RE: Running a PXE server without full DHCP

Just a comment - theres only a couple of options that need to be added to
the DHCP server.

Once that's done you don't need to touch it again. 

In fact I have to go look at some documentation to know what needed adding!



-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Donald Teed
Sent: Friday, 29 October 2004 1:22 p.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [pxes-devel] Running a PXE server without full DHCP


Hello,

It isn't impossible to add some configuration to the main DHCP server and
have it point to my TFTP server, and we may have to go that way unless we
adopt a commerical PXE server product.

I'm just surprised to learn there is no open source equivalent of DHCP proxy
server.

We were seeking a fit that matches the current delegation of roles in our IT
group.  The guy who maintains DHCP service (Unix sysadmin) is different than
the guy who has maintained the current Windows based PXE Server (Windows and
networking sysadmin).  The goal is to keep them untangled if possible.

It isn't really any stranger than running httpd on one machine and running
ftpd on another.  A person could say one machine should handle both jobs,
but there are good reasons to split it up.

In any case, thanks for the help.  And yes, I think people are about to
learn how cool PXES is.  Except for the brief appearance of the penguin and
"Welcome to PXES", there is little hint what is happening until they find a
nice full screen 24 bit color Windows Server 2003 login screen.

Our interest in this is to investigate a possible way the students could
connect to a standard Windows environment for writing online exams.  At a
University where everyone has a laptop with build-in wireless and there are
no computer labs, this is probably the best solution.

--Donald Teed


On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 19:52:02 -0300, Diego Torres Milano <[email protected]>
wrote:
> On Thu, 2004-10-28 at 17:51, C. Falconer wrote:
> > Seems weird - you want to have the equivelant of a second DHCP 
> > server sending out options but still using a central DHCP server for 
> > the real work?
> >
> > If you can possibly get the main DHCP server to have some extra 
> > options then you're set, AND it will be easier to maintain.
> >
> > If you can't do anything with the main DHCP server, then it might be 
> > easier to firewall your pxe clients and deal with the DHCP more 
> > locally, that way its under your control, not central management.
> Perhaps you don't even need to firewall or block the DHCP request 
> because if the response doesn't have the required options to boot this 
> response is ignored by PXE clients. On the other hand, if you only 
> respond to a specific PXE MAC address you will not interfere with the 
> central DHCP.
> >
> > Those extra options like "next-server" and "option-135" are totally 
> > ignored by other dhcp clients, so it won't interfere with them in 
> > the slightest.
> >
> > In short - Keep It Simple.
> >
> > ..... Or demonstrate PXEs to the people who run the DHCP server, 
> > show them how cool it is :)))
> 
> 
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [email protected]
> > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Donald 
> > Teed
> > Sent: Friday, 29 October 2004 1:46 a.m.
> > To: [email protected]
> > Subject: [pxes-devel] Running a PXE server without full DHCP
> >
> >
> > It was suggested I follow up my question here rather than on the 
> > forums.
> >
> > I've since learned that the term for the thing I'd like to have is a 
> > "DHCP Proxy Server".  Novell Zenworks, Solaris and IBM's AIX offer 
> > it, as well as StorageSoft's PXE Server on Windows (no longer 
> > maintained and seems limited to floppy).
> >
> > A DHCP Proxy Server can respond to DHCP BOOTP requests without 
> > providing the IP address - it relies on the other main DHCP server 
> > to do that.
> >
> > In our case, at a University, we run a secure DHCP server which is 
> > fed a list of valid MACs that are allowed on our network.  Rather 
> > than duplicate the effort of that configuration on a PXE boot 
> > server, we'd rather have it function as a DHCP Proxy.  It would 
> > respond to BOOTP requests, send the "next-server" information to 
> > point to the TFTP server. The main DHCP server would remain 
> > responsible for controlling IP assignment (or whether to not assign 
> > an IP if it is not an authorized client machine).
> >
> > I'm also aware of Bootpd, but it doesn't offer support for allowing 
> > a named DHCP server to provide the IP.
> >
> > I have been searching for a way to make ISC DHCP offer the limited 
> > proxy function, or locate an open source DHCP Proxy server, but I 
> > don't see one available as yet.
> >
> >
> > 
> > -------------------------------------------------------
> > This Newsletter Sponsored by: Macrovision
> > For reliable Linux application installations, use the industry's 
> > leading setup authoring tool, InstallShield X. Learn more and 
> > evaluate today. 
> > http://clk.atdmt.com/MSI/go/ins0030000001msi/direct/01/
> > _______________________________________________
> > pxes-devel mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/pxes-devel
> 
> 
>


-------------------------------------------------------
This Newsletter Sponsored by: Macrovision 
For reliable Linux application installations, use the industry's leading
setup authoring tool, InstallShield X. Learn more and evaluate 
today. http://clk.atdmt.com/MSI/go/ins0030000001msi/direct/01/
_______________________________________________
pxes-devel mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/pxes-devel



-------------------------------------------------------
This Newsletter Sponsored by: Macrovision 
For reliable Linux application installations, use the industry's leading
setup authoring tool, InstallShield X. Learn more and evaluate 
today. http://clk.atdmt.com/MSI/go/ins0030000001msi/direct/01/