Riverstone Networks WICT1-12 - Manual (Page 171)

Riverstone Networks RS Switch Router User Guide Release 8.0 10-1
10 DHCP CONFIGURATION GUIDE
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server on the RS provides dynamic address assignment and
configuration to DHCP capable end-user systems, such as Windows 95/98/NT and Apple Macintosh systems. You
can configure the server to provide a dynamic IP address from a pre-allocated pool of IP addresses or a static IP
address. You can also configure parameters for use by the clients, such as default gateway and network masks, and
system-specific parameters, such as NetBIOS Name Server and NetBIOS node type of the client.
The amount of time that a particular IP address is valid for a system is called a lease. The RS maintains a lease
database which contains information about each assigned IP address, the MAC address to which it is assigned,
the lease expiration, and whether the address assignment is dynamic or static. The DHCP lease database is stored
in flash memory and can be backed up on a remote TFTP or RCP server. You can configure the intervals at which
updates to the lease database (and backup) are done. Upon system reboot, the lease database will be loaded either
from flash memory or from the TFTP or RCP server.
Note The RS DHCP server is not designed to work as the primary DHCP server in
an enterprise environment with hundreds or thousands of clients that are
constantly seeking IP address assignment or reassignment. A standalone
DHCP server with a redundant backup server may be more suitable for this
enterprise environment.
10.1 CONFIGURING DHCP
By default, the DHCP server is not enabled on the RS. You can selectively enable DHCP service on particular
interfaces and not others. To enable DHCP service on an interface, you must first define a DHCP scope. A scope
consists of a pool of IP addresses and a set of parameters for a DHCP client. The parameters are used by the client
to configure its network environment, for example, the default gateway and DNS domain name.
To configure DHCP on the RS, you must configure an IP address pool, client parameters, and optional static IP
address for a specified scope. Where several subnets are accessed through a single port, you can also define
multiple scopes on the same interface and group the scopes together into a “superscope.”