DHCP & NFS Questions

[Matt Graham]

After a long battle with technology, Brandon Duncan wrote:
> I've been told that DHCP can be tricky to setup and get configured. What
> are some problems I can run into? Are there problems I can run into? What
> causes these problems? How would I fix them?

It's reasonably easy if you're doing simple stuff.  Here's a sample dhcpd.conf 
file:

# start conf
option domain-name "somewhere.example.org";
option domain-name-servers 1.2.3.4;

option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
option routers 192.168.1.1;
default-lease-time 6000;
max-lease-time 7200;
ddns-update-style ad-hoc;

subnet 192.168.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
  range 192.168.1.10 192.168.1.250;
  option broadcast-address 192.168.1.255;
  option routers 192.168.1.1;
}

host fuzzball {
  hardware ethernet 00:11:22:33:44:55;
  fixed-address 192.168.1.3;
}
#end conf

...so this says that the main DNS is 1.2.3.4, the gateway is 192.168.1.1, and 
the range from 192.168.1.10..240 will be available for any clients that send 
ordinary DHCP requests.  The host with MAC addr 00:11:22:33:44:55 is special; 
it will always be assigned 192.168.1.3.  You can have multiple subnets and 
many fixed hosts if you want.  A lot of times, people forget ;s at the end of 
lines, or they forget the ddns-update-style ad-hoc; line.  dhcpd logs 
messages like all good daemons do, so figure out where your setup puts them.  
They can go in various places depending on how your logger is set up.

> With NFS what are some uses beyond a typical shared folder that users keep
> files on?

If you have machines that can boot via PXE or something like that, you can 
have Unixish machines that have / on NFS.  This might be useful if you want 
to have a diskless workstation.  NFS is also useful for causing strange and 
unexplained behavior when an NFS server barfs and machines that have NFS 
exports from that server start failing randomly.  HTH,

-- 
   I will rule you all with my iron fist.  YOU!  Obey the fist!
   --Invader Zim
There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see