.\" $OpenBSD: dhcp.8,v 1.8 2001/10/04 10:28:20 wilfried Exp $ .\" .Dd July 8, 1999 .Dt DHCP 8 .Os .Sh NAME .Nm dhcp .Nd configuring .Ox for DHCP .Sh DESCRIPTION The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows hosts on a TCP/IP network to configure one or more network interfaces based on information collected from a DHCP server in response to a DHCP request. This mechanism is often used, for example, by cable modem and DSL network providers to simplify network configurations for their clients/customers. .Pp Information typically contained within a DHCP response includes an IP address for the interface, subnet mask, broadcast address, router (gateway) listing, domain name server listing, and the interface's MTU. .Pp To setup .Ox as a DHCP client: .Bl -enum -offset indent .It For each interface that is to be configured via DHCP, create a .Pa /etc/hostname.XXX file (where XXX is the interface's identifier, e.g., ep1) that starts with the word .Dq dhcp , optionally followed by additional interface options. See .Xr hostname.if 5 for more information on the format of these files. .Pp The .Pa /etc/netstart script reads each of these hostname files at boot-time and runs the .Xr dhclient 8 program for each interface that is to be configured via DHCP. .It [Optional] To tweak settings, edit .Pa /etc/dhclient.conf . This file is shipped with the system. See .Xr dhclient.conf 5 and .Xr dhclient 8 for details. .El .Pp To setup .Ox as a DHCP server: .Bl -enum -offset indent .It Edit .Pa /etc/dhcpd.conf . This file is shipped with the system. See .Xr dhcpd.conf 5 and .Xr dhcpd 8 for details. .It Edit .Pa /etc/dhcpd.interfaces . This file should contain a list of interfaces you wish to serve by .Xr dhcpd 8 . If you have only one broadcast network interface or you wish to serve all interfaces, this step is not required. Be sure to leave this file empty (or even delete it) if this is the case. .It Edit .Pa /etc/rc.conf and set .Cm dhcpd_flags="-q" . This will cause .Ox to start the .Xr dhcpd 8 daemon at boot-time and listen for DHCP requests on the local network. To start it manually, execute the following commands: .Pp .Dl # touch /var/db/dhcpd.leases .Dl # /usr/sbin/dhcpd -q [netif1 netif2 ...] .It Ensure the kernel has been compiled with BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) support and at least one .Pa /dev/bpf* file exists per broadcast network interface that is attached to the system. This is almost always the case and should only be considered if all other troubleshooting options have failed. .El .Pp See .Xr dhcpd 8 for information on other available options; for example, .Fl p , which allows specification of a port to listen on other than the default (67). However, most of the flags are useful only for debugging purposes. .Sh FILES .Bl -tag -width /etc/dhcpd.interfaces -compact .It Pa /etc/dhcpd.conf DHCP server configuration file .It Pa /etc/dhcpd.interfaces list of network interfaces served by .Xr dhcpd 8 .It Pa /etc/rc.conf configuration file where .Cm dhcpd_flags must be set .It Pa /etc/dhclient.conf DHCP client configuration file .It Pa /etc/hostname.XXX interface-specific configuration files .El .Sh SEE ALSO .Xr dhclient.conf 5 , .Xr dhcpd.conf 5 , .Xr hostname.if 5 , .Xr dhclient 8 , .Xr dhcpd 8