Microsoft Windows95 DHCP Timeout

["Alan S. Dobkin" <[e-mail]>]

Since we're on the topic of Microsoft's DHCP software, I thought I'd ask 
this group (and specifically the Microsoft folks) for some help with this 
problem.  We are currently testing Sun's SolarNet PC-Admin 1.5 server for 
use as a campus-wide DHCP/BootP server at Emory.  So far, I have had 
success using DHCP with Windows95 in the same subnet as the server, but 
the negotiation fails if the Windows95 client is in a different subnet, 
using the helper-address function of our Cisco routers.  Incidentally, 
Apple's Open Transport client works using the same server in either the 
same subnet or accross the router.  Specifically, the Windows95 client 
sends the DHCP request, the router passes it on, the server sees it and 
responds with an IP number, but the Windows95 client states that it has 
not gotten a response.

After doing some research, I've noticed that a similar problem has been 
posted to the Windows95 Networking Bugs FAQ.  Has Microsoft addressed 
this problem?  Is there a solution?

http://WWW-Leland.Stanford.Edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq.html
http://WWW-Leland.Stanford.Edu/~llurch/win95netbugs/faq-c.html#c28

C.28. What do I do if Win95 won't wait long enough for my DHCP server to 
assign an address?

Date: Mon, 6 Nov 1995 10:55:17 -0600
From: David Devereaux-Weber <[e-mail]>
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

[Complain, I guess, until Microsoft fixes this.] 

We have had difficulty with Microsoft's implementation of DHCP in WIN95. 
the DHCP client is supposed to wait a reasonable period of time for the
server to check an address before it is given to the client. Microsoft's
client doesn't wait very long - it bails out early and reports no
response. The people at Sun hacked their client software for us to
temporarily work around the problem. Unfortunately, trying to get
Microsoft to understand and support the official protocol has been
unsuccessful to date. 

/--------------------------------+---------------------+-----------------\
| Alan S. Dobkin, LAN Specialist | 1784 N. Decatur Rd. | E-Mail Address: |
| Networked Workstation Support  | Suite 300 (3rd Fl.) |     ADobkin     |
| ITD Network Systems, Emory U.  | Atlanta, GA 30322   |   @Emory.Edu    |
| <URL:http://NWS.CC.Emory.Edu/> |  [phone]     | FAX #: [phone] |
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