in a DHCP message and as a destination address from clients to
servers. A server with multiple network addresses MUST be prepared
to to accept any of its network addresses as identifying that server
in a DHCP message. To accommodate potentially incomplete network
connectivity, a server MUST choose an address as a 'server
identifier' that, to the best of the server's knowledge, is reachable
from the client. For example, if the DHCP server and the DHCP client
are connected to the same subnet (i.e., the 'giaddr' field in the
message from the client is zero), the server SHOULD select the IP
address the server is using for communication on that subnet as the
'server identifier'. If the server is using multiple IP addresses on
that subnet, any such address may be used. If the server has
received a message through a DHCP relay agent, the server SHOULD
choose an address from the interface on which the message was
recieved as the 'server identifier' (unless the server has other,
better information on which to make its choice). DHCP clients MUST
use the IP address provided in the 'server identifier' option for any
unicast requests to the DHCP server.
DHCP messages broadcast by a client prior to that client obtaining
its IP address must have the source address field in the IP header
set to 0.
If the 'giaddr' field in a DHCP message from a client is non-zero,
the server sends any return messages to the 'DHCP server' port on the
BOOTP relay agent whose address appears in 'giaddr'. If the 'giaddr'
field is zero and the 'ciaddr' field is nonzero, then the server
unicasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages to the address in 'ciaddr'.
If 'giaddr' is zero and 'ciaddr' is zero, and the broadcast bit is
set, then the server broadcasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages to
0xffffffff. If the broadcast bit is not set and 'giaddr' is zero and
'ciaddr' is zero, then the server unicasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK
messages to the client's hardware address and 'yiaddr' address. In
all cases, when 'giaddr' is zero, the server broadcasts any DHCPNAK
messages to 0xffffffff.
If the options in a DHCP message extend into the 'sname' and 'file'
fields, the 'option overload' option MUST appear in the 'options'
field, with value 1, 2 or 3, as specified in RFC1533. If the
'option overload' option is present in the 'options' field, the
options in the 'options' field MUST be terminated by an 'end' option,
and MAY contain one or more 'pad' options to fill the options field.
The options in the 'sname' and 'file' fields (if in use as indicated
by the 'options overload' option) MUST begin with the first octet of
the field, MUST be terminated by an 'end' option, and MUST be
followed by 'pad' options to fill the remainder of the field. Any
individual option in the 'options', 'sname' and 'file' fields MUST be
entirely contained in that field. The options in the 'options' field
MUST be interpreted first, so that any 'option overload' options may
be interpreted. The 'file' field MUST be interpreted next (if the
'option overload' option indicates that the 'file' field contains
DHCP options), followed by the 'sname' field.
The values to be passed in an 'option' tag may be too long to fit in
the 255 octets available to a single option (e.g., a list of routers
in a 'router' option [21]). Options may appear only once, unless
otherwise specified in the options document. The client concatenates
the values of multiple instances of the same option into a single
parameter list for configuration.
DHCP clients are responsible for all message retransmission. The
client MUST adopt a retransmission strategy that incorporates a
randomized exponential backoff algorithm to determine the delay
between retransmissions. The delay between retransmissions SHOULD be
chosen to allow sufficient time for replies from the server to be
delivered based on the characteristics of the internetwork between
the client and the server. For example, in a 10Mb/sec Ethernet
internetwork, the delay before the first retransmission SHOULD be 4
seconds randomized by the value of a uniform random number chosen
from the range -1 to +1. Clients with clocks that provide resolution
granularity of less than one second may choose a non-integer
randomization value. The delay before the next retransmission SHOULD
be 8 seconds randomized by the value of a uniform number chosen from
the range -1 to +1. The retransmission delay SHOULD be doubled with
subsequent retransmissions up to a maximum of 64 seconds. The client
MAY provide an indication of retransmission attempts to the user as
an indication of the progress of the configuration process.
The 'xid' field is used by the client to match incoming DHCP messages
with pending requests. A DHCP client MUST choose 'xid's in such a
way as to minimize the chance of using an 'xid' identical to one used
by another client. For example, a client may choose a different,
random initial 'xid' each time the client is rebooted, and
subsequently use sequential 'xid's until the next reboot. Selecting
a new 'xid' for each retransmission is an implementation decision. A
client may choose to reuse the same 'xid' or select a new 'xid' for
each retransmitted message.
Normally, DHCP servers and BOOTP relay agents attempt to deliver
DHCPOFFER, DHCPACK and DHCPNAK messages directly to the client using
uicast delivery. The IP destination address (in the IP header) is
set to the DHCP 'yiaddr' address and the link-layer destination
address is set to the DHCP 'chaddr' address. Unfortunately, some
client implementations are unable to receive such unicast IP
datagrams until the implementation has been configured with a valid
IP address (leading to a deadlock in which the client's IP address
cannot be delivered until the client has been configured with an IP
address).
