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Configuring a DHCP server on Linux

This topic provides instructions for configuring a DHCP server on Linux.

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. In the following example of a dhcpd.conf file, the lines in red highlight entries that are required or recommended for BMC Server Automation provisioning:

 

In the red lines shown above:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • The 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.

    Note

    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.

 

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