Order of Macro Processing

When a DHCP client requests DHCP services, the DHCP server determines which macros match the client. The server processes the macros, using the macro categories to determine the order of processing. The most general category is processed first, and the most specific category is processed last. The macros are processed in the following order:

1. Client class macros – The most general category

2. Network address macros – More specific than Client class

3. Macros mapped to IP addresses – More specific than Network address

4. Client ID macros – The most specific category, pertaining to one client

A macro that is included in another macro is processed as part of the container macro.

If the same option is included in more than one macro, the value for that option in the macro with the most specific category is used because it is processed last. For example, if a Network address macro contains the lease time option with a value of 24 hours, and a Client ID macro contains the lease time option with a value of 8 hours, the client receives a lease time of 8 hours.