Some way to have two DHCP servers coexist? Or DHCP proxy?

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kleptophobiac

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I'm volunteering at a school that has to ghost several hundred computers. I want to boot them via PXE to avoid having to walk around with floppies or CD's. I've got pxelinux.0 working on the small scale. The problem is that we don't control our own DHCP server, it's downtown and out of reach. I need to add some information to the dhcp offer to indicate the file and server to boot, but running two dhcp servers on one network seems like a recipe for disaster.

Any good way to get around this?
 
Since this is probably during the summer break. Take the WAN down for the day?
 
It is during break, but that's an unacceptable solution because they're running seminars and training courses in the unused computer labs and they need connectivity. I asked if I could and got a resounding no. :-/
 
hrrm vlan the labs that you are ghosting for the time that you are working on them?

maybe call the people down town and get them to modify their dhcp server to point to your pxe server
 
can you just unplug the uplink to the exsiting dhcp for a localized group of the computers you are going to be ghosting and plug in your own server on the segment?

Might take longer than doing the whole network at once, but if you cant adjust the dhcp or diconnect the entire network from it, you won't have much choise.
 
mobiux said:
can you just unplug the uplink to the exsiting dhcp for a localized group of the computers you are going to be ghosting and plug in your own server on the segment?.
Click to expand...

That'd be my vote...pop the incoming feed to this remote site.
 
Yep, unless there is just information that we aren't aware of then isolating the imaged PC's on a seperate LAN is pretty much a no brainer.
 
or...

Block DHCP on the firewall, setup your own that gives the same settings with your added ones.

Just turn it on late one night when no one is around, do your magic, Turn it off late night
 
Digital-Vortex said:
or...

Block DHCP on the firewall, setup your own that gives the same settings with your added ones.

Just turn it on late one night when no one is around, do your magic, Turn it off late night
Click to expand...

I've done things like that before, sometimes it works, sometimes i spend the rest of the night fixing shit that broke by me trying to work around restrictions.
 
mobiux said:
I've done things like that before, sometimes it works, sometimes i spend the rest of the night fixing shit that broke by me trying to work around restrictions.
Click to expand...

WINNER!!! :)

lol, sounds like me!
 
I second the firewall idea, block outgoing udp on port 67 and incoming on port 68. (DHCP Ports)

Regards
 
Unless you need high speed to the network, or the PC's are physicaly seperated, why not throw a cheap cable/dsl router in there.. NAT your network.
 
kleptophobiac said:
I'm volunteering at a school that has to ghost several hundred computers. I want to boot them via PXE to avoid having to walk around with floppies or CD's. I've got pxelinux.0 working on the small scale. The problem is that we don't control our own DHCP server, it's downtown and out of reach. I need to add some information to the dhcp offer to indicate the file and server to boot, but running two dhcp servers on one network seems like a recipe for disaster.

Any good way to get around this?
Click to expand...

I don't think DHCP Passes through routers, so it must be within your building unless you have some weirdo setup. Get access and add a second scope? And unless these are really old comps, see if you can use a USB key to boot em up. Takes like 3 seconds to bot and connect to a ghost session...or whatever you're using....
 
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