[SATLUG] understanding DHCP

[Travis H.]

Someone was having problems.  Here's a lucid description of the first part of
the protocol from the FreeBSD dhcpd.conf manpage:

DYNAMIC ADDRESS ALLOCATION
       Address allocation is actually only done when a client is in  the  INIT
       state and has sent a DHCPDISCOVER message.  If the client thinks it has
       a valid lease and sends a DHCPREQUEST to initiate or renew that  lease,
       the server has only three choices - it can ignore the DHCPREQUEST, send
       a DHCPNAK to tell the client it should stop using the address, or  send
       a  DHCPACK,  telling  the  client to go ahead and use the address for a
       while.

       If the server finds the address the  client  is  requesting,  and  that
       address is available to the client, the server will send a DHCPACK.  If
       the address is no longer available, or the client  isn't  permitted  to
       have  it,  the server will send a DHCPNAK.  If the server knows nothing
       about the address, it will remain silent, unless the address is  incor-
       rect  for the network segment to which the client has been attached and
       the server is authoritative for that network segment, in which case the
       server  will  send  a  DHCPNAK  even  though  it doesn't know about the
       address.


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