No
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 9. Subnet for Data Entry clients

Object Value
Subnet name Data Entry
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.2 - 10.1.1.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
options
Option 3: Router 10.1.1.1
Option 6: Domain name server 10.1.1.1
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com

32 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Table 9. Subnet for Data Entry clients (continued)
Object Value
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 10.1.1.1 (Router, DNS server)

Table 10. Subnet for Internet clients (empty Subnet)

Object Value
Subnet name Internet
Addresses to manage 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.1
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 192.168.1.1 (All IP addresses available)

Table 11. Subnet group for all incoming DHCPDISCOVER packets

Object Value
Subnet Group Name Multihomed
Subnets included in group Subnet Internet
Subnet DataEntry

Other setup
v Set IP Datagram forwarding to 'on' for the two interfaces
v Set up NAT for the Data Entry clients
Related reference:
“Example: Simple DHCP subnet” on page 25
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server in a simple LAN with four PC clients and a LAN-based printer.

Example: DNS and DHCP on the same System i

This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server with dynamic Domain Name System (DNS) updates on a simple LAN.

The following illustration depicts how the System i model can act as a DHCP and DNS server for a
simple subnet. In this work environment, suppose that the inventory, data entry, and executive clients
create documents with graphics from the graphics file server. They connect to the graphics file server by
mapping a network drive to its host name.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 33

Figure 6. Dynamic DNS and DHCP

Previous versions of DHCP and DNS were independent of each other. If DHCP assigned a new IP
address to a client, the DNS records had to be manually updated by the administrator. In this example, if
the graphics file server's IP address changes because it is assigned by DHCP, then its dependent clients
are unable to map a network drive to its host name because the DNS records contain the file server's
previous IP address.

With the current DNS server, you can dynamically update your DNS records in conjunction with
intermittent address changes through DHCP. For example, when the graphics file server renews its lease
and is assigned an IP address of 10.1.1.250 by the DHCP server, the associated DNS records are updated
dynamically. This allows the other clients to query the DNS server for the graphics file server by its host
name without interruption.

You can configure DHCP to update resource records on address mapping (A) records and reverse-lookup
pointer (PTR) records on behalf of a client. The A record maps a client's host name to its IP address. The
PTR record maps a client's IP address to its host name. For each record that is updated dynamically, an
associated text (TXT) record is written to identify that the record was written by DHCP. You can choose
to let DHCP update both A and PTR records, or just PTR records. For more information about how to
configure DNS to accept dynamic updates, refer to Example: DNS and DHCP on the same System i in the
DNS topic collection.

34 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Note: If you set DHCP to update only PTR records, you must configure DNS to allow updates from
clients so that each client can update its A record. Not all DHCP clients support making their own
A record update requests. Consult the documentation for your client platform before choosing this
method.

To enable DNS updates, you must create a DNS key for your DHCP server. The DNS key authorizes the
DHCP server to update the DNS records based on IP addresses it has distributed. Then, in the DHCP
configuration, choose the scope level where you want DNS updates to occur. For example, if you want all
subnets to perform DNS updates, set the updates at the Global level. If you want only one subnet to
perform updates, then set only that subnet to update.

Planning the DHCP setup when using Dynamic DNS

Table 12. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Configuration Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
options
Option 6: Domain name server 10.1.1.10
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com
Is the system performing DNS updates? Yes -- Both A and PTR records
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 13. Subnet for Network Ring

Object Value
Subnet name NetworkSubnet
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.250 - 10.1.1.254
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Inherited options Options from Global configuration
options

Other setup:

Authorize DHCP to send updates to DNS. Refer to Example: DNS and DHCP on the same System i in
the DNS topic collection.

Example: DNS and DHCP on different System i models

This example explains how to set up Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name
System (DNS) on two different System i models to perform dynamic updates over a simple LAN.

The following illustration depicts a small subnet network with DNS and DHCP running on separate
System i models. The system running DNS is configured the same as when DNS and DHCP are on the
same System i model. However, there are some additional steps to configure the DHCP server to send
dynamic updates.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 35

Figure 7. DNS and DHCP on different System i models

Planning the DHCP setup when using Dynamic DNS

Refer to “Example: DNS and DHCP on the same System i” on page 33 for examples of the global
configuration options and subnet settings.

Other setup:

Installing i5/OS Domain Name System (Option 31).

36 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Install i5/OS Domain Name System (Option 31) on the System i model that will be running DHCP, in
this case, mysystemi2. This option contains the dynamic update API that manages the resource record
update process. Refer to DNS system requirements for installation instructions.

Authorizing DHCP to send updates to DNS

You must authorize the DHCP server to send updates to the DNS server. You can either repeat the
process of defining the Dynamic Update Key, or send the file and place it in the appropriate directory
path.

To create a Dynamic Update Key on both System i models, follow these steps:
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > DNS.
2. In the left pane, right-click DNS and select Manage Dynamic Update Keys.
3. On the Managing Dynamic Update Keys page, select Add.
4. On the Add Dynamic Update Keys page, complete the following fields:
v Key name: Specify the name for the key, for example mycompany.key. The key name must be
dot-terminated.
v Dynamic update zones: Specify the zone names for which this key will be valid. You can specify
more than one zone.
v Generate key: Select the method that you want to use to generate a secret key.
5. Repeat the preceding steps so that the same key is defined on both the System i model running DNS
and the System i model running DHCP.
Related concepts:
Domain Name System requirements
Related information:
Update DNS API

Example: PPP and DHCP on a single System i

This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server for a LAN and a remote dial-in client.

Remote clients, such as dial-in clients, often require access to a company's network. Dial-in clients can
gain access to a System i model with Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) . To access the network, the dial-in
client needs IP information just like any directly attached network client. A System i DHCP server can
distribute IP address information to a PPP dial-in client just like any other directly attached client. The
following figure shows a remote client that must dial into the company's network to do some work.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 37

Figure 8. PPP and DHCP on a single System i model

For the remote employee to successfully become part of the company's network, the System i model must
use a combination of Remote Access Services and DHCP. The Remote Access Services function creates the
dial-in capability for the System i model. If set up properly, after the client establishes the dial-in
connection, the PPP server tells the DHCP server to distribute TCP/IP information to the remote client.

