About Solaris DHCP

The Solaris^TM DHCP server (in.dhcpd) provides robust DHCP services for DHCP and BOOTP clients. One of the most significant strengths of the Solaris DHCP implementation is the flexibility it allows in the assignment of macros and option definitions to every phase of dynamic client configuration.

The following illustration provides a high-level description of the DHCP/BOOTP client boot process, including macro processing, under Solaris DHCP.

In the illustration:

A DHCP/BOOTP client initiates a DHCP request.
An available DHCP server accepts the request and initiates the DHCP allocation process:
1. An available IP address is found in the dhcp_network database and assigned to the client.
2. Option values in the Client Class macro (platform/operating system), located in the server's dhcptab database, are bundled and passed to the next stage.
3. Option values in the Network macro (client network), located in the server's dhcptab, are bundled and passed to the next stage.
4. Option values in the IP Address macro (server-specific), located in the server's dhcptab, are bundled and passed to the next stage.
5. Option values in the Client ID macro (unique to client, for example, Ethernet/MAC ID), located in the server's dhcptab, are bundled and passed to the next stage.
All option values are bundled together, along with the IP address assigned by the DHCP server, and passed back to the DHCP client.
The client completes the boot process, using the IP address and values passed from the DHCP server.

Refer to the help pages for more information about macros and options.

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