A client that cannot receive unicast IP datagrams until its protocol
software has been configured with an IP address SHOULD set the
BROADCAST bit in the 'flags' field to 1 in any DHCPDISCOVER or
DHCPREQUEST messages that client sends. The BROADCAST bit will
provide a hint to the DHCP server and BOOTP relay agent to broadcast
any messages to the client on the client's subnet. A client that can
receive unicast IP datagrams before its protocol software has been
configured SHOULD clear the BROADCAST bit to 0. The BOOTP
clarifications document discusses the ramifications of the use of the
BROADCAST bit [21].
A server or relay agent sending or relaying a DHCP message directly
to a DHCP client (i.e., not to a relay agent specified in the
'giaddr' field) SHOULD examine the BROADCAST bit in the 'flags'
field. If this bit is set to 1, the DHCP message SHOULD be sent as
an IP broadcast using an IP broadcast address (preferably 0xffffffff)
as the IP destination address and the link-layer broadcast address as
the link-layer destination address. If the BROADCAST bit is cleared
to 0, the message SHOULD be sent as an IP unicast to the IP address
specified in the 'yiaddr' field and the link-layer address specified
in the 'chaddr' field. If unicasting is not possible, the message
MAY be sent as an IP broadcast using an IP broadcast address
(preferably 0xffffffff) as the IP destination address and the link-
layer broadcast address as the link-layer destination address.
4.2 DHCP server administrative controls
DHCP servers are not required to respond to every DHCPDISCOVER and
DHCPREQUEST message they receive. For example, a network
administrator, to retain stringent control over the clients attached
to the network, may choose to configure DHCP servers to respond only
to clients that have been previously registered through some external
mechanism. The DHCP specification describes only the interactions
between clients and servers when the clients and servers choose to
interact; it is beyond the scope of the DHCP specification to
describe all of the administrative controls that system
administrators might want to use. Specific DHCP server
implementations may incorporate any controls or policies desired by a
network administrator.
In some environments, a DHCP server will have to consider the values
of the vendor class options included in DHCPDISCOVER or DHCPREQUEST
messages when determining the correct parameters for a particular
client.
A DHCP server needs to use some unique identifier to associate a
client with its lease. The client MAY choose to explicitly provide
the identifier through the 'client identifier' option. If the client
supplies a 'client identifier', the client MUST use the same 'client
identifier' in all subsequent messages, and the server MUST use that
identifier to identify the client. If the client does not provide a
'client identifier' option, the server MUST use the contents of the
'chaddr' field to identify the client. It is crucial for a DHCP
client to use an identifier unique within the subnet to which the
client is attached in the 'client identifier' option. Use of
'chaddr' as the client's unique identifier may cause unexpected
results, as that identifier may be associated with a hardware
interface that could be moved to a new client. Some sites may choose
to use a manufacturer's serial number as the 'client identifier', to
avoid unexpected changes in a clients network address due to transfer
of hardware interfaces among computers. Sites may also choose to use
a DNS name as the 'client identifier', causing address leases to be
associated with the DNS name rather than a specific hardware box.
DHCP clients are free to use any strategy in selecting a DHCP server
among those from which the client receives a DHCPOFFER message. The
client implementation of DHCP SHOULD provide a mechanism for the user
to select directly the 'vendor class identifier' values.
4.3 DHCP server behavior
A DHCP server processes incoming DHCP messages from a client based on
the current state of the binding for that client. A DHCP server can
receive the following messages from a client:
o DHCPDISCOVER
o DHCPREQUEST
o DHCPDECLINE
o DHCPRELEASE
o DHCPINFORM
Table 3 gives the use of the fields and options in a DHCP message by
a server. The remainder of this section describes the action of the
DHCP server for each possible incoming message.
4.3.1 DHCPDISCOVER message
When a server receives a DHCPDISCOVER message from a client, the
server chooses a network address for the requesting client. If no
address is available, the server may choose to report the problem to
the system administrator. If an address is available, the new address
SHOULD be chosen as follows:
o The client's current address as recorded in the client's current
binding, ELSE
o The client's previous address as recorded in the client's (now
expired or released) binding, if that address is in the server's
pool of available addresses and not already allocated, ELSE
o The address requested in the 'Requested IP Address' option, if that
address is valid and not already allocated, ELSE
o A new address allocated from the server's pool of available
addresses; the address is selected based on the subnet from which
the message was received (if 'giaddr' is 0) or on the address of
the relay agent that forwarded the message ('giaddr' when not 0).
As described in section 4.2, a server MAY, for administrative
reasons, assign an address other than the one requested, or may
refuse to allocate an address to a particular client even though free
addresses are available.
Note that, in some network architectures (e.g., internets with more
than one IP subnet assigned to a physical network segment), it may be
the case that the DHCP client should be assigned an address from a
different subnet than the address recorded in 'giaddr'. Thus, DHCP
does not require that the client be assigned as address from the
subnet in 'giaddr'. A server is free to choose some other subnet,
and it is beyond the scope of the DHCP specification to describe ways
in which the assigned IP address might be chosen.
While not required for correct operation of DHCP, the server SHOULD
NOT reuse the selected network address before the client responds to
the server's DHCPOFFER message. The server may choose to record the
address as offered to the client.
