On Mon, Aug 05, 2002 at 11:59:43PM -0400, Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
> In message <3D4EA00B.1090904@mindspring.com>, Steve Bell writes:
> >Howdy,
> >
> >Just looking for more information if possible. I am running into some 
> >problems with my cable modem, it's not picking up an IP from my service 
> >provider via DHCP. I have tried both empty/non exsiting and configured 
> >dhcp.conf files, but after running dhclient ex0  I get six attempts, and 
> >a final message saying that no DHCPOFFERS were received.  Any general 
> >tips about getting the modem to drop it's current lease, and actively 
> >look for a new one?
> >
> 
> There are a lot of possible problems.  Some ISPs require a magic host
> name or a registered MAC address.  

The host name is the most common problem I've encountered. If your
cable-modem dns looks something like

cust-555.somewhere.somecable.net, try a dhclient.conf like

interface ex0 {
	send host-name "cust-555"
	request subnet-mask, broadcast-address, time-offset, routers,
	domain-name, domain-name-servers, host-name;
	require subnet-mask, domain-name-servers;
       }

-- 
David Maxwell, david@vex.net|david@maxwell.net -->
(About an Amiga rendering landscapes) It's not thinking, it's being artistic!
					      - Jamie Woods