[OpenIndiana-discuss] Synchronizing Sun DHCP servers

[James Carlson]

Jim Klimov wrote:
>   I wondered if the Sun DHCP server, also provided in OI, supports
> synchronization of instances - i.e. two boxes providing addresses
> for the same range, "should" support interchange of leased address
> lists, defined macros (dhcptab) and so on.

Yes.  The simplest answer is to use the SUNWfiles backend (see
dhcp_modules(5)), and share the files via NFS between servers.  The more
complex (but much more scalable) way is via NIS+ (on Solaris 10, but not
OpenIndiana; NIS+ is dead).  Amusingly, the man page still talks about
"three" built-in mechanisms but then describes only two.

You can also write your own backend to do anything you want; see the
"Solaris DHCP Service Developer's Guide:"

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/806-6829/806-6829.pdf

>   Perhaps a shared LDAP backend can be implemented?

I'm sure that could be done as well.  I don't recall if it was ever
done, but I would have expected that it would have been an ARC-required
portion of the NIS+ to LDAP transition strategy.  I'd expect that Dave
Miner at Oracle would know for sure if anyone does.

>   Secondly, does Sun DHCP support active probing (arp/ping) whether
> the IP address it is going to lease is actually available and not
> used by some squatter (or a client of another DHCP server), and
> logging the result?

Yes.  And doing so is part of the standard.  See dhcpsvc.conf(4) and the
ICMP_VERIFY parameter.

-- 
James Carlson         42.703N 71.076W         <carlsonj at workingcode.com>