The server must also choose an expiration time for the lease, as
follows:
o IF the client has not requested a specific lease in the
DHCPDISCOVER message and the client already has an assigned network
address, the server returns the lease expiration time previously
assigned to that address (note that the client must explicitly
request a specific lease to extend the expiration time on a
previously assigned address), ELSE
o IF the client has not requested a specific lease in the
DHCPDISCOVER message and the client does not have an assigned
network address, the server assigns a locally configured default
lease time, ELSE
o IF the client has requested a specific lease in the DHCPDISCOVER
message (regardless of whether the client has an assigned network
address), the server may choose either to return the requested
lease (if the lease is acceptable to local policy) or select
another lease.
Field DHCPOFFER DHCPACK DHCPNAK
----- --------- ------- -------
'op' BOOTREPLY BOOTREPLY BOOTREPLY
'htype' (From "Assigned Numbers" RFC)
'hlen' (Hardware address length in octets)
'hops' 0 0 0
'xid' 'xid' from client 'xid' from client 'xid' from client
DHCPDISCOVER DHCPREQUEST DHCPREQUEST
message message message
'secs' 0 0 0
'ciaddr' 0 'ciaddr' from 0
DHCPREQUEST or 0
'yiaddr' IP address offered IP address 0
to client assigned to client
'siaddr' IP address of next IP address of next 0
bootstrap server bootstrap server
'flags' 'flags' from 'flags' from 'flags' from
client DHCPDISCOVER client DHCPREQUEST client DHCPREQUEST
message message message
'giaddr' 'giaddr' from 'giaddr' from 'giaddr' from
client DHCPDISCOVER client DHCPREQUEST client DHCPREQUEST
message message message
'chaddr' 'chaddr' from 'chaddr' from 'chaddr' from
client DHCPDISCOVER client DHCPREQUEST client DHCPREQUEST
message message message
'sname' Server host name Server host name (unused)
or options or options
'file' Client boot file Client boot file (unused)
name or options name or options
'options' options options
Option DHCPOFFER DHCPACK DHCPNAK
------ --------- ------- -------
Requested IP address MUST NOT MUST NOT MUST NOT
IP address lease time MUST MUST (DHCPREQUEST) MUST NOT
MUST NOT (DHCPINFORM)
Use 'file'/'sname' fields MAY MAY MUST NOT
DHCP message type DHCPOFFER DHCPACK DHCPNAK
Parameter request list MUST NOT MUST NOT MUST NOT
Message SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD
Client identifier MUST NOT MUST NOT MAY
Vendor class identifier MAY MAY MAY
Server identifier MUST MUST MUST
Maximum message size MUST NOT MUST NOT MUST NOT
All others MAY MAY MUST NOT
Table 3: Fields and options used by DHCP servers
Once the network address and lease have been determined, the server
constructs a DHCPOFFER message with the offered configuration
parameters. It is important for all DHCP servers to return the same
parameters (with the possible exception of a newly allocated network
address) to ensure predictable client behavior regardless of which
server the client selects. The configuration parameters MUST be
selected by applying the following rules in the order given below.
The network administrator is responsible for configuring multiple
DHCP servers to ensure uniform responses from those servers. The
server MUST return to the client:
o The client's network address, as determined by the rules given
earlier in this section,
o The expiration time for the client's lease, as determined by the
rules given earlier in this section,
o Parameters requested by the client, according to the following
rules:
-- IF the server has been explicitly configured with a default
value for the parameter, the server MUST include that value
in an appropriate option in the 'option' field, ELSE
-- IF the server recognizes the parameter as a parameter
defined in the Host Requirements Document, the server MUST
include the default value for that parameter as given in the
Host Requirements Document in an appropriate option in the
'option' field, ELSE
-- The server MUST NOT return a value for that parameter,
The server MUST supply as many of the requested parameters as
possible and MUST omit any parameters it cannot provide. The
server MUST include each requested parameter only once unless
explicitly allowed in the DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor
Extensions document.
o Any parameters from the existing binding that differ from the Host
Requirements Document defaults,
o Any parameters specific to this client (as identified by
the contents of 'chaddr' or 'client identifier' in the DHCPDISCOVER
or DHCPREQUEST message), e.g., as configured by the network
administrator,
o Any parameters specific to this client's class (as identified
by the contents of the 'vendor class identifier'
option in the DHCPDISCOVER or DHCPREQUEST message),
e.g., as configured by the network administrator; the parameters
MUST be identified by an exact match between the client's vendor
class identifiers and the client's classes identified in the
server,
o Parameters with non-default values on the client's subnet.
The server MAY choose to return the 'vendor class identifier' used to
determine the parameters in the DHCPOFFER message to assist the
client in selecting which DHCPOFFER to accept. The server inserts
the 'xid' field from the DHCPDISCOVER message into the 'xid' field of
the DHCPOFFER message and sends the DHCPOFFER message to the
requesting client.
4.3.2 DHCPREQUEST message
A DHCPREQUEST message may come from a client responding to a
DHCPOFFER message from a server, from a client verifying a previously
allocated IP address or from a client extending the lease on a
network address. If the DHCPREQUEST message contains a 'server
identifier' option, the message is in response to a DHCPOFFER
message. Otherwise, the message is a request to verify or extend an
existing lease. If the client uses a 'client identifier' in a
DHCPREQUEST message, it MUST use that same 'client identifier' in all
subsequent messages. If the client included a list of requested
parameters in a DHCPDISCOVER message, it MUST include that list in
all subsequent messages.
