Compiline ISC DHCP on Redhat

[Jiri Popelka]

On 07/15/2010 10:11 PM, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> Nathan McDavit-Van Fleet wrote:
>    
>> I read that the redhat version of ISC DHCP is “optimized”
>> for redhat.
>>      
> Red Hat customers pay for 7+ years of sustaining engineering instead
> of rebases so their existing configuration files work for 7+ years.
> Rebases are avoided at all costs, if possible, to mitigate any risk
> and impact to deployed environments.  Rebasing is easy to do, and why
> many non-enterprise distributions use such an approach.  Enterprise
> distributions backport security and other fixes, so existing, deployed
> systems and configuration files (on literally thousands of systems) are
> not impacted over many, many years.
>
> For more on this approach, see this document:
>    http://www.redhat.com/security/updates/backporting/
>
> For more on the 7+ year lifecycle, see this document:
>    http://www.redhat.com/security/updates/errata/
>
> Nathan McDavit-Van Fleet wrote:
>    
>> However, the package on Redhat is 3.0.5 and I wanted to try 4.1.1.
>>      
> With regards to DHCP 3.0.x, Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 5 shipped
> with a heavily modified 3.0.4 with many features and support added.  It
> was rebased with some additions in 3.0.5 where it remains today.
>
> Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 6 Beta 2 is testing with 4.1.1.
>
> Red Hat does take Requests for Enhancement (RFE) through Phase I, which
> Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 5 is still under.  Red Hat will sometimes
> release a "Tech Preview" or even a supported "concurrent" release late
> during Phase I.  The "concurrent" errata approach does not replace the
> release version, but offers a newer version that does not conflict, so
> existing customers relying on the old version are not impacted.
>
> E.g., the package name would be something like dhcp4-4.1.1-P1, in addition
> to the release dhcp-3.0.5 version, version appended to the package name
> portion (in addition to the full package version after it).
>
> Customers should state their needs through their Premium Support (CRM) or
> Technical Account Manager (TAM Issue Tracker) accounts, or other Red Hat
> representatives a version 4 "Tech Preview."  It would then be considered.
>
> Nathan McDavit-Van Fleet wrote:
>    
>> I'm a little baffled by the Redhat installer rpm. It
>> give it a list of packages to install but it just wasn't doing
>> it. I have to keep trying over and over until I had everything
>> installed.
>>      
> Are you utilizing YUM?  YUM handles all these details.  For it to work
> on Red Hat Enterprise Linux to the Red Hat Network (RHN), the system
> must be subscribed to RHN.  RHN is supported via YUM plug-in.
>
> YUM will handle all dependency resolution for you, assuming components
> are available in Release 5.
>
> Jason Frisvold wrote:
>    
>> You may be able to find an RPM of 4.1.1 out there..  A
>> quick google search shows the fc12 ones, and it might be easy
>> enough to recompile the RPM on a rhel system..  I'll be doing that
>> myself in the near future, I think..
>>      
> Unfortunately most will build to replace the supported DHCP release
> in Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 5, possibly invalidating the
> system's certified state, and possibly negating some aspects of any
> Service Level Agreements (SLAs).  In the best case, it would make
> supporting the system more difficult, or just break some security
> updates, increasing risk.
>
> As such, one would need to manually modify the SPEC file and/or
> install it relocated (to /usr/local, instead of /etc, /usr, etc...).
> That way it doesn't stomp on the Red Hat version or facilities.
> However, security updates would fall on the entity or entities
> providing that alternative version, not Red Hat.
>
> One might consider if a better avenue would not be to run Fedora 13
> or Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 6 Beta 2 in a VM, and migrate to
> Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 6 when it is released, if this newer
> DHCP version needed to be utilized.
>
> With that "disclaimer" all said, I would start with the Source RPM
> package included Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 6 Beta 2:
>    $ rpm -ihv ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/beta/5.90Server/source/SRPMS/dhcp-4.1.1-10.el6.src.rpm<--  install SRPM (to ~/rpmbuild/)
>    $ vim ~/rpmbuild/SPEC/dhcp.spec<--  edit SPEC file
>    $ rebuild -ba ~/rpmbuild/SPEC/dhcpd.spec<--  rebuild
>    $ yum localinstall ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/(arch)/dhcp-4.1.1-10.el(rel).(arch).rpm<--  install
>
> YMMV (i.e., expect things to break, possible, additional dependencies,
> etc...), "Danger Will Robinson!!!" when it comes to your support, etc...
>
> [ SIDE NOTE:  This is a classic Fedora(TM) leading developments v. Red
> Hat(R) trailing development argument.  If you need new features, consider
> deploying Fedora, until they are in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and then
> switch to Red Hat Enterprise Linux for long-term deployment. ]
Hi all,
sorry for the delay, I was away for a week.

Thanks Bryan for great description.
There's also 4.1.1-P1
ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/rhel/beta/5.90Server/source/SRPMS/dhcp-4.1.1-11.P1.el6.src.rpm

Or you can use src.rpm from Fedora
http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/buildinfo?buildID=180339

When you hit difficulties, check this
https://lists.isc.org/pipermail/dhcp-users/2010-May/011445.html

Jiri Popelka