The dhcptab Table

The dhcptab table contains all the information that clients can obtain from the DHCP server. The DHCP server scans the dhcptab table each time it starts. The file name of the dhcptab table varies according to the data store used. For example, the dhcptab table created by the NIS+ data store SUNWnisplus is SUNWnisplus1_dhcptab.

The DHCP protocol defines a number of standard items of information that can be passed to clients. These items are referred to as parameters, symbols, or options. Options are defined in the DHCP protocol by numeric codes and text labels, but without values. Some commonly used standard options are shown in the following table.

Table 11–1 Sample DHCP Standard Options

Code	Label	Description
1	Subnet	Subnet mask IP address
3	Router	IP address for the router
6	DNSserv	IP address for the DNS server
12	Hostname	Text string for the client host name
15	DNSdmain	DNS domain name

Some options are automatically assigned values when you provide information during server configuration. You can also explicitly assign values to other options at a later time. Options and their values are passed to the client to provide configuration information. For example, the option/value pair, DNSdmain=Georgia.Peach.COM, sets the client's DNS domain name to Georgia.Peach.COM.

Options can be grouped with other options in containers known as macros, which makes it easier to pass information to a client. Some macros are created automatically during server configuration and contain options that were assigned values during configuration. Macros can also contain other macros.

The format of the dhcptab table is described in the dhcptab(4) man page. In DHCP Manager, all the information shown in the Options and Macros tabs comes from the dhcptab table. See About DHCP Options for more information about options. See About DHCP Macros for more information about macros.

Note that the dhcptab table should not be edited manually. You should use either the dhtadm command or DHCP Manager to create, delete, or modify options and macros.