Any configuration parameters in the DHCPACK message SHOULD NOT
conflict with those in the earlier DHCPOFFER message to which the
client is responding. The client SHOULD use the parameters in the
DHCPACK message for configuration.
Clients send DHCPREQUEST messages as follows:
o DHCPREQUEST generated during SELECTING state:
Client inserts the address of the selected server in 'server
identifier', 'ciaddr' MUST be zero, 'requested IP address' MUST be
filled in with the yiaddr value from the chosen DHCPOFFER.
Note that the client may choose to collect several DHCPOFFER
messages and select the "best" offer. The client indicates its
selection by identifying the offering server in the DHCPREQUEST
message. If the client receives no acceptable offers, the client
may choose to try another DHCPDISCOVER message. Therefore, the
servers may not receive a specific DHCPREQUEST from which they can
decide whether or not the client has accepted the offer. Because
the servers have not committed any network address assignments on
the basis of a DHCPOFFER, servers are free to reuse offered
network addresses in response to subsequent requests. As an
implementation detail, servers SHOULD NOT reuse offered addresses
and may use an implementation-specific timeout mechanism to decide
when to reuse an offered address.
o DHCPREQUEST generated during INIT-REBOOT state:
'server identifier' MUST NOT be filled in, 'requested IP address'
option MUST be filled in with client's notion of its previously
assigned address. 'ciaddr' MUST be zero. The client is seeking to
verify a previously allocated, cached configuration. Server SHOULD
send a DHCPNAK message to the client if the 'requested IP address'
is incorrect, or is on the wrong network.
Determining whether a client in the INIT-REBOOT state is on the
correct network is done by examining the contents of 'giaddr', the
'requested IP address' option, and a database lookup. If the DHCP
server detects that the client is on the wrong net (i.e., the
result of applying the local subnet mask or remote subnet mask (if
'giaddr' is not zero) to 'requested IP address' option value
doesn't match reality), then the server SHOULD send a DHCPNAK
message to the client.
If the network is correct, then the DHCP server should check if
the client's notion of its IP address is correct. If not, then the
server SHOULD send a DHCPNAK message to the client. If the DHCP
server has no record of this client, then it MUST remain silent,
and MAY output a warning to the network administrator. This
behavior is necessary for peaceful coexistence of non-
communicating DHCP servers on the same wire.
If 'giaddr' is 0x0 in the DHCPREQUEST message, the client is on
the same subnet as the server. The server MUST broadcast the
DHCPNAK message to the 0xffffffff broadcast address because the
client may not have a correct network address or subnet mask, and
the client may not be answering ARP requests.
If 'giaddr' is set in the DHCPREQUEST message, the client is on a
different subnet. The server MUST set the broadcast bit in the
DHCPNAK, so that the relay agent will broadcast the DHCPNAK to the
client, because the client may not have a correct network address
or subnet mask, and the client may not be answering ARP requests.
o DHCPREQUEST generated during RENEWING state:
'server identifier' MUST NOT be filled in, 'requested IP address'
option MUST NOT be filled in, 'ciaddr' MUST be filled in with
client's IP address. In this situation, the client is completely
configured, and is trying to extend its lease. This message will
be unicast, so no relay agents will be involved in its
transmission. Because 'giaddr' is therefore not filled in, the
DHCP server will trust the value in 'ciaddr', and use it when
replying to the client.
A client MAY choose to renew or extend its lease prior to T1. The
server may choose not to extend the lease (as a policy decision by
the network administrator), but should return a DHCPACK message
regardless.
o DHCPREQUEST generated during REBINDING state:
'server identifier' MUST NOT be filled in, 'requested IP address'
option MUST NOT be filled in, 'ciaddr' MUST be filled in with
client's IP address. In this situation, the client is completely
configured, and is trying to extend its lease. This message MUST
be broadcast to the 0xffffffff IP broadcast address. The DHCP
server SHOULD check 'ciaddr' for correctness before replying to
the DHCPREQUEST.
The DHCPREQUEST from a REBINDING client is intended to accommodate
sites that have multiple DHCP servers and a mechanism for
maintaining consistency among leases managed by multiple servers.
A DHCP server MAY extend a client's lease only if it has local
administrative authority to do so.
4.3.3 DHCPDECLINE message
If the server receives a DHCPDECLINE message, the client has
discovered through some other means that the suggested network
address is already in use. The server MUST mark the network address
as not available and SHOULD notify the local system administrator of
a possible configuration problem.
4.3.4 DHCPRELEASE message
Upon receipt of a DHCPRELEASE message, the server marks the network
address as not allocated. The server SHOULD retain a record of the
client's initialization parameters for possible reuse in response to
subsequent requests from the client.
4.3.5 DHCPINFORM message
The server responds to a DHCPINFORM message by sending a DHCPACK
message directly to the address given in the 'ciaddr' field of the
DHCPINFORM message. The server MUST NOT send a lease expiration time
to the client and SHOULD NOT fill in 'yiaddr'. The server includes
other parameters in the DHCPACK message as defined in section 4.3.1.
