1dhclient-script(8) System Manager's Manual dhclient-script(8)
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6 dhclient-script - DHCP client network configuration script
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9 The DHCP client network configuration script is invoked from time to
10 time by dhclient(8). This script is used by the dhcp client to set
11 each interface's initial configuration prior to requesting an address,
12 to test the address once it has been offered, and to set the inter‐
13 face's final configuration once a lease has been acquired. If no lease
14 is acquired, the script is used to test predefined leases, if any, and
15 also called once if no valid lease can be identified.
16 This script is not meant to be customized by the end user. If local
18 customizations are needed, they should be possible using the enter and
19 exit hooks provided (see HOOKS for details). These hooks will allow
20 the user to override the default behaviour of the client in creating a
21 /etc/resolv.conf file, and to handle DHCP options not handled by
22 default.
23 No standard client script exists for some operating systems, even
25 though the actual client may work, so a pioneering user may well need
26 to create a new script or modify an existing one. In general, cus‐
27 tomizations specific to a particular computer should be done in the
28 /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf file. If you find that you can't make such a
29 customization without customizing /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf or using the
30 enter and exit hooks, please submit a bug report.
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33 When it starts, the client script first defines a shell function,
34 make_resolv_conf , which is later used to create the /etc/resolv.conf
35 file. To override the default behaviour, redefine this function in
36 the enter hook script.
37 On after defining the make_resolv_conf function, the client script
39 checks for the presence of an executable /etc/dhcp/dhclient-enter-hooks
40 script, and if present, it invokes the script inline, using the Bourne
41 shell '.' command. The entire environment documented under OPERATION
42 is available to this script, which may modify the environment if needed
43 to change the behaviour of the script. If an error occurs during the
44 execution of the script, it can set the exit_status variable to a
45 nonzero value, and /sbin/dhclient-script will exit with that error code
46 immediately after the client script exits.
47 After all processing has completed, /sbin/dhclient-script checks for
49 the presence of an executable /etc/dhcp/dhclient-exit-hooks script,
50 which if present is invoked using the '.' command. The exit status of
51 dhclient-script will be passed to dhclient-exit-hooks in the exit_sta‐
52 tus shell variable, and will always be zero if the script succeeded at
53 the task for which it was invoked. The rest of the environment as
54 described previously for dhclient-enter-hooks is also present. The
55 /etc/dhcp/dhclient-exit-hooks script can modify the valid of exit_sta‐
56 tus to change the exit status of dhclient-script.
57 Immediately after dhclient brings an interface UP with a new IP
59 address, subnet mask, and routes, in the REBOOT/BOUND states, it will
60 check for the existence of an executable /etc/dhcp/dhclient-up-hooks
61 script, and source it if found. This script can handle DHCP options in
62 the environment that are not handled by default. A per-interface.
63 /etc/dhcp/dhclient-${IF}-up-hooks script will override the generic
64 script and be sourced when interface $IF has been brought up.
65 Immediately before dhclient brings an interface DOWN, removing its IP
67 address, subnet mask, and routes, in the STOP/RELEASE states, it will
68 check for the existence of an executable /etc/dhcp/dhclient-down-hooks
69 script, and source it if found. This script can handle DHCP options in
70 the environment that are not handled by default. A per-interface
71 /etc/dhcp/dhclient-${IF}-down-hooks script will override the generic
72 script and be sourced when interface $IF is about to be brought down.
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75 When dhclient needs to invoke the client configuration script, it
76 defines a set of variables in the environment, and then invokes
77 /sbin/dhclient-script. In all cases, $reason is set to the name of the
78 reason why the script has been invoked. The following reasons are
79 currently defined: MEDIUM, PREINIT, BOUND, RENEW, REBIND, REBOOT,
80 EXPIRE, FAIL, STOP, RELEASE, NBI and TIMEOUT.
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83 The DHCP client is requesting that an interface's media type be set.
84 The interface name is passed in $interface, and the media type is
85 passed in $medium.
86
88 The DHCP client is requesting that an interface be configured as
89 required in order to send packets prior to receiving an actual address.
90 For clients which use the BSD socket library, this means configuring
91 the interface with an IP address of 0.0.0.0 and a broadcast address of
92 255.255.255.255. For other clients, it may be possible to simply con‐
93 figure the interface up without actually giving it an IP address at
94 all. The interface name is passed in $interface, and the media type
95 in $medium.
96 If an IP alias has been declared in dhclient.conf, its address will be
98 passed in $alias_ip_address, and that ip alias should be deleted from
99 the interface, along with any routes to it.
100
102 The DHCP client has done an initial binding to a new address. The new
103 ip address is passed in $new_ip_address, and the interface name is
104 passed in $interface. The media type is passed in $medium. Any
105 options acquired from the server are passed using the option name
106 described in dhcp-options, except that dashes ('-') are replaced by
107 underscores ('_') in order to make valid shell variables, and the vari‐
108 able names start with new_. So for example, the new subnet mask would
109 be passed in $new_subnet_mask.
