Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!think!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!ANDREW.CMU.EDU!ddp+ From: ddp+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Drew Daniel Perkins) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Automatic IP address assignment Message-ID: Date: Wed, 10-Jun-87 17:56:33 EDT Article-I.D.: andrew.gUnRMFy00UoJEho0qd Posted: Wed Jun 10 17:56:33 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jun-87 08:55:42 EDT References: <117@eagle_snax.UUCP> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 18 We've had a great deal of success using Bill Croft's BOOTP (RFC 951). As currently implemented, a network node's IP address is permanently assigned to a particular ethernet address and put in a configuration file read by the bootp server. Address assignment is done once when the machine is booted, via a UDP broadcast. We've extended the protocol to also announce the subnet mask and default gateway along with a number of server addresses. There is really no reason why the BOOTP server could not be extended to dynamically create new addresses for unknown ethernet addresses. A scheme similiar to Jeff's could be used to defend them afterwards, or the server could try to maintain some sort of database. Dynamic address assignment is also done for Macintoshes. I'm not quite sure how it works (I'm sure someone else can fill in the details), but the Kinetics gateways are given a range of addresses which they dynamically assign to new Appletalk nodes. I think it uses NBP to request an address and later defend it. Drew