4.3.6 Client messages
Table 4 details the differences between messages from clients in
various states.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| |INIT-REBOOT |SELECTING |RENEWING |REBINDING |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|broad/unicast |broadcast |broadcast |unicast |broadcast |
|server-ip |MUST NOT |MUST |MUST NOT |MUST NOT |
|requested-ip |MUST |MUST |MUST NOT |MUST NOT |
|ciaddr |zero |zero |IP address |IP address|
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 4: Client messages from different states
4.4 DHCP client behavior
Figure 5 gives a state-transition diagram for a DHCP client. A
client can receive the following messages from a server:
o DHCPOFFER
o DHCPACK
o DHCPNAK
The DHCPINFORM message is not shown in figure 5. A client simply
sends the DHCPINFORM and waits for DHCPACK messages. Once the client
has selected its parameters, it has completed the configuration
process.
Table 5 gives the use of the fields and options in a DHCP message by
a client. The remainder of this section describes the action of the
DHCP client for each possible incoming message. The description in
the following section corresponds to the full configuration procedure
previously described in section 3.1, and the text in the subsequent
section corresponds to the abbreviated configuration procedure
described in section 3.2.
-------- -------
| | +-------------------------->| |<-------------------+
| INIT- | | +-------------------->| INIT | |
| REBOOT |DHCPNAK/ +---------->| |<---+ |
| |Restart| | ------- | |
-------- | DHCPNAK/ | | |
| Discard offer | -/Send DHCPDISCOVER |
-/Send DHCPREQUEST | | |
| | | DHCPACK v | |
----------- | (not accept.)/ ----------- | |
| | | Send DHCPDECLINE | | |
| REBOOTING | | | | SELECTING |<----+ |
| | | / | | |DHCPOFFER/ |
----------- | / ----------- | |Collect |
| | / | | | replies |
DHCPACK/ | / +----------------+ +-------+ |
Record lease, set| | v Select offer/ |
timers T1, T2 ------------ send DHCPREQUEST | |
| +----->| | DHCPNAK, Lease expired/ |
| | | REQUESTING | Halt network |
DHCPOFFER/ | | | |
Discard ------------ | |
| | | | ----------- |
| +--------+ DHCPACK/ | | |
| Record lease, set -----| REBINDING | |
| timers T1, T2 / | | |
| | DHCPACK/ ----------- |
| v Record lease, set ^ |
+----------------> ------- /timers T1,T2 | |
+----->| |<---+ | |
| | BOUND |<---+ | |
DHCPOFFER, DHCPACK, | | | T2 expires/ DHCPNAK/
DHCPNAK/Discard ------- | Broadcast Halt network
| | | | DHCPREQUEST |
+-------+ | DHCPACK/ | |
T1 expires/ Record lease, set | |
Send DHCPREQUEST timers T1, T2 | |
to leasing server | | |
| ---------- | |
| | |------------+ |
+->| RENEWING | |
| |----------------------------+
----------
Figure 5: State-transition diagram for DHCP clients
4.4.1 Initialization and allocation of network address
The client begins in INIT state and forms a DHCPDISCOVER message.
The client SHOULD wait a random time between one and ten seconds to
desynchronize the use of DHCP at startup. The client sets 'ciaddr'
to 0x00000000. The client MAY request specific parameters by
including the 'parameter request list' option. The client MAY
suggest a network address and/or lease time by including the
'requested IP address' and 'IP address lease time' options. The
client MUST include its hardware address in the 'chaddr' field, if
necessary for delivery of DHCP reply messages. The client MAY
include a different unique identifier in the 'client identifier'
option, as discussed in section 4.2. If the client included a list
of requested parameters in a DHCPDISCOVER message, it MUST include
that list in all subsequent messages.
The client generates and records a random transaction identifier and
inserts that identifier into the 'xid' field. The client records its
own local time for later use in computing the lease expiration. The
client then broadcasts the DHCPDISCOVER on the local hardware
broadcast address to the 0xffffffff IP broadcast address and 'DHCP
server' UDP port.
If the 'xid' of an arriving DHCPOFFER message does not match the
'xid' of the most recent DHCPDISCOVER message, the DHCPOFFER message
must be silently discarded. Any arriving DHCPACK messages must be
silently discarded.
The client collects DHCPOFFER messages over a period of time, selects
one DHCPOFFER message from the (possibly many) incoming DHCPOFFER
messages (e.g., the first DHCPOFFER message or the DHCPOFFER message
from the previously used server) and extracts the server address from
the 'server identifier' option in the DHCPOFFER message. The time
over which the client collects messages and the mechanism used to
select one DHCPOFFER are implementation dependent.
