Show client names in dhcpd.leases

jlinkels · 11-23-2009, 06:58 PM

In /var/lib/dhcpd.leases I see client names of Windows clients, Ubuntu and Knoppix clients, but not my own Debian clients.

The clients I see the client names for are the names given to those computers. This is the computer name in Windows, and presumably the host name for the Linux computers.

The Debian clients which I do not see both have and don't have a name in the local DNS server. All Debian clients do have a valid host name. It is not that the name is shown as "" or empty, the entire line is omitted:

Code:

lease 192.168.0.163 { #my own Debian
        starts 2 2009/11/24 00:19:07;
        ends 2 2009/11/24 01:19:07;
        hardware ethernet 00:02:a5:77:56:9e;
}
lease 192.168.0.162 {        #Windows
        starts 1 2009/11/23 23:51:08;
        ends 2 2009/11/24 00:51:08;
        hardware ethernet 00:15:99:23:2c:61;
        uid 01:00:15:99:23:2c:61;
        client-hostname "SEC001599232C61";
}
lease 192.168.0.161 {        #Knoppix
        starts 1 2009/11/23 21:35:57;
        ends 1 2009/11/23 23:35:57;
        hardware ethernet 00:02:a5:95:95:7b;
        client-hostname "Knoppix";
}

jlinkels

acid_kewpie · 11-24-2009, 01:52 AM

The name will be coming from the hostname being provided in the DHCP request, so fine tuning of your dhcp client would be required, check the manpage for the client you're using, e.g. dhclient, pump, dhcpcd. Does it matter though? If you're not configuring to require a hostname, then what's the problem? Remember that dhcpd.leases is a data for for the server, it's not there for your delectation.

jlinkels · 11-24-2009, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acid_kewpie

The name will be coming from the hostname being provided in the DHCP request, so fine tuning of your dhcp client would be required, check the manpage for the client you're using, e.g. dhclient, pump, dhcpcd.

It never occured to me that it could be a dhcp client configuration issue and that the hostname is pushed to the server. Googling was not very effective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by acid_kewpie

Does it matter though? If you're not configuring to require a hostname, then what's the problem? Remember that dhcpd.leases is a data for for the server, it's not there for your delectation.

It is convenient to know. Mostly while installing a new host. The new host obtains a DHCP address. Usually I retrieve the MAC address from dhcpd.leases and put it in dhcpd.conf. This is easier to do when you know which host belongs to which hw address.

Thanks for your help

jlinkels