Network Working Group Kelly McGrew, INTERNET DRAFT CompuServe Inc. May 1997 Expires November 1997 The Named Pool Request Option for DHCP Status of this Memo This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as ``work in progress.'' To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the ``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu.net (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), ds.internic.net (US East Coast), or ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast). 1. Abstract This option is used by a DHCP client to optionally identify the specific named pool from which it should be assigned an IP address. The information contained in this option is an ASCII text object that represents the named pool from which the DHCP server assign an IP address to the DHCP client. 2. Definitions Throughout this document, the words that are used to define the significance of particular requirements are capitalized. These words are: o "MUST" This word or the adjective "REQUIRED" means that the item is an absolute requirement of this specification. draft-ietf-dhc-namedpool-00.txt Page 1] DRAFT The Named Pool Request Option for DHCPMay 1997 o "MUST NOT" This phrase means that the item is an absolute prohibition of this specification. o "SHOULD" This word or the adjective "RECOMMENDED" means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore this item, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before choosing a different course. o "SHOULD NOT" This phrase means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances when the listed behavior is acceptable or even useful, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before implementing any behavior described with this label. o "MAY" This word or the adjective "OPTIONAL" means that this item is truly optional. One vendor may choose to include the item because a particular marketplace requires it or because it enhances the product, for example; another vendor may omit the same item. This document also uses the following terms: o "DHCP client" A DHCP client or "client" is an Internet host using DHCP to obtain configuration parameters such as a network address. o "DHCP server" A DHCP server of "server" is an Internet host that returns configuration parameters to DHCP clients. 3. Named Pool Information This option is used by a DHCP client to optionally identify the specific named pool from which it should be assigned an IP address. The information contained in McGrew [Page 2] DRAFT The Named Pool Request Option for DHCPMay 1997 this option is an ASCII text object that represents the named pool from which the DHCP server assign an IP address to the DHCP client. DHCP administrators MAY assign specific names to IP address pools on a DHCP server. For example, pools may be established for various departments or network segments. A DHCP client MAY then be configured to request an address from a specific named pool. A DHCP server SHOULD assign an address from the requested named pool to the DHCP client. Servers not equipped to interpret the named pool specified by a client MUST ignore it. Otherwise, DHCP servers SHOULD respond with an IP address from the pool corresponding to the named pool specified by the DHCP client. If the DHCP server returns no address due to a named pool's address range being depleted, the DHCP client MAY resubmit another request with a different named pool name. Clients which do not which do not request a named pool SHOULD be treated in a manner consistent with DHCP server configuration. A DHCP server MAY be configured to provide only named pool addresses, in which case a client requesting an address without using the named pool option from a DHCP server which supports solely this option MUST be denied an address. A DHCP server MAY be configured to automatically rotor to an alternative pool. The DHCP server MAY then assign an address from this alternative pool. The code for this option is TBD. The minimum length for this option is two. Code Len text1 +-----+-----+-------------+----- | TBD | N | named_pool | ... +-----+-----+-------------+----- Security Considerations Security issues are not discussed in this document. References [RFC2131] Droms, R., "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol", RFC 2131, March 1997. McGrew [Page 3] DRAFT The Named Pool Request Option for DHCPMay 1997 [RFC2132] S. Alexander, R. Droms, "DHCP Options and BOOTP Vendor Extensions" Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Doug Dixon, Joe Hirschinger, and Rick Ogg for commenting on and making suggestions to this proposal. Author Information Kelly McGrew CompuServe Inc. 3535 - 128th Avenue SE Bellevue, WA 98006 Phone: (206) 957-8317 kmcgrew@csi.compuserve.com McGrew [Page 4]