In this example, a single DHCP subnet policy covers both the on-site network clients and the dial-in
clients.

If you want your PPP profile to defer to the DHCP for IP distribution, you must do so in the PPP profile.
In the TCP/IP settings of the receiver connection profile, set the remote IP address assignment method
from Fixed to DHCP. To allow the dial-in clients to communicate with other network clients, like the
LAN printer, you must also allow IP forwarding in the TCP/IP settings of the profile and the TCP/IP
configuration (stack) properties. If you only set IP forwarding on in the PPP profile, the System i model
will not pass the IP packets. You must set IP forwarding on in both the profile and the stack.

Also, the local interface IP address in the PPP profile must be an IP address that falls within the subnet
definition in the DHCP server. In this example, the PPP profile local interface IP address must be 10.1.1.1.
This address must also be excluded from the DHCP server's address pool so that it is not assigned to a
DHCP client.

38 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Planning the DHCP setup for on-site and PPP clients
Table 14. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Configuration Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
options
Option 6: Domain name server 10.1.1.1
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com
Is the system performing DNS updates? No
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 15. Subnet for both on-site and dial-in clients

Object Value
Subnet Name MainNetwork
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.3 - 10.1.1.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Inherited options Options from Global configuration
options
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 10.1.1.1 (Local interface address specified in the
TCP/IP Settings of the Receiver Connection
Profile properties in System i Navigator)

Other setup
v Set the Remote IP address method to DHCP in the PPP receiver connection profile.
1. Enable DHCP WAN client connection with a DHCP server or relay connection using the Services
menu item for Remote Access Services in System i Navigator.
2. Select to use DHCP for the IP address assignment method under the TCP/IP Settings Properties of
the Receiver Connection Profile in System i Navigator.
v Allow remote system to access other networks (IP forwarding) under the TCP/IP Settings Properties of
the Receiver Connection Profile in System i Navigator.
v Enable IP datagram forwarding under the Settings Properties of the TCP/IP Configuration in System i
Navigator.
Related reference:
“Example: DHCP and PPP profile on different System i models”
This example explains how to set up two System i models as the network Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) server and the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent for two LANs and remote dial-in clients.

Example: DHCP and PPP profile on different System i models

This example explains how to set up two System i models as the network Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) server and the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent for two LANs and remote dial-in clients.

The example about PPP and DHCP on a single System i model shows how to use PPP and DHCP on a
single system to permit dial-in clients access to a network. If you are concerned with the physical layout
of your network or with security, it might be better to have the PPP and DHCP servers separated or to
have a dedicated PPP server without DHCP services. The following figure represents a network that has
dial-in clients with the PPP and DHCP policies on different servers.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 39

Figure 9. DHCP and PPP profile on different System i models

The remote data entry clients dial into the System i PPP server. The PPP profile on that server must have
a remote IP address method of DHCP, such as the one used in the example of PPP and DHCP on a single
System i model. The PPP profile and the TCP/IP stack properties on the PPP server must have IP
forwarding. Furthermore, because this server is acting as a DHCP relay agent, the BOOTP/DHCP relay
agent must be on. This allows the System i Remote Access server to pass on DHCPDISCOVER packets to
the DHCP server. The DHCP server then responds and distributes TCP/IP information to the dial-in
clients through the PPP server.

The DHCP server is responsible for distributing IP addresses to both the 10.1.1.0 and 10.1.2.0 networks. In
the data entry network, the DHCP server gives out IP addresses ranging from 10.1.2.10 to 10.1.2.40 to

40 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

either dial-in or directly attached network clients. The data entry clients also need a router address
(option 3) of 10.1.2.1 to communicate with the work network, and the System i DHCP server must also
have IP forwarding enabled.

Also, the local interface IP address in the PPP profile must be an IP address that falls within the subnet
definition in the DHCP server. In this example, the PPP profile Local Interface address must be 10.1.2.2.
This address must also be excluded from the DHCP server's address pool so that it is not assigned to a
DHCP client. The local interface IP address must be an address to which the DHCP server can send reply
packets to.

Planning the DHCP setup for DHCP with a DHCP relay agent
Table 16. Global configuration options (applies to all clients served by the DHCP server)
Object Value
Configuration Option 1: Subnet mask 255.255.255.0
options
Option 6: Domain name server 10.1.1.1
Option 15: Domain name mycompany.com
Is the system performing DNS updates? No
Is the system supporting BOOTP clients? No

Table 17. Subnet for Work Network

Object Value
Subnet name WorkNetwork
Addresses to manage 10.1.1.3 - 10.1.1.150
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Inherited options Options from Global configuration
options
Subnet addresses not assigned by server none

Table 18. Subnet for Data Entry Network

Object Value
Subnet Name DataEntry
Addresses to manage 10.1.2.10 - 10.1.2.40
Lease time 24 hours (default)
Configuration Option 3: Router 10.1.2.1
options
Inherited options Options from Global configuration
Subnet addresses not assigned by server 10.1.2.1 (Router)
10.1.2.15 (Remote Data Entry client's local interface IP address)
10.1.2.14 (Remote Data Entry client's local interface IP address)

Other setup on a System i platform running PPP

v Set up the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent TCP/IP server

Object Value
Interface address 10.1.2.2
Relay packets to Server IP address 10.1.2.1

v Set the Remote IP address method to DHCP in the PPP receiver connection profile

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 41

 1. Enable DHCP WAN client connection with a DHCP server or relay connection using the Services
menu item for Remote Access Services in System i Navigator
2. Select to Use DHCP for the IP address assignment method under the TCP/IP Settings Properties of
the Receiver Connection Profile in System i Navigator
v Allow remote system to access other networks (IP forwarding) under the TCP/IP Settings Properties of
the Receiver Connection Profile in System i Navigator (to allow the remote clients to communicate with
the data entry network)
v Enable IP datagram forwarding under the Settings Properties of the TCP/IP Configuration in System i
Navigator (to allow the remote clients to communicate with the data entry network)
Related reference:
“Example: PPP and DHCP on a single System i” on page 37
This example explains how to set up a System i model as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) server for a LAN and a remote dial-in client.

