Re: two DHCP servers working?

[Bryan Miller <[e-mail]>]

> > > Since the DHCP server keeps track of what IP's it has given out, 
> > > how will TWO SERVERS be able to know what each other has done?
> > 
> > Ah, you see the nature of the problem. :-)
> > 
> > > CMU's DHCP has SNMP built in.  Is that how they talk?
> > 
> > We've theorized that the SNMP interface could be used to synchronize
> > databases between two DHCP servers, but haven't actually implemented
> > anything to do that. Since 98% of our nodes are static assignments, we
> > currently use two DHCP servers with only static assignments and only one
> > DHCP server with dynamic assignments. But synchronization is something
> > we'd love to do at some point the future, potentially using SNMP or
> > whatever standard server-to-server protocol may be developed.
> > 
> > --- Erikas 
> > 
> 
> Theoretically, the clients should handle multiple servers serving the same
> pool through the proper use of DHCPDECLINE.  Of course, if your clients
> don't do DHCPDECLINE (like some well-known o/s vendors), this doesn't work.
> Sigh.......
> 
> -- 
> Evan Wetstone                                                [e-mail]

Evan,

I wrote my own DHCP server as my Master's thesis, and my servers communicate
using TCP port 67.  My design uses a master-slave relationship, where the
master informs the slave servers whenever they assign an address.  In the
event that the master dies, the first slave becomes the new master.