when would I need to use dhcp...

trist007 · 01-05-2010, 03:21 PM

My gateway/router is my dhcp server. Therefore, that should mean that all my linux computers within my home network should have dhcpd turned off? I just have confusion in this area.

nuwen52 · 01-05-2010, 03:25 PM

dhcpd is the Linux dhcp server daemon. More than one dhcp server on a network is generally a bad thing. If your router is already acting as a dhcp server, you would want to disable that service on your linux machine to make sure they do not fight each other.

trist007 · 01-05-2010, 03:29 PM

is there only a dhcp server? or does linux also have dhcp client programs that utilize the dhcp server? Or does the dhcp server do it all?

nuwen52 · 01-05-2010, 03:40 PM

I believe that dhcpd is ONLY a server. There are other programs that run to get an address from a server. One of them is dhcpcd. I'm not sure what all distros use.

Tinkster · 01-05-2010, 03:51 PM

Quote:

is there only a dhcp server? or does linux also have dhcp client programs that utilize the dhcp server? Or does the dhcp server do it all?

No, the server won't FORCE dhcp leases on machines, it
offers them. Clients can choose to use them, or go with
static addresses. Things can get confusing though if the
server hands out IPs that it thinks are free and a client
uses it hard-coded.

Cheers,
Tink

trist007 · 01-05-2010, 04:11 PM

So each machine does have a dhcp client?

Tinkster · 01-05-2010, 04:12 PM

It should ... there's three common clients.
dhcpcd
dhclient
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