client refuses to accept offer

[anctop]

I'm new to DHCP. My system is Linux 2.6.30.2, connected to a network
which already has some DHCP server(s) running.
I have a few static IP addresses in hand which I'm allowed to use, and
I want to create my own DHCP server.
I've built and installed dhcp-4.1.1 on my system. As a first step, I
tried to assign a fixed address for a particular computer. My
dhcpd.conf is :

> option domain-name "yyy.zzz";
> option domain-name-servers 147.8.2.2;
>
> default-lease-time 3600;
> max-lease-time 14400;
>
> deny unknown-clients;
> deny bootp;
> deny declines;
> deny client-updates;
> deny leasequery;
>
> # authoritative;
>
> boot-unknown-clients false;
>
> log-facility local1;
>
> subnet 147.8.108.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
> }
>
> host x099 {
>   hardware ethernet 00:0C:F1:D1:16:78;
>   fixed-address 147.8.108.99;
>   option host-name "x099";
>   option routers 147.8.96.1;
>   option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
> }

I start the server on the foreground (dhcpd -4 -d), then connect the
client (running WinXP SP3) to the network. There're many console
messages, here are the relevant ones :

> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server 4.1.1
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Copyright 2004-2010 Internet Systems Consortium.
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: All rights reserved.
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: For info, please visit https://www.isc.org/software/dhcp/
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Wrote 0 deleted host decls to leases file.
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Wrote 0 new dynamic host decls to leases file.
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Wrote 0 leases to leases file.
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Listening on LPF/eth0/00:11:2f:53:aa:49/147.8.108.0/24
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Sending on   LPF/eth0/00:11:2f:53:aa:49/147.8.108.0/24
> May 12 10:16:27 xxx dhcpd: Sending on   Socket/fallback/fallback-net
> May 12 10:16:32 xxx dhcpd: DHCPDISCOVER from 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0
> May 12 10:16:32 xxx dhcpd: DHCPOFFER on 147.8.108.99 to 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0
> May 12 10:16:35 xxx dhcpd: DHCPDISCOVER from 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0
> May 12 10:16:35 xxx dhcpd: DHCPOFFER on 147.8.108.99 to 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0
> May 12 10:16:44 xxx dhcpd: DHCPDISCOVER from 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0
> May 12 10:16:44 xxx dhcpd: DHCPOFFER on 147.8.108.99 to 00:0c:f1:d1:16:78 via eth0

It appears that the client does not accept the DHCPOFFER and asks for
one repeatedly until it gives up. The same problem for other "host"
declarations.

How can this be fixed ?

Regards,
anctop