DHCP and PXEboot question

[Rob414]

HI,

Wanted to run something past you guys in the hope that you would be able to tell me if it’s just how it needs to be or there’s something wrong with our configuration.

 

If I want to use PXEboot to deploy images out, I have to let our network guys know in advance so they can lower the IP lease time from the normal 2 weeks to about 5 hours. This they say is because when I deploy using PXEboot, the computer ends up with 2 IPs. One given to PXE and the other to the OS once installed. Even if PXE is switched off on the computer after deployment, the PXE apparently still holds onto the IP. Resulting in some of the subnets running out of IPs for the DHCP to distribute.

 

I would have thought the DHCP would be clever enough to know a computer’s MAC addy is already assigned an IP and not give it a second. My network/server guys tell me if I leave PXEboot on in the BIOS the machine ends up being assigned multiple IPs! I just didn’t think that sounded correct.

I’ve never heard of anyone else having to do this and wondered what other people do?

 

Thanks

[SYNACK]

It's the same Mac address so should not need a second lease, maybe they are thinking about vpro or similar out of band tools.

[Rob414]

That's what I would have thought. One MAC address gets one IP address. If DHCP was setup on a lynix box would that cause an issue?

[SYNACK]

That's what I would have thought. One MAC address gets one IP address. If DHCP was setup on a lynix box would that cause an issue?

 

Shouldn't do, dhcp still works the same way.

[seawolf]

That's what I would have thought. One MAC address gets one IP address. If DHCP was setup on a lynix box would that cause an issue?

 

You wouldn't happen to be running SUSE Linux or Novell Open Enterprise server would you. Both of these appear to have this problem, but it looks like it can be resolved

 

http://www.novell.com/support/kb/doc.php?id=7002606

 

https://lists.isc.org/pipermail/dhcp-users/2007-May/003588.html

 

We use Ubuntu 10.04 as our DHCP server and don't see this issue with PXE in our environment.

[Rob414]

Thanks Seawolf.

Not exactly sure what the server is running on, i'll have to do some quiet digging (the server guys don't like to give much away). Looks like we're not the only one with the issue and not just a misconfiguration in our server

 

Rob

[SYNACK]

You wouldn't happen to be running SUSE Linux or Novell Open Enterprise server would you. Both of these appear to have this problem, but it looks like it can be resolved

 

Support | DHCP handing out 2 IP addresses when PXE booting

 

https://lists.isc.org/pipermail/dhcp-users/2007-May/003588.html

 

We use Ubuntu 10.04 as our DHCP server and don't see this issue with PXE in our environment.

 

Lame, you'd expect better from 'enterprise' Linux.

[seawolf]

Lame, you'd expect better from 'enterprise' Linux.

 

Well, it is Novell...