Very Computer

hai

        when a dhcp client sends a dhcp request and get the dhcp offer
from the server.that offer will be a unicast packet or again a broad
cast packet.please tell me if there is no dhcp server in the network
and still we start the client how much time it will wait.

thanking you
k.rajasekhar

If a dhcp request is sent the server answers with
dhcp ack or dhcp nak, not with a dhcp offer. See
state diagram (Fig. 5) in RFC2131.

I assume you mean client sends dhcp discover and server
sends dhcp offer.

Quote:> that offer will be a unicast packet or again a broad
> cast packet.

It depends on the contents of the received dhcp discover
message and whether the message was relayed via a bootp
relay. See RFC 2131 4.1 Constructing and sending DHCP
messages:

.-----
| ...
|
|  If the 'giaddr'
|  field is zero and the 'ciaddr' field is nonzero, then the server
|  unicasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages to the address in 'ciaddr'.
|  If 'giaddr' is zero and 'ciaddr' is zero, and the broadcast bit is
|  set, then the server broadcasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK messages to
|  0xffffffff. If the broadcast bit is not set and 'giaddr' is zero and
|  'ciaddr' is zero, then the server unicasts DHCPOFFER and DHCPACK
|  messages to the client's hardware address and 'yiaddr' address.  In
|  all cases, when 'giaddr' is zero, the server broadcasts any DHCPNAK
|  messages to 0xffffffff.
|
| ...
`-----

Note that a giaddr of nonzero indicates that the client
message was relayed via a (bootp) relay agent.

Ciao, Horst
--
?When pings go wrong (It hurts me too)? E.Clapton/E.James/P.Tscharn