Field DHCPDISCOVER DHCPREQUEST DHCPDECLINE,
DHCPINFORM DHCPRELEASE
----- ------------ ----------- -----------
'op' BOOTREQUEST BOOTREQUEST BOOTREQUEST
'htype' (From "Assigned Numbers" RFC)
'hlen' (Hardware address length in octets)
'hops' 0 0 0
'xid' selected by client 'xid' from server selected by
DHCPOFFER message client
'secs' 0 or seconds since 0 or seconds since 0
DHCP process started DHCP process started
'flags' Set 'BROADCAST' Set 'BROADCAST' 0
flag if client flag if client
requires broadcast requires broadcast
reply reply
'ciaddr' 0 (DHCPDISCOVER) 0 or client's 0 (DHCPDECLINE)
client's network address client's network
network address (BOUND/RENEW/REBIND) address
(DHCPINFORM) (DHCPRELEASE)
'yiaddr' 0 0 0
'siaddr' 0 0 0
'giaddr' 0 0 0
'chaddr' client's hardware client's hardware client's hardware
address address address
'sname' options, if options, if (unused)
indicated in indicated in
'sname/file' 'sname/file'
option; otherwise option; otherwise
unused unused
'file' options, if options, if (unused)
indicated in indicated in
'sname/file' 'sname/file'
option; otherwise option; otherwise
unused unused
'options' options options (unused)
Option DHCPDISCOVER DHCPREQUEST DHCPDECLINE,
DHCPINFORM DHCPRELEASE
------ ------------ ----------- -----------
Requested IP address MAY MUST (in MUST
(DISCOVER) SELECTING or (DHCPDECLINE),
MUST NOT INIT-REBOOT) MUST NOT
(INFORM) MUST NOT (in (DHCPRELEASE)
BOUND or
RENEWING)
IP address lease time MAY MAY MUST NOT
(DISCOVER)
MUST NOT
(INFORM)
Use 'file'/'sname' fields MAY MAY MAY
DHCP message type DHCPDISCOVER/ DHCPREQUEST DHCPDECLINE/
DHCPINFORM DHCPRELEASE
Client identifier MAY MAY MAY
Vendor class identifier MAY MAY MUST NOT
Server identifier MUST NOT MUST (after MUST
SELECTING)
MUST NOT (after
INIT-REBOOT,
BOUND, RENEWING
or REBINDING)
Parameter request list MAY MAY MUST NOT
Maximum message size MAY MAY MUST NOT
Message SHOULD NOT SHOULD NOT SHOULD
Site-specific MAY MAY MUST NOT
All others MAY MAY MUST NOT
Table 5: Fields and options used by DHCP clients
If the parameters are acceptable, the client records the address of
the server that supplied the parameters from the 'server identifier'
field and sends that address in the 'server identifier' field of a
DHCPREQUEST broadcast message. Once the DHCPACK message from the
server arrives, the client is initialized and moves to BOUND state.
The DHCPREQUEST message contains the same 'xid' as the DHCPOFFER
message. The client records the lease expiration time as the sum of
the time at which the original request was sent and the duration of
the lease from the DHCPACK message. The client SHOULD perform a
check on the suggested address to ensure that the address is not
already in use. For example, if the client is on a network that
supports ARP, the client may issue an ARP request for the suggested
request. When broadcasting an ARP request for the suggested address,
the client must fill in its own hardware address as the sender's
hardware address, and 0 as the sender's IP address, to avoid
confusing ARP caches in other hosts on the same subnet. If the
network address appears to be in use, the client MUST send a
DHCPDECLINE message to the server. The client SHOULD broadcast an ARP
reply to announce the client's new IP address and clear any outdated
ARP cache entries in hosts on the client's subnet.
4.4.2 Initialization with known network address
The client begins in INIT-REBOOT state and sends a DHCPREQUEST
message. The client MUST insert its known network address as a
'requested IP address' option in the DHCPREQUEST message. The client
may request specific configuration parameters by including the
'parameter request list' option. The client generates and records a
random transaction identifier and inserts that identifier into the
'xid' field. The client records its own local time for later use in
computing the lease expiration. The client MUST NOT include a
'server identifier' in the DHCPREQUEST message. The client then
broadcasts the DHCPREQUEST on the local hardware broadcast address to
the 'DHCP server' UDP port.
Once a DHCPACK message with an 'xid' field matching that in the
client's DHCPREQUEST message arrives from any server, the client is
initialized and moves to BOUND state. The client records the lease
expiration time as the sum of the time at which the DHCPREQUEST
message was sent and the duration of the lease from the DHCPACK
message.
4.4.3 Initialization with an externally assigned network address
The client sends a DHCPINFORM message. The client may request
specific configuration parameters by including the 'parameter request
list' option. The client generates and records a random transaction
identifier and inserts that identifier into the 'xid' field. The
client places its own network address in the 'ciaddr' field. The
client SHOULD NOT request lease time parameters.
The client then unicasts the DHCPINFORM to the DHCP server if it
knows the server's address, otherwise it broadcasts the message to
the limited (all 1s) broadcast address. DHCPINFORM messages MUST be
directed to the 'DHCP server' UDP port.
Once a DHCPACK message with an 'xid' field matching that in the
client's DHCPINFORM message arrives from any server, the client is
initialized.
If the client does not receive a DHCPACK within a reasonable period
of time (60 seconds or 4 tries if using timeout suggested in section
4.1), then it SHOULD display a message informing the user of the
problem, and then SHOULD begin network processing using suitable
defaults as per Appendix A.