Planning for DHCP

Setting up Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) can be a time-consuming and error-prone
process if you do not take time to plan how to configure your DHCP server. To configure your DHCP
server more efficiently, consider network setup and security concerns beforehand.
Related reference:
“Configuring DHCP” on page 45
Here are instructions for setting up your DHCP server and clients, and for configuring DHCP to send
dynamic updates to Domain Name System (DNS).

Security considerations
The DHCP protocol is not capable of verifying that clients requesting IP addresses are authorized to do
so.

Because of the nature of DHCP's interaction with the network, it is important that you secure your
System i model from outside clients. If your DHCP server is on a System i model that is part of a trusted
internal network, you might be able to use IP filtering and network address translation to further secure
it from any unauthorized parties. If your DHCP server is on a System i model that is attached to an
untrusted network, such as the Internet, refer to the System i and Internet security topic.
Related concepts:
IP filtering and network address translation
Security

Network topology considerations

When planning for your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup, you must consider several
factors, such as your network topology, the devices on the network (for example, routers), and how you
want to support your clients in DHCP.

Understanding your network topology

One of the most important aspects of planning a DHCP implementation is understanding you network
layout or topology. When you understand your network topology, you will be able to quickly identify the
IP address ranges for DHCP, the configuration information that each client needs, the devices that need to
be configured to forward DHCP messages, and whether DHCP can work with your DNS or PPP servers.
Depending on the complexity of your network, you might even want to sketch your network topology on
a piece of scrap paper. You must include all of the LANs, the devices that connect the LANs, and the IP
addresses for devices and clients (for example, a printer) that need a defined IP address. You might want
to look at some of the DHCP examples to help you sketch out your network topology.

42 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Determining the number of DHCP servers

Even with a complex network, you can still manage all of your network clients using only one DHCP
server. Depending on your network topology, you might need to set up a few DHCP/BOOTP relay
agents or enable your routers to forward DHCP packets to make it work.

Using only one DHCP server for your entire network will centralize host configuration management for
all of your clients. However, there are cases where you might want to consider using multiple DHCP
servers in your network.

To avoid a single point of failure, you can configure two or more DHCP servers to serve the same subnet.
If one server fails, the others can continue to serve the subnet. Each of the DHCP servers must be
accessible either by direct attachment to the subnet or by using a DHCP/BOOTP relay agent.

Because two DHCP servers cannot serve the same addresses, address pools defined for a subnet must be
unique across DHCP servers. Therefore, when using two or more DHCP servers to serve a particular
subnet, the complete list of addresses for that subnet must be divided among the servers. For example,
you can configure one server with an address pool consisting of 70% of the available addresses for the
subnet and the other server with an address pool consisting of the remaining 30% of the available
addresses.

Using multiple DHCP servers decreases the probability of having a DHCP-related network access failure,
but it does not guarantee against it. If a DHCP server for a particular subnet fails, the other DHCP server
might not be able to service all the requests from new clients, which might, for example, exhaust the
server's limited pool of available addresses.

If you are considering multiple DHCP servers, remember that multiple DHCP servers cannot share any of
the same addresses. If you use more than one DHCP server in your network, each server must be
configured with their own unique IP address ranges.

Identifying the IP addresses that your DHCP server should manage

Using your network topology, you can document which network address ranges you want the DHCP
server to manage. You must identify which devices have a manually configured IP address (for example,
the router's IP address) that you want to exclude from the DHCP's address pool.

In addition, you will want to consider whether these addresses should be assigned dynamically by the
DHCP server, or you want to assign specific IP addresses to certain clients. You might want to reserve a
specific address and configuration parameters for a specific client on a particular subnet, such as a file
server. Or, you might want to map all of your clients to a specific IP address. Refer to DHCP client
support for more information about assigning IP addresses dynamically versus statically.

Determining the lease time for the IP addresses

The default lease time for the DHCP server is 24 hours. The duration for which you set the lease time on
your DHCP server depends on several factors. You will need to consider your goals, your site's usage
patterns, and service arrangements for your DHCP server. For more information to help you determine
the lease time for your DHCP clients, refer to Leases.

Supporting BOOTP clients

If you are currently using a BOOTP server, consider that the DHCP server can replace the BOOTP server
on your network with little or no impact to your BOOTP clients. There are three options for you if you
have BOOTP clients currently on your network.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 43

The easiest option is to configure your DHCP server to support BOOTP clients. When you use DHCP to
support your BOOTP clients, each BOOTP client is essentially being mapped to a single IP address, and
that address is therefore not re-usable by another client. The advantage, however, of using DHCP in this
case is that there is no need to configure a one-to-one mapping of BOOTP clients to IP addresses. The
DHCP server will still dynamically assign an IP addresses to the BOOTP clients from the address pool.
After the IP address is assigned to the BOOTP client, it is permanently reserved for use by that client
until you explicitly delete the address reservation. This is a good option if you have a large number of
BOOTP clients in your network.

Another option is to migrate your BOOTP server configuration to the DHCP server. A DHCP client will
be created for each BOOTP client listed in the BOOTP server configuration. In this option, it is
recommended that you reconfigure your clients to be DHCP clients. However, when you migrate your
BOOTP configuration to DHCP, the DHCP address assignments will work for either a BOOTP or DHCP
client. This might be a good option to transition your BOOTP clients to DHCP. Your BOOTP clients will
still be supported during the process of reconfiguring them to DHCP.

Eventually, you might want to do the third option: change each BOOTP client to DHCP and configure
DHCP to dynamically assign them addresses. Essentially, this option removes BOOTP entirely from the
network.

Identifying the configuration information for the network clients

Using your network topology layout, you can clearly see the devices (for example, routers) that must be
identified in the DHCP configuration. In addition, you must identify other servers in your network, such
as the Domain Name System (DNS) server, that your clients might need to know about. You can either
specify this information for the entire network, a specific subnet, or a specific client regardless of the
subnet.

