Need to set up a DHCP server, help

[Dojo2000]

I need to set up a DHCP server to automatically give out IP address to a bunch of computers connected to a switch. I'm trying to Ghost an image onto all of them, but without dhcp I have to manually change the IP address for every single computer.

We tried installing Fedora Core 2 on a machine hoping that it would install and run dhcpd automatically, but that didn't work. We can't even find dhcpd on the machine, even though we told it to install all the network server packages. We set it up with a static IP as a gateway, and to even think about changing it to automatically connect to the ASU network, get on the interweb and find the package gives me a headache. I'd rather reinstall it then try to change those settings.

Does anybody know of a small linux distro that automatically runs dhcpd, and would run well on a 350MHz machine? I dunno what our server guy was thinking, but FC+Gnome doesn't.

Does anybody know if connecting a router to the switch would give us the desired effect? I've tried this at home with my own equipment with no luck.

Any suggestions at all?

[Nachius]

A DHCP server is not processor intensive unless you have the leases setup on a very short term basis.

a 350MHz machine with a linux server would work fine, so would a router in front of the switch most routers have a built in DHCP server function.

[Dojo2000]

I know a DHCP server is not processor intensive, but running the GNOME desktop enviroment is.

What you don't understand is that we can't figure out how to get a dhcp server running under Fedora. If we still want to go this route it would be nice to find a small linux distro aimed specifically at running as just a dhcp server.

It makes sense that a router hooked up to a switch should give us the same result, but in my personal experience in connecting my router to my switch, then connecting computers to the switch, the computers couldn't connect to the router. I just want to know if someone else has had experience with this.

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

what switch you using ?

all pc must have a diff IP, and the DHCP should be biult into the swtich

connecting the router to the switch will only give that port on the switch a IP

[Dojo2000]

I don't know the exact model, but its a Netgear 24-port switch.

I've never, ever heard of dhcp being built into a switch, but a few people have told me that. Ours doesn't.

[ May 07, 2005, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]

[Dojo2000]

I just installed Suse 9.3 Pro on my laptop last night, so I'm going to play with it and see if I can get dhcpd up and running.

[majeskyb]

I have a netgear router/switch that has a built in dhcp server. Is there any reason that using static IPs wouldn't work on your setup? If it's a switch, connected to a modem, it gets its IP addy from the modem. Also, if you want, you can install win2k on your 350, and set up the dhcp server that comes bundled with it

[Dojo2000]

We use Symantec Ghost to copy hard drive images to new computers over a network. We've started using a 24-port switch to speed up the process, so we're essentially creating our own network. Ghost requires that we use a boot disk preloaded with the correct network drivers and IP information (such as whether to use DHCP or a statically defined IP.) Without DHCP I have to manual change the IP addr thats stored on the boot disk before I boot every computer. I'll be doing +120 computers in the next few weeks so editing the book disk config on another computer between each computer would be slow and tiresome.

I didn't know win2k had a dhcp server. Wish my boss that been doing this stuff for years would have mentioned that.

As I mentioned before I'm dual-booting Suse 9.3 now, so I'm going to try to get its dhcp server running.

[Dojo2000]

****ing ***** *** **** whore

I spent 3 hours installing Suse. The install somehow messed up my Windows partition. Then I used Partition Magic to fix it, but then it messed up the linux partition. Now I have to install it all over again.


Also, Win2k Pro doesn't have a DHCP server, but Win2k Server does. That doesn't help because we don't have a copy of it laying around.

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

xp pro does you have to install tought

[mjparme]

Slackware is a linux distribution (actually the best IMHO) and it runs DHCP automatically by default.

Almost all modern routers have a built in DHCP server in them that will serve up IP's to any computer connected to them.

Are you sure you are using a switch and not a router? Some people confuse them, and these days the distinction between the two are getting blurry. To make it more confusing manufacturers marketing departments sometimes call things by the wrong name just because they sound catchy.

[ May 10, 2005, 12:07 PM: Message edited by: mjparme ]

[Dojo2000]

I run Slack 10 on my linux box.

I tried to install 10.1 on one of our 350MHz comps twice this morning. First time it wouldn't boot, then the next time it was all ****ed up. I couldn't even pull up the man pages for dhcp and dnsmasq. Gave up.

Then I decided to put Suse 9.3 Pro on it. Once I finally booted up into Gnome I tried to set up the DHCP server, but it failed every time YaST tried to restart the server after configuring it.

We're definetly using a switch.
I believe its this one
http://www.netgear.com/products/details/FS524.php

In any event, we don't have a router to use, which is why I'm trying to setup a dhcp server.

[Dojo2000]

Finally got it working under slack 10.1 ...

but now the X server is ****ed up, and I can't run any window managers. At least I got the server running, and, no, it definetly didn't run automatically.

[TealV6]

Why all the gui work??? Just use the terminal... there are plenty of tutorials out there on how to set up and config files for any distro.

IMHO, Fedora sucks. I'd rather use RH8 or 9... even the new RHE.

You have a mac B&W somewhere laying around? I can hook you up with X.3 server iso's :D

[Dojo2000]

I just used the terminal. GUI wasn't needed with slackware, but I was just trying to get fluxbox setup (for the fun out it) and found that the LCD monitor I was using wouldn't display with the current settings. I told our server guy about it, he messed with it, and now the X server doesn't work at all.

Suse uses a config program called YaST that was supposed to help me easily set up the DHCP server, but it ended up wrecking the entire dhcpd.conf file. When we'd try to edit it in a terminal window it kept over-writing it with its wreck conf file.

I've heard nothing but bad things about Fedora. I use to have RH 9 on my laptop, so I know how well it works.

The only mac we have laying around is a PowerBook.
Barring any problems, we'll keep this 350MHz PC around to run the server. Finally got dhcpd running with the help of Google. How did we get along before Google? :D