Network Working Group Kelly McGrew,
INTERNET DRAFT CompuServe Inc.
May 1997
Expires November 1997
The Named Pool Request Option for DHCP
<draft-ietf-dhc-namedpool-00.txt>
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are
working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force
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1. Abstract
This option is used by a DHCP client to optionally
identify the specific named pool from which it should be
assigned an IP address. The information contained in
this option is an ASCII text object that represents the
named pool from which the DHCP server assign an IP
address to the DHCP client.
2. Definitions
Throughout this document, the words that are used to
define the significance of particular requirements are
capitalized. These words are:
o "MUST"
This word or the adjective "REQUIRED" means that the
item is an absolute requirement of this specification.
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o "MUST NOT"
This phrase means that the item is an absolute
prohibition of this specification.
o "SHOULD"
This word or the adjective "RECOMMENDED" means that
there may exist valid reasons in particular
circumstances to ignore this item, but the full
implications should be understood and the case
carefully weighed before choosing a different course.
o "SHOULD NOT"
This phrase means that there may exist valid reasons in
particular circumstances when the listed behavior is
acceptable or even useful, but the full implications
should be understood and the case carefully weighed
before implementing any behavior described with this
label.
o "MAY"
This word or the adjective "OPTIONAL" means that this
item is truly optional. One vendor may choose to
include the item because a particular marketplace
requires it or because it enhances the product, for
example; another vendor may omit the same item.
This document also uses the following terms:
o "DHCP client"
A DHCP client or "client" is an Internet host using
DHCP to obtain configuration parameters such as a
network address.
o "DHCP server"
A DHCP server of "server" is an Internet host that
returns configuration parameters to DHCP clients.
3. Named Pool Information
This option is used by a DHCP client to optionally
identify the specific named pool from which it should be
assigned an IP address. The information contained in
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this option is an ASCII text object that represents the
named pool from which the DHCP server assign an IP
address to the DHCP client.
DHCP administrators MAY assign specific names to IP
address pools on a DHCP server. For example, pools may
be established for various departments or network
segments. A DHCP client MAY then be configured to
request an address from a specific named pool. A DHCP
server SHOULD assign an address from the requested named
pool to the DHCP client.
Servers not equipped to interpret the named pool
specified by a client MUST ignore it. Otherwise, DHCP
servers SHOULD respond with an IP address from the pool
corresponding to the named pool specified by the DHCP
client. If the DHCP server returns no address due to a
named pool's address range being depleted, the DHCP
client MAY resubmit another request with a different
named pool name.
Clients which do not which do not request a named pool
SHOULD be treated in a manner consistent with DHCP server
configuration. A DHCP server MAY be configured to
provide only named pool addresses, in which case a client
requesting an address without using the named pool option
from a DHCP server which supports solely this option MUST
be denied an address. A DHCP server MAY be configured to
automatically rotor to an alternative pool. The DHCP
server MAY then assign an address from this alternative
pool.
The code for this option is TBD. The minimum length for
this option is two.
Code Len text1
+-----+-----+-------------+-----
| TBD | N | named_pool | ...
+-----+-----+-------------+-----
Security Considerations
Security issues are not discussed in this document.
References
[RFC2131] Droms, R., "Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol", RFC 2131, March 1997.
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[RFC2132] S. Alexander, R. Droms, "DHCP Options and BOOTP
Vendor Extensions"
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Doug Dixon, Joe
Hirschinger, and Rick Ogg for commenting on and making
suggestions to this proposal.
Author Information
Kelly McGrew
CompuServe Inc.
3535 - 128th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
Phone: (206) 957-8317
kmcgrew@csi.compuserve.com
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