4.4.4 Use of broadcast and unicast
The DHCP client broadcasts DHCPDISCOVER, DHCPREQUEST and DHCPINFORM
messages, unless the client knows the address of a DHCP server. The
client unicasts DHCPRELEASE messages to the server. Because the
client is declining the use of the IP address supplied by the server,
the client broadcasts DHCPDECLINE messages.
When the DHCP client knows the address of a DHCP server, in either
INIT or REBOOTING state, the client may use that address in the
DHCPDISCOVER or DHCPREQUEST rather than the IP broadcast address.
The client may also use unicast to send DHCPINFORM messages to a
known DHCP server. If the client receives no response to DHCP
messages sent to the IP address of a known DHCP server, the DHCP
client reverts to using the IP broadcast address.
4.4.5 Reacquisition and expiration
The client maintains two times, T1 and T2, that specify the times at
which the client tries to extend its lease on its network address.
T1 is the time at which the client enters the RENEWING state and
attempts to contact the server that originally issued the client's
network address. T2 is the time at which the client enters the
REBINDING state and attempts to contact any server. T1 MUST be
earlier than T2, which, in turn, MUST be earlier than the time at
which the client's lease will expire.
To avoid the need for synchronized clocks, T1 and T2 are expressed in
options as relative times [2].
At time T1 the client moves to RENEWING state and sends (via unicast)
a DHCPREQUEST message to the server to extend its lease. The client
sets the 'ciaddr' field in the DHCPREQUEST to its current network
address. The client records the local time at which the DHCPREQUEST
message is sent for computation of the lease expiration time. The
client MUST NOT include a 'server identifier' in the DHCPREQUEST
message.
Any DHCPACK messages that arrive with an 'xid' that does not match
the 'xid' of the client's DHCPREQUEST message are silently discarded.
When the client receives a DHCPACK from the server, the client
computes the lease expiration time as the sum of the time at which
the client sent the DHCPREQUEST message and the duration of the lease
in the DHCPACK message. The client has successfully reacquired its
network address, returns to BOUND state and may continue network
processing.
If no DHCPACK arrives before time T2, the client moves to REBINDING
state and sends (via broadcast) a DHCPREQUEST message to extend its
lease. The client sets the 'ciaddr' field in the DHCPREQUEST to its
current network address. The client MUST NOT include a 'server
identifier' in the DHCPREQUEST message.
Times T1 and T2 are configurable by the server through options. T1
defaults to (0.5 * duration_of_lease). T2 defaults to (0.875 *
duration_of_lease). Times T1 and T2 SHOULD be chosen with some
random "fuzz" around a fixed value, to avoid synchronization of
client reacquisition.
A client MAY choose to renew or extend its lease prior to T1. The
server MAY choose to extend the client's lease according to policy
set by the network administrator. The server SHOULD return T1 and
T2, and their values SHOULD be adjusted from their original values to
take account of the time remaining on the lease.
In both RENEWING and REBINDING states, if the client receives no
response to its DHCPREQUEST message, the client SHOULD wait one-half
of the remaining time until T2 (in RENEWING state) and one-half of
the remaining lease time (in REBINDING state), down to a minimum of
60 seconds, before retransmitting the DHCPREQUEST message.
If the lease expires before the client receives a DHCPACK, the client
moves to INIT state, MUST immediately stop any other network
processing and requests network initialization parameters as if the
client were uninitialized. If the client then receives a DHCPACK
allocating that client its previous network address, the client
SHOULD continue network processing. If the client is given a new
network address, it MUST NOT continue using the previous network
address and SHOULD notify the local users of the problem.
4.4.6 DHCPRELEASE
If the client no longer requires use of its assigned network address
(e.g., the client is gracefully shut down), the client sends a
DHCPRELEASE message to the server. Note that the correct operation
of DHCP does not depend on the transmission of DHCPRELEASE messages.
5. Acknowledgments
The author thanks the many (and too numerous to mention!) members of
the DHC WG for their tireless and ongoing efforts in the development
of DHCP and this document.
The efforts of J Allard, Mike Carney, Dave Lapp, Fred Lien and John
Mendonca in organizing DHCP interoperability testing sessions are
gratefully acknowledged.
The development of this document was supported in part by grants from
the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), Bucknell
University and Sun Microsystems.
6. References
[1] Acetta, M., "Resource Location Protocol", RFC887, CMU, December
1983.
[2] Alexander, S., and R. Droms, "DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor
Extensions", RFC1533, Lachman Technology, Inc., Bucknell
University, October 1993.
[3] Braden, R., Editor, "Requirements for Internet Hosts --
Communication Layers", STD 3, RFC1122, USC/Information Sciences
Institute, October 1989.
[4] Braden, R., Editor, "Requirements for Internet Hosts --
Application and Support, STD 3, RFC1123, USC/Information
Sciences Institute, October 1989.
[5] Brownell, D, "Dynamic Reverse Address Resolution Protocol
(DRARP)", Work in Progress.
[6] Comer, D., and R. Droms, "Uniform Access to Internet Directory
Services", Proc. of ACM SIGCOMM '90 (Special issue of Computer
Communications Review), 20(4):50--59, 1990.