110 Before actually configuring the address, dhclient-script should somehow
112 ARP for it and exit with a nonzero status if it receives a reply. In
113 this case, the client will send a DHCPDECLINE message to the server and
114 acquire a different address. This may also be done in the RENEW,
115 REBIND, or REBOOT states, but is not required, and indeed may not be
116 desirable.
117 When a binding has been completed, a lot of network parameters are
119 likely to need to be set up. A new /etc/resolv.conf needs to be cre‐
120 ated, using the values of $new_domain_name and $new_domain_name_servers
121 (which may list more than one server, separated by spaces). A default
122 route should be set using $new_routers, and static routes may need to
123 be set up using $new_static_routes.
124 If an IP alias has been declared, it must be set up here. The alias
126 IP address will be written as $alias_ip_address, and other DHCP options
127 that are set for the alias (e.g., subnet mask) will be passed in vari‐
128 ables named as described previously except starting with $alias_
129 instead of $new_. Care should be taken that the alias IP address not
130 be used if it is identical to the bound IP address ($new_ip_address),
131 since the other alias parameters may be incorrect in this case.
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134 When a binding has been renewed, the script is called as in BOUND,
135 except that in addition to all the variables starting with $new_, there
136 is another set of variables starting with $old_. Persistent settings
137 that may have changed need to be deleted - for example, if a local
138 route to the bound address is being configured, the old local route
139 should be deleted. If the default route has changed, the old default
140 route should be deleted. If the static routes have changed, the old
141 ones should be deleted. Otherwise, processing can be done as with
142 BOUND.
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145 The DHCP client has rebound to a new DHCP server. This can be handled
146 as with RENEW, except that if the IP address has changed, the ARP table
147 should be cleared.
148
150 The DHCP client has successfully reacquired its old address after a
151 reboot. This can be processed as with BOUND.
152
154 The DHCP client has failed to renew its lease or acquire a new one, and
155 the lease has expired. The IP address must be relinquished, and all
156 related parameters should be deleted, as in RENEW and REBIND.
157
159 The DHCP client has been unable to contact any DHCP servers, and any
160 leases that have been tested have not proved to be valid. The parame‐
161 ters from the last lease tested should be deconfigured. This can be
162 handled in the same way as EXPIRE.
163
165 The dhclient has been informed to shut down gracefully, the dhclient-
166 script should unconfigure or shutdown the interface as appropriate.
167
169 The dhclient has been executed using the -r flag, indicating that the
170 administrator wishes it to release its lease(s). dhclient-script
171 should unconfigure or shutdown the interface.
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174 No-Broadcast-Interfaces...dhclient was unable to find any interfaces
175 upon which it believed it should commence DHCP. What dhclient-script
176 should do in this situation is entirely up to the implementor.
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179 The DHCP client has been unable to contact any DHCP servers. However,
180 an old lease has been identified, and its parameters have been passed
181 in as with BOUND. The client configuration script should test these
182 parameters and, if it has reason to believe they are valid, should exit
183 with a value of zero. If not, it should exit with a nonzero value.
184 The usual way to test a lease is to set up the network as with REBIND
186 (since this may be called to test more than one lease) and then ping
187 the first router defined in $routers. If a response is received, the
188 lease must be valid for the network to which the interface is currently
189 connected. It would be more complete to try to ping all of the
190 routers listed in $new_routers, as well as those listed in
191 $new_static_routes, but current scripts do not do this.
192
194 Each operating system should generally have its own script file,
195 although the script files for similar operating systems may be similar
196 or even identical. The script files included in Internet Systems Con‐
197 sortium DHCP distribution appear in the distribution tree under
198 client/scripts, and bear the names of the operating systems on which
199 they are intended to work.
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202 If more than one interface is being used, there's no obvious way to
203 avoid clashes between server-supplied configuration parameters - for
204 example, the stock dhclient-script rewrites /etc/resolv.conf. If more
205 than one interface is being configured, /etc/resolv.conf will be
206 repeatedly initialized to the values provided by one server, and then
207 the other. Assuming the information provided by both servers is
208 valid, this shouldn't cause any real problems, but it could be confus‐
209 ing.
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212 dhclient(8), dhcpd(8), dhcrelay(8), dhclient.conf(5) and
213 dhclient.leases(5).
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216 dhclient-script(8) has been written for Internet Systems Consortium by
217 Ted Lemon in cooperation with Vixie Enterprises. To learn more about
218 Internet Systems Consortium, see https://www.isc.org. To learn more
219 about Vixie Enterprises, see http://www.vix.com.
220 dhclient-script(8)