How Each Subnet for DHCP is Configured

The dhcpconfig script creates a table--called the dhcp_network table--for each subnet being configured on the server system. The table name is the same as the IP address, but with decimal points replaced by underscores. For example, the subnet 129.148.5.0 has a dhcp_network table 129_148_5_0 in the name service being used by DHCP. For NIS+, this is a table in the org_dir object. For files, this is a file in the /var/dhcp directory.

Each client system being managed by DHCP has an entry in the dhcp_network table (the table corresponding to the subnet on which the client machine is attached). Entries may be permanent, with the IP address permanently assigned to the machine. Or, entries may be dynamic, where the DHCP server assigns an IP address when the client is first configured and provides a lease, a specified amount of time for which the IP address can be used. It is these dynamic clients that this step attempts to set up. Permanent clients can be set up with pntadm after the DHCP environment is fully configured.