[7] Croft, B., and J. Gilmore, "Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP)", RFC951,
Stanford and SUN Microsystems, September 1985.
[8] Deering, S., "ICMP Router Discovery Messages", RFC1256, Xerox
PARC, September 1991.
[9] Droms, D., "Interoperation between DHCP and BOOTP", RFC1534,
Bucknell University, October 1993.
[10] Finlayson, R., Mann, T., Mogul, J., and M. Theimer, "A Reverse
Address Resolution Protocol", RFC903, Stanford, June 1984.
[11] Gray C., and D. Cheriton, "Leases: An Efficient Fault-Tolerant
Mechanism for Distributed File Cache Consistency", In Proc. of
the Twelfth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Design, 1989.
[12] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names -- Concepts and Facilities", STD
13, RFC1034, USC/Information Sciences Institute, November 1987.
[13] Mockapetris, P., "Domain Names -- Implementation and
Specification", STD 13, RFC1035, USC/Information Sciences
Institute, November 1987.
[14] Mogul J., and S. Deering, "Path MTU Discovery", RFC1191,
November 1990.
[15] Morgan, R., "Dynamic IP Address Assignment for Ethernet Attached
Hosts", Work in Progress.
[16] Postel, J., "Internet Control Message Protocol", STD 5, RFC792,
USC/Information Sciences Institute, September 1981.
[17] Reynolds, J., "BOOTP Vendor Information Extensions", RFC1497,
USC/Information Sciences Institute, August 1993.
[18] Reynolds, J., and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2, RFC1700,
USC/Information Sciences Institute, October 1994.
[19] Jeffrey Schiller and Mark Rosenstein. A Protocol for the Dynamic
Assignment of IP Addresses for use on an Ethernet. (Available
from the Athena Project, MIT), 1989.
[20] Sollins, K., "The TFTP Protocol (Revision 2)", RFC783, NIC,
June 1981.
[21] Wimer, W., "Clarifications and Extensions for the Bootstrap
Protocol", RFC1542, Carnegie Mellon University, October 1993.
7. Security Considerations
DHCP is built directly on UDP and IP which are as yet inherently
insecure. Furthermore, DHCP is generally intended to make
maintenance of remote and/or diskless hosts easier. While perhaps
not impossible, configuring such hosts with passwords or keys may be
difficult and inconvenient. Therefore, DHCP in its current form is
quite insecure.
Unauthorized DHCP servers may be easily set up. Such servers can
then send false and potentially disruptive information to clients
such as incorrect or duplicate IP addresses, incorrect routing
information (including spoof routers, etc.), incorrect domain
nameserver addresses (such as spoof nameservers), and so on.
Clearly, once this seed information is in place, an attacker can
further compromise affected systems.
Malicious DHCP clients could masquerade as legitimate clients and
retrieve information intended for those legitimate clients. Where
dynamic allocation of resources is used, a malicious client could
claim all resources for itself, thereby denying resources to
legitimate clients.
8. Author's Address
Ralph Droms
Computer Science Department
323 Dana Engineering
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Phone: (717) 524-1145
EMail: droms@bucknell.edu
A. Host Configuration Parameters
IP-layer_parameters,_per_host:_
Be a router on/off HRC 3.1
Non-local source routing on/off HRC 3.3.5
Policy filters for
non-local source routing (list) HRC 3.3.5
Maximum reassembly size integer HRC 3.3.2
Default TTL integer HRC 3.2.1.7
PMTU aging timeout integer MTU 6.6
MTU plateau table (list) MTU 7
IP-layer_parameters,_per_interface:_
IP address (address) HRC 3.3.1.6
Subnet mask (address mask) HRC 3.3.1.6
MTU integer HRC 3.3.3
All-subnets-MTU on/off HRC 3.3.3
Broadcast address flavor 0x00000000/0xffffffff HRC 3.3.6
Perform mask discovery on/off HRC 3.2.2.9
Be a mask supplier on/off HRC 3.2.2.9
Perform router discovery on/off RD 5.1
Router solicitation address (address) RD 5.1
Default routers, list of:
router address (address) HRC 3.3.1.6
preference level integer HRC 3.3.1.6
Static routes, list of:
destination (host/subnet/net) HRC 3.3.1.2
destination mask (address mask) HRC 3.3.1.2
type-of-service integer HRC 3.3.1.2
first-hop router (address) HRC 3.3.1.2
ignore redirects on/off HRC 3.3.1.2
PMTU integer MTU 6.6
perform PMTU discovery on/off MTU 6.6
Link-layer_parameters,_per_interface:_
Trailers on/off HRC 2.3.1
ARP cache timeout integer HRC 2.3.2.1
Ethernet encapsulation (RFC894/RFC1042) HRC 2.3.3
TCP_parameters,_per_host:_
TTL integer HRC 4.2.2.19
Keep-alive interval integer HRC 4.2.3.6
Keep-alive data size 0/1 HRC 4.2.3.6
Key:
MTU = Path MTU Discovery (RFC1191, Proposed Standard)
RD = Router Discovery (RFC1256, Proposed Standard)