Network Working Group C. Smith
Request for Comments: 2937 Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Category: Standards Track September 2000
The Name Service Search Option for DHCP
Status of this Memo
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved.
Abstract
This document defines a new Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) option which is passed from the DHCP Server to the DHCP Client
to specify the order in which name services should be consulted when
resolving hostnames and other information.
Introduction
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)[1] provides a
framework for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP
network. RFC 2132 [2] allows DHCP servers to specify configuration
information for various kinds of name services to be passed to DHCP
clients. Many clients use multiple name services and have crafted
their own conventions that allow an individual host to express the
order among the various name services with which lookups are done.
However, no search order can be specified via DHCP. The purpose of
this document is to allow DHCP servers to specify the search order to
be used by DHCP clients. To avoid the need for inventing and
maintaining a separate name space for this option, we rely on the
existence of previously-defined DHCP options that specify the IP
address(es) of servers which provide name services whose order we
wish to express.
Smith Standards Track [Page 1]RFC 2937 The Name Service Search Option for DHCP September 2000
Definitions
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY" and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [3]. This
document also uses the following terms:
"DHCP client"
DHCP client or "client" is an Internet host using DHCP to
obtain configuration parameters such as a network address.
"DHCP server"
A DHCP server or "server" is an Internet host that returns
configuration parameters to DHCP clients.
Name Service Search Option Format
The code for this option is 117, and its minimum length is 2 bytes.
A DHCP server SHOULD return, in its preferred order, the 16-bit,
network byte order (big-endian [4]) integer option code for the
name services (the earlier in the list, the more preferred the name
service).
Code Length Name Service Search Order in Sequence
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| 117 | Len | ns1 |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| ns2 | ... |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
In the above diagram, ns1 and ns2 are 16-bit integers corresponding
to two DHCP options which specify the IP addresses of two different
types of name server. The current list of name services and their
DHCP option codes, taken from RFC 2132, includes
Name Service Value
Domain Name Server Option 6
Network Information Servers Option 41
NetBIOS over TCP/IP Name Server Option 44
Network Information Service+ Servers Option 65
Smith Standards Track [Page 2]RFC 2937 The Name Service Search Option for DHCP September 2000
A name service option code of 0 is used to indicate that the
client should refer to local naming information (e.g., an
/etc/hosts file on a UNIX machine).
A DHCP server wishing to express that a client should first search
DNS, then NIS+, would send
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| 117 | 4 | 6 |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| 65 |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
DHCP Client Behavior
The DHCP client will use this option to create a search list for
name resolution. The client may receive name services in this
option that it does not support or has not been configured to
access. Likewise, a client may receive an option that lists name
services for which no corresponding DHCP option was supplied.
Clients will interpret this option in a system-specific manner
whose specification is outside the scope of this document.
Security Considerations
DHCP currently provides no authentication or security mechanisms.
Potential exposures to attack are discussed in section 7 of the DHCP
protocol specification [1].
IANA Considerations
IANA has assigned a value of 117 for the DHCP option code described
in this document.
Smith Standards Track [Page 3]RFC 2937 The Name Service Search Option for DHCP September 2000
References
[1] Droms, R., "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol", RFC 2131, March
1997.
[2] Alexander, S. and R. Droms, "DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor
Extensions", RFC 2132, March 1997.
[3] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to indicate requirement
levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[4] Cohen, D., "On Holy Wars and a Plea for Peace", Computer, IEEE,
October 1981.
Author's Address
Carl Smith
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
901 San Antonio Road
Palo Alto, CA 94043
EMail: cs@Eng.Sun.COM
Smith Standards Track [Page 4]RFC 2937 The Name Service Search Option for DHCP September 2000
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Acknowledgement
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
Internet Society.
Smith Standards Track [Page 5]
