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    The BMC Server Automation provisioning process requires a DHCP server, which gives the computer being provisioned an IP address and (in a single-database environment) the location of the Application Server. This topic provides instructions for configuring a DHCP server on Linux.

    The topic includes the following sections:

    Overview of the requirement

    BMC Server Automation requires a Linux DHCP server to be running at least version 3.0p2 of the Internet Software Consortium (ISC) DHCP. The ISC provides a freely redistributable version of DHCP. Earlier versions of ISC DHCP are not compatible with the BMC Server Automation provisioning system.

    When you configure a DHCP server on Linux, you must configure the dhcpd.conf file. In that file, you enter values for a standard DHCP server configuration, including the definition of a scope, which sets a start and end of the range of IP addresses being distributed. This range determines the number of servers that can simultaneously access the DHCP server. In addition to the standard configuration, you must include required statements for the BMC Server Automation provisioning process.

    To install and configure the ISC DHCP

    The following procedure describes how to install and configure the ISC DHCP.

    1. Download ISC DHCP version 3.0p2 or later from http://www.isc.org/software/dhcp and compile the executable or use a package manager (such as YUM, YaST, or Zypper) to install the dhcpd package.

    2. Edit the dhcpd.conf file, (typically /etc/dhcpd.conf) to match the following example. The lines in red highlight entries that are required or recommended for BMC Server Automation provisioning.

      allow booting;
      allow bootp;
      allow duplicates;
      always-broadcast on;
      authoritative;
      ddns-update-style none;
      option bl-server code 211 = ip-address;
      option bl-port code 212 = unsigned integer 16;
      subnet 192.168.4.0 netmask 255.255.255.0
      \{
      range 192.168.4.200 192.168.4.220;
      option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
      option routers 192.168.4.1;
      option domain-name-servers 10.20.21.3;
      option netbios-name-servers 10.20.21.3;
      option domain-name "netboot.customer.com";
      default-lease-time 2592000;
      max-lease-time 5184000;
      option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient";
      option bl-server 192.168.4.100;
      option bl-port 9831;
      \}

    3. If you plan to use Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), instead of BIOS, for booting hardware over the network during provisioning, perform the additional edits described in Preparing for UEFI booting.

    4. Restart the DHCP server.

    Additional notes for required options

    The following table provides some additional information for the options highlighted in red in the above example.

    OptionAdditional notes for required options
    allow duplicates

    		Ensure option is enabled.
    always-broadcast on

    		Ensure option is enabled.
    authoritative

    The authoritative statement is required with the ISC DHCP server configuration. BMC Server Automation requires that the DHCP server responding to inquiries for the subnet be authoritative.

    option bl-server code 211 = ip-address

    		If you are setting up a multidatabase environment, do not add the statements for options 211 and 212. Instead, specify the IP address or host name of the Application Server as described in Configuring the PXE and TFTP servers. If you are changing from a single-database environment to a multidatabase environment, you must remove the statements for options 211 and 212 from dhcpd.conf.
    option bl-port code 212 = unsigned integer 16

    		If you are setting up a multidatabase environment, do not add the statements for options 211 and 212. Instead, specify the IP address or host name of the Application Server as described in Configuring the PXE and TFTP servers. If you are changing from a single-database environment to a multidatabase environment, you must remove the statements for options 211 and 212 from dhcpd.conf.
    option routers 192.168.4.1

    The option routers statement defines an IP address for the router. (The option routers value shown above is an example; you should define the correct router address.) If you do not have a valid router IP address (for example, if you are provisioning in a local LAN) you can use a router IP address that is not real, for example, x.x.x.1. (You should define the correct router address, which might not align with the .1 host ID.) In the case of provisioning in a local LAN, the value can be any valid IP address within the subnet (or subnet mask) that is not in the range of IP addresses to be distributed by the DHCP server.

    option vendor-class-identifier "PXEClient"

    The option vendor-class-identifierstatement lets target computers differentiate between the DHCP server and proxy DHCP servers. If the DHCP server and PXE server reside on:

      • The same host computer--Include the option vendor-class-identifier statement in the dhcpd.conf file.
      • Separate host computers--Do not include the option vendor-class-identifier statement in the dhcpd.conf file.

    Note: Use the PXEClient option (only if the DHCP and PXE servers are installed on the same system; otherwise, omit that line.

    option bl-server 192.168.4.100

    The option bl-server statement defines an IP address for option 211. The IP address is the IP address of the BMC Server Automation Application Server.

    option bl-port 9831The option bl-port statement defines a port number for option 212. You should generally enter a value of 9831, which is the port that the BMC Server Automation Application Server uses by default for SSL communication.

    Where to go from here

    Configuring the PXE and TFTP servers

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