If you have devices that apply to many clients, you will want to specify them at the highest level possible
(for example, at the Global level for the entire network, or at the subnet level for a specific subnet). This
will minimize the changes you will need to make to the DHCP configuration when the device changes. If
you have specified the same router, for example, for every client in your network, you must change the
configuration for every client when the router has changed. However, if you have specified the router at
the global level (all of the clients will inherit this configuration information), you only need to change the
information once and the information is changed for all clients.

Some of your clients might have unique TCP/IP configuration requirements that require the information
to be configured at the client level. DHCP can recognize those clients and provide the unique
configuration data to them. This is not only true for the configuration options, but also for the lease time
and IP address. For example, a client might need a longer lease time than all the other clients. Or, maybe
only one client, such as a file server, needs a dedicated IP address. Identifying those clients and the
unique information they require beforehand will help you when you start configuring the DHCP server.

For a quick reference to all of the configuration options, refer to “DHCP options lookup” on page 9.

Using dynamic DNS with your DHCP server

If you are currently using a DNS server to manage all of your client's host names and IP addresses, you
will definitely want to reconfigure your DNS server to accept dynamic updates from DHCP. If you use
Dynamic DNS, the clients will not notice any interruption or changes in the DNS service when you
switch over to DHCP. For more information about using DHCP with your DNS server, refer to Dynamic
updates.

If you are not currently using a DNS server, you might want to consider adding a DNS server when you
add the DHCP server. You can read the DNS topic in the information center to find out more about DNS
benefits and requirements.

44 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Using DHCP for your remote clients

If you have any remote clients that connect to your network using PPP, you can set up DHCP to
dynamically assign an IP address to those remote clients when they connect to the network. To see some
examples of networks where this might be useful, see “Example: PPP and DHCP on a single System i” on
page 37 or “Example: DHCP and PPP profile on different System i models” on page 39. These examples
also explain how to set up the network to use PPP and DHCP together for your remote clients.
Related concepts:
“Examples: DHCP” on page 24
By reviewing diagrams and examples of how different networks are set up, you can determine which is
the best choice for your installation.
“Relay agents and routers” on page 6
You can use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) relay agents and routers to efficiently and
securely transfer data throughout the network.
“DHCP client support” on page 7
You can use a DHCP server to manage each client in your network individually, rather than managing all
of the clients as a large group (subnet).
“Leases” on page 4
When DHCP sends configuration information to a client, the information is sent with a lease time. This is
the length of time that the client can use the IP address it has been assigned. The duration of the lease
time can be changed according to your specific requirement.
“BOOTP” on page 8
The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) is a host configuration protocol that was used before the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) was developed. BOOTP support is a subset of DHCP.
“Dynamic updates” on page 8
You can configure a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to work with a Domain Name
System (DNS) server to dynamically update the client information in the DNS when DHCP assigns the
client an IP address.
Domain Name System

Configuring DHCP
Here are instructions for setting up your DHCP server and clients, and for configuring DHCP to send
dynamic updates to Domain Name System (DNS).
Related reference:
“Planning for DHCP” on page 42
Setting up Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) can be a time-consuming and error-prone
process if you do not take time to plan how to configure your DHCP server. To configure your DHCP
server more efficiently, consider network setup and security concerns beforehand.

Configuring the DHCP server and BOOTP/DHCP relay agent

Use the following information to work with the DHCP server and the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, such
as configuring, starting, or stopping the DHCP server or the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent.
Related concepts:
“Relay agents and routers” on page 6
You can use Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) relay agents and routers to efficiently and
securely transfer data throughout the network.

Configuring or viewing the DHCP server

You can use the DHCP server configuration function to create a new DHCP configuration or view the
existing DHCP configuration.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 45

To access the DHCP server configuration, follow these steps:
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Configuration.

If you are creating a new DHCP configuration, you will use a wizard that helps you set up the DHCP
server. This wizard asks you some of the basic configuration questions and steps you through the process
of creating a subnet. After you have completed the wizard, you can change and improve the
configuration to your network's needs.

If your DHCP server is already configured, the DHCP server configuration function will display the
current configuration, including all of the subnets and clients that can be managed from the DHCP server
and the configuration information that will be sent to the clients.

Creating a shortcut to the DHCP configuration window

Follow these steps if you look at the DHCP configuration frequently and want to create a shortcut to the
DHCP configuration window on your desktop.
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Create Shortcut.

Starting or stopping the DHCP server

After the DHCP server is configured, follow these steps to start or stop the DHCP server.
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Start or Stop.

Configuring the DHCP server to be started automatically

To configure the DHCP server to be started automatically, follow these steps.
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Configuration.
3. Right-click DHCP Server and select Properties.
4. Select the Start when TCP/IP is started check box.
5. Click OK.

Accessing the DHCP server monitor

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server monitor is provided to monitor active lease
information for an System i DHCP server. You can use this graphical interface to view which IP addresses
are leased, how long they have been leased, and when they will be available to lease again.

To access the DHCP server monitor, follow these steps:

1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Monitor.

Configuring the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent

IBM i provides a DHCP/BOOTP relay agent that can be used to forward DHCP packets to a DHCP
server on a different network.

To set up the DHCP/BOOTP relay agent, follow these steps:

1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > BOOTP/DHCP relay
agent.
2. Right-click BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, and then select Configuration.
3. Specify the interface that the relay agent will receive the DHCP packets from, and the destination
where the packets should be forwarded, and click OK.

46 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

 Starting or stopping the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent
After the DHCP/BOOTP relay agent is configured, you can start or stop it by following these steps.
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > BOOTP/DHCP relay
agent.
2. Right-click BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, and then select Start or Stop.

