Subject: Re: NetBSD-1.4: DHCP setup
To: Ted Lemon <mellon@isc.org>
From: David Maxwell <david@fundy.ca>
List: current-users
Date: 05/20/1999 12:02:45
On Thu, May 20, 1999 at 10:21:24AM -0400, Ted Lemon wrote:
> 
> > Assuming a fairly new DHCPD, it should ping the address before giving
> > it out.
> 
> You aren't supposed to use an address that the DHCP server owns unless
> you've been given a lease on it.  If you do, it causes problems for

> them?  If you need a permanent IP address, request one from your
> network administrator, or if you are your network administrator,
> assign yourself one.

No knowing the whole conversation that was ongoing, I just need to reply
that I was just stating that it should work, not that it should be done
on a regular basis.

I do this if I have a non-DHCP capable machine... boot a DHCP capable
one, take the IP it gets a lease for, and statically configure the non-DHCP
capable machine with it. (Shutting down/unplugging the DHCP capable one
naturally.)

I agree that the 'correct' solution is to have a static IP assigned, but
it depends on whether the question we're discussing is:

How do you do this to get the thing working now?
or
How do you do this the right way if you're not in a hurry?

Which have very different answers in many circumstances.

Obviously, picking IPs at random will mess up your subnetting and
scopes, for any permanent machine, but sometimes you just need to be
able to ftp for a minute...
 
-- 
David Maxwell, david@vex.net|david@maxwell.net --> Mastery of UNIX, like
mastery of language, offers real freedom. The price of freedom is always dear,
but there's no substitute. Personally, I'd rather pay for my freedom than live
in a bitmapped, pop-up-happy dungeon like NT. - Thomas Scoville