On Apr 6, 2012, at 4:23 PM, zxq9 <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Do you mean there are serious networks that use DHCP by default for systems other than transient network guests residing in their own little subnet (like laptops)? And server IP assignment by DHCP... I can't believe this is really done, or am I being naive about naivete?

I do exactly that.  It puts all the IP addresses in one place - much less likely to end up with a conflict than with people manually configuring things.  I've dealt with too many admins typoing IP addresses, gateways, DNS servers, etc.

Sure there are some problems, but the additional effort isn't a big deal.  Plus you already need DHCP on your network segments with servers so that you can netboot, kickstart, etc.  DHCP means that my kickstart scripts can configure a box such that I can start the kickstart and return in 10 minutes to a box that has network connectivity.  The less I have to type into the box by hand (and which isn't under version control), the more reliable my network becomes!

It also means if I pick up a server and move it to another site, or if I change the VLAN it is in, a simple reboot is all it will take to make it at least reachable.

I generally don't use DHCP on network devices (routers, switches, firewalls, DHCP servers).  But everywhere else is fair game.  I also find it easier: one configuration on every server for networking.  The less manual configuration, the better.  Sure, I have to add the server's MAC to the DHCP server mappings (I assign STATIC addresses to servers, not dynamic ones!).  But that's it.