Configuring the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent to be started automatically

To configure the BOOTP/DHCP relay agent to be started automatically when TCP/IP is started, follow
these steps.
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > BOOTP/DHCP relay
agent.
2. Right-click BOOTP/DHCP relay agent, and then select Properties.
3. Select the Start when TCP/IP is started check box and click OK.

| Configuring the DHCP server to use ISC's DHCP 4

| The industry standard implementation of DHCP version 4 by the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), Inc.
| provides functions and abilities currently not available with the DHCP server implementation of IBM i.
| Specifically, ISC's DHCP 4 provides support for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and failover between
| two DHCP peer servers. IBM i system administrators can choose to run the IBM i DHCP implementation
| or ISC's DHCP 4.

| Using ISC's DHCP 4

| Use the following information to configure, start, and stop ISC's DHCP 4 implementation of the DHCP
| server.

| In order to use ISC's DHCP 4 server on the IBM i, follow these steps:
| 1. Ensure IBM i option 31 (Domain Name System (DNS)) and option 33 (Portable Application Solutions
| Environment (PASE)) are installed on the system.
| 2. Define an environment variable to tell the operating system to use the ISC's DHCP 4 server with the
| following command:
| ADDENVVAR ENVVAR(’QIBM_ISC_DHCP’) VALUE(’Y’) LEVEL(*SYS)

| Note: If the QIBM_ISC_DHCP environment variable is not present the IBM i DHCP server is used.
| 3. Run the Change DHCP Attributes (CHGDHCPA) command. This command migrates any existing DHCP
| configuration into configuration files used by the ISC DHCP server. Not all configuration options
| provided by the IBM i DHCP server are supported by the ISC DHCP server. However, as much of the
| configuration as possible is migrated. After migration, changes to the IBM i DHCP server
| configuration will not be reflected in the ISC DHCP server configuration files.
| 4. Manually edit the newly created configuration files. A graphical interface for managing the ISC DHCP
| server and monitoring the leases it manages is not provided. All associated configuration files must be
| edited manually.
| 5. Determine if you want to run an IPv4, IPv6, or both an IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP server on the same
| system.
| a. If you choose to run both an IPv4 and IPv6 DHCP server on the same system, run the following
| command:
| CHGDHCPA IPVERSION(*ALL)
| b. If you choose to run only an IPv6 DHCP server, run the following command:
| CHGDHCPA IPVERSION(*IPV6)
| c. If you choose to run only an IPv4 DHCP server, run the following command:
| CHGDHCPA IPVERSION(*IPV4)
| 6. Start the server using the command:

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 47

| STRTCPSVR SERVER(*DHCP)
| 7. End the server using the command:
| ENDTCPSVR SERVER(*DHCP)
| Related information:
| Internet Systems Consortium
| ISC DHCP website

| Considerations for using the ISC DHCP server

| There are several configuration considerations to make when migrating from the existing IBM i DHCP
| server to the ISC DHCP server.

| The files used by the ISC DHCP server are stored in the Integrated File System (IFS) directory:
| /QIBM/USERDATA/OS400/DHCP/ETC

| When migrating the configuration files from the existing DHCP server to the ISC DHCP server, the
| following options are not supported.
| 1. Globally defined reserved addresses are not migrated. Reserved addresses must be defined on a
| subnet basis.
| 2. The subnet group attributes for “in order” and “balanced” subnets are not migrated. In addition, after
| the migration it might be necessary to manually group subnets into “shared network” subnet groups.
| A "shared network" subnet group informs the DHCP server if subnets within it are connected to the
| same network segment.
| 3. Logging directives are not migrated; however, it is still possible to manually turn on logging.
| Manually starting the server and passing the –D option for *SERVER mode or the –K option for
| *RELAY mode turns on logging. The option can be specified on the STRTCPSVR command as follows:
| STRTCPSVR SERVER(*DHCP) INSTANCE(*DFT '-D’)
| 4. The following keywords and any associated data in the dhcpsd.cfg file are not migrated:
| appendDomainName, balanced, inOrder, leaseExpireInterval, logFileName, logFileSize, logItem,
| numLogFiles, releaseDNSA, releaseDNSP, reservedTime, statisticSnapshot, and
| usedIPAddressExpireInterval.
| 5. Since the native IBM i DHCP server does not support IPv6, an empty configuration file is created for
| the ISC DHCP server.
| 6. As part of migration, an attempt is made to migrate any active DHCP leases when the ISC DHCP
| server is started. In addition, DNS records might be updated for any expired leases. The migration is
| only attempted the first time that the ISC server is used.
| 7. The ISC DHCP code distribution provides a DHCP client; however, it is not available for use on the
| IBM i. Instead, the IBM i provides its own DHCP client support for both IPv4 and IPv6. Configuring a
| line as a DHCP client is available through the Add TCP/IP Interface (ADDTCPIFC) command.

| Both the native IBM i and the ISC DHCP server can run as either DHCP servers or relay agents. For both
| DHCP implementations, the Mode (MODE) parameter of the CHGDHCPA command specifies whether to run
| as a DHCP server or relay agent. The DHCP exit programs for address binding notification, address
| release notification, and request packet validation support the ISC DHCP server and IPv6.
| Related information:
| Internet Systems Consortium
| ISC DHCP website
| DHCP Server Exit Programs

| DHCP failover
| The ISC DHCP 4 server supports failover between two DHCP server peers.

48 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

| Failover to a DHCP server running the native IBM i DHCP server is not supported. In most cases,
| failover from one peer to another happens automatically. However, there could be cases such as a server
| crash in which manual intervention must take place. The Change DHCP Server (CHGDHCPSVR) command
| can be used to tell an operational DHCP failover peer that its failover partner is down.
| Related information:
| Internet Systems Consortium
| ISC DHCP website

Configuring clients to use DHCP

After the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is configured, clients must be configured
as well to request their configuration information from the DHCP server.

The following information describes the steps to configure your Windows clients to request their
configuration information from the DHCP server. In addition, it describes how the clients can view their
own DHCP lease information.

Enabling DHCP for Windows Me clients

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) function for Windows Me clients can be enabled or
disabled from a graphical interface that the Windows Me operating system provides.

To enable DHCP, follow these steps:

1. On the Start Menu, click Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network, and then select the Protocols tab.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then click Properties.
4. On the IP Address tab, click Obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, and Click OK.

Checking the DHCP lease for Windows Me clients:

Windows Me clients have a utility that displays the client's MAC address and DHCP lease information.
You can also use it to release and renew DHCP leases.

To check the DHCP lease for the client, complete the following steps:
1. Open an MS-DOS Command prompt.
2. Run WINIPCFG.

Note: This utility does not dynamically update the displayed information, so it is necessary to rerun the
utility to view updated status.

