dhclient-script
dhclient-script(8) dhclient-script(8)
NAME
dhclient-script - DHCP client network configuration script
DESCRIPTION
The DHCP client network configuration script is invoked from time to
time by dhclient(8). This script is used by the dhcp client to set
each interface’s initial configuration prior to requesting an address,
to test the address once it has been offered, and to set the inter-
face’s final configuration once a lease has been acquired. If no
lease is acquired, the script is used to test predefined leases, if
any, and also called once if no valid lease can be identified.
This script is not meant to be customized by the end user. If local
customizations are needed, they should be possible using the enter and
exit hooks provided (see HOOKS for details). These hooks will allow
the user to override the default behaviour of the client in creating a
/etc/resolv.conf file.
No standard client script exists for some operating systems, even
though the actual client may work, so a pioneering user may well need
to create a new script or modify an existing one. In general, cus-
tomizations specific to a particular computer should be done in the
/etc/dhclient.conf file. If you find that you can’t make such a cus-
tomization without customizing /etc/dhclient.conf or using the enter
and exit hooks, please submit a bug report.
HOOKS
When it starts, the client script first defines a shell function,
make_resolv_conf , which is later used to create the /etc/resolv.conf
file. To override the default behaviour, redefine this function in
the enter hook script.
On after defining the make_resolv_conf function, the client script
checks for the presence of an executable /etc/dhclient-enter-hooks
script, and if present, it invokes the script inline, using the Bourne
shell ’.’ command. The entire environment documented under OPERATION
is available to this script, which may modify the environment if
needed to change the behaviour of the script. If an error occurs
during the execution of the script, it can set the exit_status vari-
able to a nonzero value, and /sbin/dhclient-script will exit with that
error code immediately after the client script exits.
After all processing has completed, /sbin/dhclient-script checks for
the presence of an executable /etc/dhclient-exit-hooks script, which
if present is invoked using the ’.’ command. The exit status of
dhclient-script will be passed to dhclient-exit-hooks in the exit_sta-
tus shell variable, and will always be zero if the script succeeded at
the task for which it was invoked. The rest of the environment as
described previously for dhclient-enter-hooks is also present. The
/etc/dhclient-exit-hooks script can modify the valid of exit_status to
change the exit status of dhclient-script.
OPERATION
When dhclient needs to invoke the client configuration script, it
defines a set of variables in the environment, and then invokes
/sbin/dhclient-script. In all cases, $reason is set to the name of
the reason why the script has been invoked. The following reasons
are currently defined: MEDIUM, PREINIT, BOUND, RENEW, REBIND, REBOOT,
EXPIRE, FAIL and TIMEOUT.
MEDIUM
The DHCP client is requesting that an interface’s media type be set.
The interface name is passed in $interface, and the media type is
passed in $medium.
PREINIT
The DHCP client is requesting that an interface be configured as
required in order to send packets prior to receiving an actual
address. For clients which use the BSD socket library, this means
configuring the interface with an IP address of 0.0.0.0 and a broad-
cast address of 255.255.255.255. For other clients, it may be possi-
ble to simply configure the interface up without actually giving it an
IP address at all. The interface name is passed in $interface, and
the media type in $medium.
If an IP alias has been declared in dhclient.conf, its address will be
passed in $alias_ip_address, and that ip alias should be deleted from
the interface, along with any routes to it.
BOUND
The DHCP client has done an initial binding to a new address. The
new ip address is passed in $new_ip_address, and the interface name is
passed in $interface. The media type is passed in $medium. Any
options acquired from the server are passed using the option name
described in dhcp-options, except that dashes (’-’) are replaced by
underscores (’_’) in order to make valid shell variables, and the
variable names start with new_. So for example, the new subnet mask
would be passed in $new_subnet_mask.
Before actually configuring the address, dhclient-script should some-
how ARP for it and exit with a nonzero status if it receives a reply.
In this case, the client will send a DHCPDECLINE message to the server
and acquire a different address. This may also be done in the RENEW,
REBIND, or REBOOT states, but is not required, and indeed may not be
desirable.
When a binding has been completed, a lot of network parameters are
likely to need to be set up. A new /etc/resolv.conf needs to be cre-
ated, using the values of $new_domain_name and
$new_domain_name_servers (which may list more than one server, sepa-
rated by spaces). A default route should be set using $new_routers,
and static routes may need to be set up using $new_static_routes.
If an IP alias has been declared, it must be set up here. The alias
IP address will be written as $alias_ip_address, and other DHCP
options that are set for the alias (e.g., subnet mask) will be passed
in variables named as described previously except starting with
$alias_ instead of $new_. Care should be taken that the alias IP
address not be used if it is identical to the bound IP address
($new_ip_address), since the other alias parameters may be incorrect
in this case.
RENEW
When a binding has been renewed, the script is called as in BOUND,
except that in addition to all the variables starting with $new_,
there is another set of variables starting with $old_. Persistent
settings that may have changed need to be deleted - for example, if a
local route to the bound address is being configured, the old local
route should be deleted. If the default route has changed, the old
default route should be deleted. If the static routes have changed,
the old ones should be deleted. Otherwise, processing can be done as
with BOUND.
REBIND
The DHCP client has rebound to a new DHCP server. This can be handled
as with RENEW, except that if the IP address has changed, the ARP ta-
ble should be cleared.
REBOOT
The DHCP client has successfully reacquired its old address after a
reboot. This can be processed as with BOUND.
EXPIRE
The DHCP client has failed to renew its lease or acquire a new one,
and the lease has expired. The IP address must be relinquished, and
all related parameters should be deleted, as in RENEW and REBIND.
FAIL
The DHCP client has been unable to contact any DHCP servers, and any
leases that have been tested have not proved to be valid. The param-
eters from the last lease tested should be deconfigured. This can be
handled in the same way as EXPIRE.
TIMEOUT
The DHCP client has been unable to contact any DHCP servers. However,
an old lease has been identified, and its parameters have been passed
in as with BOUND. The client configuration script should test these
parameters and, if it has reason to believe they are valid, should
exit with a value of zero. If not, it should exit with a nonzero
value.
The usual way to test a lease is to set up the network as with REBIND
(since this may be called to test more than one lease) and then ping
the first router defined in $routers. If a response is received, the
lease must be valid for the network to which the interface is cur-
rently connected. It would be more complete to try to ping all of
the routers listed in $new_routers, as well as those listed in
$new_static_routes, but current scripts do not do this.
FILES
Each operating system should generally have its own script file,
although the script files for similar operating systems may be similar
or even identical. The script files included in Internet Systems
Consortium DHCP distribution appear in the distribution tree under
client/scripts, and bear the names of the operating systems on which
they are intended to work.
BUGS
If more than one interface is being used, there’s no obvious way to
avoid clashes between server-supplied configuration parameters - for
example, the stock dhclient-script rewrites /etc/resolv.conf. If
more than one interface is being configured, /etc/resolv.conf will be
repeatedly initialized to the values provided by one server, and then
the other. Assuming the information provided by both servers is
valid, this shouldn’t cause any real problems, but it could be confus-
ing.
SEE ALSO
dhclient(8), dhcpd(8), dhcrelay(8), dhclient.conf(5) and
dhclient.leases(5).
AUTHOR
dhclient-script(8) has been written for Internet Systems Consortium by
Ted Lemon in cooperation with Vixie Enterprises. To learn more about
Internet Systems Consortium, see http://www.isc.org. To learn more
about Vixie Enterprises, see http://www.vix.com.
dhclient-script(8)
