DHCP: A Guide to Dynamic TCP/IP Network Configuration - Hardcover

Kercheval, Berry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0130997218 ISBN 13: 9780130997210

Publisher: Prentice Hall Ptr, 1999

Synopsis

Presents an exceptionally easy-to-understand explanation of this powerful protocol. Discusses how DHCP works from both the client's & server's point of view. Discover how to make the most of DHCP, now & in the future.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Preface

This book explains the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). DHCP allows computers to be configured, in the best case, by merely plugging them in and turning them on. At the appropriate point in the boot sequence, the newly connected computer will search for a DHCP server and negotiate with it for an IP address and other configuration parameters such as DNS server addresses, default routers, and a host of other parameters.

How all this works is the subject of this book.

After a high-level introduction, we'll take a look at the BOOTP protocol in Chapter 2, which is the foundation on which DHCP was built.

The DHCP protocol itself is described in Chapter 3, followed by a detailed look at operations from the client and server points of view in Chapters 4 and 5, respectively.

Chapter 6 discusses the relay agents that allow one DHCP server to manage addresses on more than one subnet at a time, and Chapter 7 describes how DHCP can update DNS with correct information as it hands out addresses.

Chapter 8 describes the administration side of DHCP, with some detail about popular servers.

The rest of the book is oriented toward the future. Chapter 9 is about the forthcoming integration of DHCP with directory services, specifically LDAP, and Chapter 10 is about the new version of DHCP that will support IPv6.

Chapter 11 finishes off with a look at what's going on in the IETF working group.

An appendix on DHCP software and one with the principal RFCs describing the protocol wraps up the book, along with a glossary and index. Note on Language

You will notice that terms like "BOOTP" include the term "protocol" as the "P", yet the usage "BOOTP protocol" is frequent. To a language purist, this can be as annoying as "ATM Machine" or "PIN Number". I beg your indulgence with the explanation that in this book, and indeed in the networking community, terms like "BOOTP" or "DHCP" have come to mean more than just the protocols. They include systems, programs, databases, back-ends, front-ends, user interfaces — in short, the entire system. When I wish to refer specifically to the protocol aspect of, say, DHCP, I will say "DHCP protocol".

In addition, I've tried to be gender-neutral, but probably haven't completely succeeded; I have no wish to offend anyone and hope this advance apology will suffice if I inadvertently do. Internet Draft Notice

Sometimes I refer to Internet Drafts which are both the most current source of Internet information and the most unstable. Here is the warning attached to every Internet Draft:

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the "1id-abstracts.txt" listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), ds.internic (US East Coast), or ftp.isi (US West Coast).

From the Back Cover

The definitive guide to connecting your LAN to the Internet with DHCP.

With DHCP, network administrators can automatically, remotely configure every desktop in the enterprise for Internet access. Now, there's a complete guide to DHCP--how it works, how to use it, and where it's headed. Networking expert Berry Kercheval starts with an exceptionally easy-to-understand explanation of this powerful protocol. You'll learn how DHCP works from both the client's and server's point of view. You'll master DHCP's multiple configuration options, and choose the right ones for your network. And if you're a developer, you'll learn all you need to start building DHCP-based solutions. Coverage includes:

* Dynamic DNS, including essential security techniques, and new options such as client FQDN.
* Techniques for administering DHCP, including subnet and lease maintenance.
* Integrating DHCP with LDAP, IPv6 and other key Internet-related protocols.

Whether you run NT, UNIX or both, DHCP: A Guide to Dynamic TCP/IP Network Configuration will help you make the most of DHCP, now and in the future. Kercheval previews the latest DHCP extensions and proposals, including Secure DHCP and Reliable DHCP. You'll also find a comprehensive vendor guide, including both free and commercial DHCP suppliers. This book also contains the complete DHCP RFC documents.

If you manage Internet access in the enterprise, you need the in-depth understanding of DHCP that only one book delivers; Berry Kercheval's DHCP: A Guide to Dynamic TCP/IP Network Configuration.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prentice Hall Ptr
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0130997218
• ISBN 13: 9780130997210
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 187