Enabling DHCP for Windows 2000 clients

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) function for Windows 2000 clients can be enabled or
disabled from a graphical interface that the Windows 2000 operating system provides.

To enable DHCP, follow these steps:

1. On the Start Menu, select Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
4. On the General tab, select Obtain an IP address from a DHCP server.
5. Click OK.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 49

Checking the MAC address and DHCP lease:

Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients have a utility that displays the client's MAC address and DHCP
lease information. You can also use this utility to release and renew DHCP leases.

To check the DHCP lease for a Windows 2000 or a Windows XP client, follow these steps:
1. Open a Command Prompt window.
2. Run IPCONFIG /ALL.

Note: This utility does not dynamically update the displayed information, so it will be necessary to rerun
the utility to view updated status. You can use the same utility with different parameters to release
and renew a lease (IPCONFIG /RELEASE and IPCONFIG /RENEW). Run IPCONFIG /? from an
MS-DOS Command Prompt to see all of the possible parameters for the command.

If you want the DHCP server to update DNS A records on behalf of the client, configure the DHCP
clients of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. This configuration might simplify your DNS
administration because DNS updates will then originate from the DHCP server for all clients, rather than
some clients updating their own records.

Updating DNS A records:

You can follow these steps to enable Windows 2000 or Windows XP to use the DHCP server to update
DNS A records on behalf of the client.
1. On the Start Menu, complete either of the following steps according to your Windows environment.
v Windows XP: Select Control Panel > Network Connections.
v Windows 2000: Select Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
4. Click Advanced. On the DNS tab, make sure Register this connection's addresses in DNS is
unchecked.
5. Click OK on the Advanced TCP/IP Settings panel.
6. Click OK on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties panel.
7. Click OK.

Enabling DHCP for Windows XP clients

You can enable or disable the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) function for Windows XP
clients from a graphical interface that the Windows XP operating system provides.

To enable DHCP, follow these steps:

1. On the Start Menu, select Control Panel > Network Connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
4. On the General tab, select Obtain an IP address automatically.
5. Click OK.

Checking the MAC address and DHCP lease:

Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients have a utility that displays the client's MAC address and DHCP
lease information. You can also use this utility to release and renew DHCP leases.

To check the DHCP lease for a Windows 2000 or a Windows XP client, follow these steps:
1. Open a Command Prompt window.

50 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

2. Run IPCONFIG /ALL.

Note: This utility does not dynamically update the displayed information, so it will be necessary to rerun
the utility to view updated status. You can use the same utility with different parameters to release
and renew a lease (IPCONFIG /RELEASE and IPCONFIG /RENEW). Run IPCONFIG /? from an
MS-DOS Command Prompt to see all of the possible parameters for the command.

If you want the DHCP server to update DNS A records on behalf of the client, configure the DHCP
clients of Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP. This configuration might simplify your DNS
administration because DNS updates will then originate from the DHCP server for all clients, rather than
some clients updating their own records.

Updating DNS A records:

You can follow these steps to enable Windows 2000 or Windows XP to use the DHCP server to update
DNS A records on behalf of the client.
1. On the Start Menu, complete either of the following steps according to your Windows environment.
v Windows XP: Select Control Panel > Network Connections.
v Windows 2000: Select Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
4. Click Advanced. On the DNS tab, make sure Register this connection's addresses in DNS is
unchecked.
5. Click OK on the Advanced TCP/IP Settings panel.
6. Click OK on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties panel.
7. Click OK.

Configuring DHCP to send dynamic updates to DNS

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server can be configured to send update requests to
the DNS server each time it assigns a new address to a host. This automated process reduces DNS server
administration in rapidly growing or changing TCP/IP networks, and in networks where hosts change
locations frequently.

When a client using DHCP receives an IP address, that data is immediately sent to the DNS server. Using
this method, DNS can continue to successfully resolve queries for hosts, even when their IP addresses
change.

For record updates to occur, Domain Name System (Option 31 of IBM i) must be installed on this server.
The DHCP server uses programming interfaces provided by Option 31 to perform dynamic updates. The
DNS server can be running on a separate System i model that is capable of performing dynamic updates.
For information about verifying that Option 31 is installed, refer to DNS system requirements.

To configure DHCP properties to allow the DHCP server to perform dynamic DNS updates, follow these
steps:
1. Expand Network > Servers > TCP/IP.
2. In the right pane, right-click DHCP and select Configuration.
3. In the left panel of the DHCP Server Configuration window, right-click Global and select Properties.
4. Select the Options tab.
5. Select option 15: Domain name from the Selected options list. If option 15 does not appear in the
Selected options list, select 15: Domain name from the Available options list and click Add.
6. In the Domain Name field, specify the domain name the client uses when resolving host names
using DNS.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 51

 7. Select the Dynamic DNS tab.
8. Select DHCP server updates both A records and PTR records or DHCP server updates PTR records
only.
9. Set Append domain name to host name to Yes.
10. Click OK to close the Global Properties page.
Related concepts:
“Dynamic updates” on page 8
You can configure a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to work with a Domain Name
System (DNS) server to dynamically update the client information in the DNS when DHCP assigns the
client an IP address.

Disabling DNS dynamic updates

By disabling the Domain Name System (DNS) dynamic updates function, the responsibility of managing
the DNS server is returned to the administrator. Disabling DNS dynamic updates might be suitable for
networks where hosts rarely change locations, where growth and change are infrequent, and when
stricter DNS server administration is required.

To disable DNS dynamic updates from the client, perform the following steps:
1. On the Start Menu, select Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
3. Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
4. Select Advanced.
5. On the DNS tab, deselect the "Register this connection's addresses in DNS" and "Use this connections
DNS suffix in DNS registration" options.
6. Click OK.

Follow these steps for all connections that you want to have the DNS records update delegated to the
DHCP server.

Managing leased IP addresses

You can use the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) configuration tool to specify the IP
address pool that DHCP manages and the lease time for those address pools. You can use the DHCP
server monitor to see which of the IP addresses are currently being leased.

The DHCP server monitor is provided to monitor active lease information for a System i DHCP server.
You can use this graphical interface to view which IP addresses are leased, how long they have been
leased, and when they are available to lease again.

