Setting Up a DHCP Client

Configuring a network client to get addresses from your DHCP server is fairly easy. Different types of operating systems, however, have different ways of using DHCP. Here are examples for setting up Windows and Linux DHCP clients.

Windows:

1. From most Windows operating systems (Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, and so on), you open the Network window from the Control Panel (Start ® Settings ® Control Panel).

2. From the Configuration tab, click the TCP/IP interface associated with your Ethernet card (something like TCP/IP ® 3Com EtherLink III).

3. Click Properties. The Properties window appears.

4. Click the IP Address tab and then select the Obtain an IP Address Automatically check box.

5. Click OK and reboot the computer so the client can use the new IP address.

Linux:

1. While you are initially installing Linux, click Configure using DHCP on the Network Configuration screen. Your network client should automatically pick up its IP address from your DHCP server when it starts up.

2. To set up DHCP after installation, open the Network Configuration window (neat command).

3. From the Network Configuration window:

   1. Click the Devices tab (on by default).

   2. Click your Ethernet device (probably eth0).

   3. Click Edit.

   4. Click the General tab.

   5. Click “Automatically obtain IP address settings with” and select dhcp.

   6. Click OK.

   7. Click Apply.

4. Then, from a Terminal window, type:

    # service network restart  

By default, a Fedora client will not accept all information passed to it from the DHCP server. The way that the Fedora client handles DHCP server input is based on settings in the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifup script. If the client has DHCP turned on, when the system starts up networking, the ifup script runs the dhclient command. You can adjust the behavior of dhclient by creating the /etc/dhclient.conf file. (Type man dhclient.conf to find out how you can set your dhclient.conf file.)