question about DHCPACK log entries

[Tim Peiffer]

At 12:45, the DHCP server responded to a relayed (AKA broadcast) 
DHCPREQUEST.  At 13:11, it responded to the same MAC via unicast.  There 
are a few wrinkles according to the source..  server/dhcp.c +1224 :

        /* RFC2131 states the server SHOULD unciast to ciaddr.
         * There are two wrinkles - relays, and when ciaddr is zero.
         * There's actually no mention of relays at all in rfc2131 in
         * regard to DHCPINFORM, except to say we might get packets from
         * clients via them.  Note: relays unicast to clients to the
         * "yiaddr" address, which servers are forbidden to set when
         * answering an inform.
         *
         * The solution: If ciaddr is zero, and giaddr is set, go via the
         * relay with the broadcast flag set to help the relay (with no
         * yiaddr and very likely no chaddr, it will have no idea where to
         * send the packet).
         *
         * If the ciaddr is zero and giaddr is not set, go via the source
         * IP address (but you are permitted to barf on their shoes).
         *
         * If ciaddr is not zero, send the packet there always.
         */

Tim Peiffer
Networking and Telecommunications Services
University of Minnesota

Kirsten Petersen wrote:
> I have a script that parses our dhcp logs to generate a happy little table 
> of mac->ip addresses mappings for a particular subnet.  Because I only 
> care about the one subnet, I was doing a regular expression match on the 
> gateway IP.  But then I noticed that the format of the DHCPACK log entries 
> isn't always the same - and sometimes doesn't include the gateway address. 
> Examples follow.  Can someone shed a little light on what is happening 
> here?  We are running 3.0.4, fyi.
>
> Log entries in question:
>
> Mar  1 12:45:48 ns1 dhcpd: DHCPACK on 128.193.143.180 to 00:16:6f:67:89:e6 
> via 128.193.136.1
> Mar  1 12:45:48 ns2 dhcpd: DHCPACK on 128.193.143.180 to 00:16:6f:67:89:e6 
> via 128.193.136.1
> Mar  1 13:11:02 ns1 dhcpd: DHCPACK on 128.193.143.180 to 00:16:6f:67:89:e6 
> via eth0
> Mar  1 13:11:11 ns1 dhcpd: DHCPACK on 128.193.143.180 to 00:16:6f:67:89:e6 
> via eth0
>
> Notice that at 12:45, the ACK log entry includes the gateway address, but 
> at 13:11, it does not.  Why is that?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> ________________
> Kirsten Petersen
> Network Services * Oregon State University
> http://oregonstate.edu/net * irc.oregonstate.edu #osu-is
> "If you're not learning, you're not living."
>
>