You can also use the DHCP server monitor to reclaim IP addresses that are no longer being used. If the
DHCP address pool has been exhausted, you can look through the active lease information. Use the
active lease information to determine if you can delete any leases to make the IP addresses available to
other clients. For example, you might have a client that is no longer on the network, but still has an
active IP address lease. You can delete the active IP address lease for this client. You can only perform
this operation when you are certain that the client will no longer attempt to use the address. The DHCP
server does not notify the clients when you delete their active IP address lease. If you delete an active
lease for a client that is still on the network without releasing the IP address from the client, you might
end up with duplicate IP address assignments on your network.
Related concepts:
“Problem: Duplicate IP address assignments on the same network” on page 54
An IP address must be unique across your network. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
server cannot assign a single IP address to more than one client.

52 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

Troubleshooting DHCP
Follow these guidelines when troubleshooting DHCP problems.

If your problem is not listed here, review the “Planning for DHCP” on page 42 topic to verify that you
have taken everything into consideration for your DHCP configuration.

Select a problem description from the following list, or read Gathering detailed DHCP error information
topic for directions to access server log data and trace information.
Related reference:
Using communications trace to solve communication problems

Gathering detailed DHCP error information

There are a couple of ways to find out the error details behind the problem that you are encountering.

First, look at the DHCP server job log, using the follow steps:
1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Server Jobs.

If there are no messages in the DHCP server job log, it might be necessary to collect the information from
the System i communication trace or the internal program trace of the DHCP server. The communication
trace helps determine whether the client requests are reaching the DHCP server and whether the DHCP
server is responding to the client. If the client requests are reaching the DHCP server, but the server is
not responding, use the DHCP server internal program trace function.

Tracing the DHCP server

The DHCP log file is used to record the DHCP server logging information. Viewing the DHCP log file
can help you locate where the problem is and the reasons that cause the problem.

To trace the DHCP server, follow these steps:

1. In System i Navigator, expand your system > Network > Servers > TCP/IP > DHCP.
2. Right-click DHCP, and then select Configuration.
3. Right-click DHCP Server and select Properties.
4. Select the Logging properties tab.
5. Check the Enable Logging check box.
6. Verify that the Log file name is dhcpsd.log.
7. Check all of the Log categories except Trace and Statistics (trace and statistics logs are used only by
the support line).
8. Click OK.
9. Right-click DHCP Server and select Update Server to restart the DHCP server if the server is
already started.
10. Recreate the problem.
11. Right-click DHCP Server, and then select Properties > Logging.
12. Deselect Enable Logging to turn off logging.
13. Click OK.
14. Right-click DHCP Server, and then select Update Server to restart the DHCP server.
15. View the DHCP log file in QIBM/UserData/OS400/DHCP/dhcpsd.log. Do one of the following
steps:
v In System i Navigator, expand your system > File Systems > Integrated File System > Root > the
file's directory.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 53

 v From a character-based interface, use the Work with Object Links (WRKLNK) command and select
option 5 (Display).

Problem: Clients are not receiving an IP address or their configuration

information
Problems might occur if the clients cannot receive an IP address or the configuration information. An IP
address is leased to a client through a four-step process between the client and the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

All four steps must take place before the client receives an IP address. Refer to the “DHCP client/server
interaction” on page 2 topic for details about the four-step process.

Here are some common reasons for this problem.

The client is connected to a subnet that is not configured in the DHCP server.
Check the DHCP configuration and verify that all subnets managed by the DHCP server are
listed in the configuration. If you are unsure about which subnets should be managed by the
DHCP server, refer to “Network topology considerations” on page 42.
The DHCPDISCOVER message from the client cannot reach the DHCP server.
If the DHCP server does not have an IP address on the client's subnet, there must be a router or
DHCP/BOOTP relay agent that can forward the client's DHCPDISCOVER message to the DHCP
server. For more information, refer to “Relay agents and routers” on page 6. In addition to
receiving the broadcast message, the server needs to be able to send reply packets back to the
client's subnet.
If your System i model is multihomed, you might need to add a subnet group to the DHCP
configuration. For more detail about configuring DHCP for a multihomed system, see “Example:
DHCP and multihoming” on page 29. This example describes what needs to be done to the
DHCP configuration so that the client's broadcast message is received by the system.
The DHCP server does not have any available addresses for the client in the address pool.
You can use the DHCP server monitor to see which addresses are currently being used by the
DHCP server. “Managing leased IP addresses” on page 52 provides more details about using the
DHCP server monitor. If the DHCP server has run out of available addresses, you might need to
add more IP addresses to the address pool, shorten the lease time, or delete permanent leases that
are no longer required.

Problem: Duplicate IP address assignments on the same network

An IP address must be unique across your network. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
server cannot assign a single IP address to more than one client.

Under certain conditions, the DHCP server will attempt to verify that an address is not currently in use
before it assigns it to a client. When the DHCP server detects that an address is being used when it
should not be, it will temporarily mark that address as used and will not assign that address to any
client. You can use the DHCP server monitor to view which IP addresses that the server has detected are
in use but were not assigned by the DHCP server. These addresses will have a USED status and an
UNKNOWN_TO_IBMDHCP client identifier.

Here are some common reasons for this problem.

Multiple DHCP servers are configured to assign the same IP address.
If two DHCP servers are configured to assign the same IP address to clients, then it is possible
for two different clients to receive the same IP address. One of the clients receives the IP address
from one of the DHCP servers, and the other client receives the same IP address from the other
DHCP server. Multiple DHCP servers can serve the same subnet or network, but they must not
be configured with the same address pool or overlapping address pools.

54 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

A client has been manually configured with an IP address which is managed by DHCP.
The DHCP server typically attempts to verify whether an IP address is currently in use before
assigning it to a client. However, there is no guarantee that the manually configured client is
currently connected to the network or available to respond when the DHCP server is verifying
the IP address. So, the DHCP server might assign the IP address to a DHCP client. When the
manually configured client connects to the network, you will have duplicate IP addresses on your
network. IP addresses that are managed by DHCP should not be used to manually configure the
network setup for a client. If a client needs to be manually configured with an IP address, that IP
address should be excluded from the DHCP server's address pool.
Related concepts:
“Managing leased IP addresses” on page 52
You can use the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) configuration tool to specify the IP
address pool that DHCP manages and the lease time for those address pools. You can use the DHCP
server monitor to see which of the IP addresses are currently being leased.

