DHCP Name Game

June 20, 2006 12:27 PM

If all else fails how do I get a mac running OS X 10.3.9 (Panther) to pull or request a DNS name. I have over 180 Macs online, and two won't register.(more inside)

I have done all that I know such as resetting the Network control panel. renaming the computer, zapping PRAM, NVRAM and clearing all caches using cacheoutX. I have created a new Network location, and still the system will not register a name on our DHCP server. The name I want is 'gungho-mac' what it gets is dyn31123, which I assume is a dynamic name provided by the server. A sniff shows that the Mac never requests a name. Help me Obiwan, You're my only hope.

posted by Gungho to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

I'm not completely sure (it's been a while), but I don't think you can tell the DHCP server what you want to be called, but it can tell you what you are going to be called.

You can tell most DHCP servers to allocate a specific IP and name to a requesting MAC address, but that's server side.
posted by lowlife at 1:32 PM on June 20, 2006

If you want to read all about it, here's the original DHCP RFC.
posted by lowlife at 1:33 PM on June 20, 2006

hmmm; That is a curious problem, since no one has offered any suggestions, here's a couple (invariably someone is typing right now with the correct answer.)

So I assume that both machines are running panther and they are the only machines running p? That is, all other clients are sans problems?

How are you connecting? WiFI? 802.3? Are all the other machines getting the name they are asking for? Do you have to make an entry in the router for they're particular mac id? Is it possible that these machines are hardcoded as different machines in the router / dhcp server?

I'm not aware of straight shot solutions per se, but I have some understanding of networks; Any more details?

have you tried this?

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=200401121505238
posted by AllesKlar at 1:33 PM on June 20, 2006

their MAC id
posted by AllesKlar at 1:34 PM on June 20, 2006

Response by poster: All are hardwired using enet. All are on various subnets, all, except these two, are asking for and getting a requested DHCP Client name (That is filled out on the Mac's network control panel.)

Interesting link Allesklar, We do use the Nortel client...
posted by Gungho at 1:38 PM on June 20, 2006

Cursory google searches indicate that panther and dhcp quarrel on occasion; Without fixing the problem, it would seem you could just hardcode the dns names into the dhcp server, in addition to updating this information in every machine's "host file."

This link might be more useful:

http://www.macwrite.com/criticalmass/mac-os-x-hosts.php
posted by AllesKlar at 1:50 PM on June 20, 2006

oops; 404 on the floor ;)

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:39_K6ok_lSgJ:www.macwrite.com/criticalmass/mac-os-x-hosts-panther.php+mac-os-x-hosts-panther.php&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

there is a google cache of the page
posted by AllesKlar at 1:53 PM on June 20, 2006

Blow away the lease from the DHCP server and reboot the Mac. Also, add that name to the "DHCP Client ID" field.

Your DHCP server is probably just giving it the same IP based on the MAC address. Its lease hasn't expired yet.

I run into this issue fairly often, and the above tricks have always solved the issue.
posted by drstein at 2:38 PM on June 20, 2006

Response by poster: drstein, We have tried your suggestions, but unlike all the other Macs these two never ask the DHPC server for a name, so one is assigned dynamically.
posted by Gungho at 7:04 AM on June 21, 2006