What are the DHCP operational policies at IU?
At Indiana University, the proper administration of DHCP service requires close coordination between the Network Operations Center (NOC) and the server administrators. Furthermore, the nature of these services requires that they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.
Improperly configured DHCP servers can and do cause widespread problems on subnets. When in the past some departments deployed local DHCP servers, such practices invariably resulted in problems with people obtaining proper IP addresses, conflicts with other legitimate IP addresses, user confusion and frustration, and unnecessary departmental overhead. Consequently, UITS restricts departments or individuals from setting up local DHCP servers.
As UITS extends DHCP services to areas not currently using DHCP, it will require authentication of users. The first time a computer is brought up configured to use DHCP, the user will be prompted for an IU Network ID. The user's Ethernet hardware address will be entered into a database, and associated with the Network ID username. This provides a huge increase in troubleshooting capacity, and also provides increased network security. Local support providers (LSPs) in departments using registered DHCP will have access to troubleshooting and support tools. In time, the goal is to provide DHCP only through an authenticated mechanism.
Last modified on June 12, 2009.