Problem: DNS records are not being updated by DHCP

The System i DHCP server is capable of dynamically updating DNS resource records. The DHCP server
uses name resolution functions and programming interfaces to determine the appropriate dynamic DNS
server to update. You can use this information when troubleshooting dynamic update errors.

Check the following points when the DNS records are not being updated dynamically.
Verify which subnets and the type of resource records (A, PTR, or both records) are being updated.
Check the DHCP configuration and verify that the client's subnet is set up to dynamically update
resource records and which type of record is being updated.
Verify that i5/OS Domain Name System, Option 31, is installed on the System i model that is running
DHCP.
The DHCP server uses programming interfaces provided by the i5/OS Domain Name System
feature, Option 31. The DNS that is being dynamically updated does not need to reside on the
same system as the DHCP server.
Verify the DHCP server is authorized to send updates to the DNS server.
Check the DNS configuration to verify that the DNS zone is configured to allow dynamic updates
and that the DHCP server is included in the Access Control List.
Verify that the DNS servers can resolve the client's domain.
Display the list of DNS servers on the System i model where DHCP resides by using the Change
TCP/IP Domain (CHGTCPDMN) command. Verify that these DNS servers can resolve the
domain that is being updated. To do this, run the Name Server Lookup (NSLOOKUP) tool from
the System i model where DHCP is running to resolve a name (or IP address) in the domain that
is failing to be updated. The DHCP server must be able to derive the fully qualified domain
name (FQDN) of the client to update its DNS record. The DHCP server does not attempt to
update a dynamic DNS without an FQDN (the host name and domain name of the client). The
DHCP server derives the FQDN of the client using the following sequence:
1. Option 81 (Client FQDN) in the DHCPREQUEST message from the client.
2. Option 12 (Host Name), Option 15 (Domain Name), or both options in the DHCPREQUEST
message from the client.
3. Option 12 (Host Name) in the DHCPREQUEST message from the client, Option 15 (Domain
Name) configured in the DHCP server, or both of these options. In this case, to derive the
FQDN, the DHCP server must be configured to append the domain name to the host name
(specified on the Properties > Dynamic DNS tab for the global level, subnet, class, or client).
The TXT record might not match the corresponding DNS record.
The DHCP server can be configured to check the existing DNS resource records to determine
which DHCP client they are associated with. The DHCP server accomplishes this by writing a
corresponding TXT record with each A and PTR record that it updates in the DNS. If the system

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 55

 is configured to verify the client ID before performing the DNS update, then the TXT record data
must match the client ID of the client that received the address from the DHCP server. If it does
not match, the DHCP server does not update the DNS A resource record. This prevents
overwriting existing records. However, the DHCP server can be configured to ignore the existing
records and perform DNS updates regardless of the data in the TXT record (specified on the
Properties > Dynamic DNS tab for the global level, subnet, class, or client).
Related concepts:
“Dynamic updates” on page 8
You can configure a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to work with a Domain Name
System (DNS) server to dynamically update the client information in the DNS when DHCP assigns the
client an IP address.

Problem: DHCP job log has DNS030B messages with error code 3447
Error code 3447 means that the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server times out while
waiting for a response from the Domain Name System (DNS) server. This might be due to network or
connection problems between the System i DHCP server and the DNS server.

This message will be accompanied by a TCP5763 message which contains the type of DNS resource
record and detailed data for the resource record that the DHCP server attempted to update.

Because the DHCP server attempts to update DNS resource records each time a lease is renewed, the
resource records might already be present in the zone configuration file from the initial IP address lease
or a prior lease renewal. Check the DNS zone configuration data using a tool, such as NSLOOKUP. You
might find that the resource record is already present with the correct data and that no action is
necessary.

If the resource record is not present in DNS, there are several ways to update the resource record. The
DHCP server attempts to update the resource record at the next lease renewal request. So, you can wait
until that occurs. Or, many clients attempt to renew or reacquire an IP address when they are turned on.
You might want to try to restart the client, which can cause the DHCP server to attempt to update the
DNS resource records again.

If none of these options work for you, you can update the DNS resource records manually. This method
is not recommended because the dynamic zone must not be running when you make manual updates.
So, other dynamic updates from the DHCP server are lost during this downtime. However, you can use
the dynamic update utilities that are provided by some client and BIND DNS server implementations to
update the resource record. Although similar in process to manually updating the zone (an administrator
must enter the resource record data to be updated), dynamic update utilities allow the zone to be
updated while the zone is active.

Related information for DHCP

IBM Redbooks and Web sites contain information that relates to the DHCP topic collection. You can view
or print any of the PDF files.

IBM Redbooks

AS/400 TCP/IP Autoconfiguration: DNS and DHCP Support (5181 KB)

This IBM Redbooks publication describes the Domain Name System (DNS) server and Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server support that are included in i5/OS. The information in this
Redbooks publication helps you install, tailor, configure, and troubleshoot the DNS and DHCP support
through examples.

56 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

DHCP RFCs

Requests for Comments (RFCs) are written definitions of protocol standards and proposed
standards used for the Internet. The following RFCs might be helpful for understanding DHCP and
related functions:

v RFC 2131: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (obsoletes RFC 1541)

v RFC 2132: DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor Extensions

v RFC 951: The Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP)

v RFC 1534: Interoperation Between DHCP and BOOTP

v RFC 1542: Clarifications and Extensions for the Bootstrap Protocol

v RFC 2136: Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System (DNS UPDATE)

v RFC 3315: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol for IPv6 (DHCPv6)

Related reference:
“PDF file for DHCP” on page 1
You can view and print a PDF file of this information.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol 57

58 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Appendix. Notices
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© Copyright IBM Corp. 1998, 2010 59

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The licensed program described in this document and all licensed material available for it are provided
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Any performance data contained herein was determined in a controlled environment. Therefore, the
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60 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

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Appendix. Notices 61
62 IBM i: Networking Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
IBM®

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