Subject: Clarification on draft-ietf-dhc-fqdn-option-00.txt

From: "John Corcoran" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 13:46:26 -0500

I'm looking for some clarification regarding how a DHCP client and server
should handle Option 81.

The draft states " When a DHCP server sends the Client FQDN option to a
client in the DHCPACK message, the DHCP server SHOULD send its notion of
the complete FQDN for the client in the Domain Name field." By "complete
FQDN" is it intended that the server's response end with a "."?

The draft also states "The server MAY simply copy the Domain Name field
from the Client FQDN option that the client sent to the server in the
DHCPREQUEST message."  In some testing, we've observed that a certain, very
popular client, will derive it's FQDN from it's locally configured host
name and the domain name (option 15)  when it received from the server in a
DHCPOffer message. The client then sends, in it's DHCPRequest , option 81.
However, the FQDN from the client does not end with a "." unless the option
15 data configured in the server ends in a "." If a server simply echo's
this data back to the client, the client is unable to resolve to the
correct DNS. Also per the draft "The DHCP server MAY be configured to
complete or modify the domain name  which a client sent, or it MAY be
configured to substitute a different name." So, really I have the same
question, in this case is it also incumbent upon the DHCP server to add a
terminating "."?

And finally, is it a legitimate use of the option to return option 81 with
just the FLAGS and RCODE fields set assuming that the server intends to use
the client's notion of the FQDN? Or must the server include the Domain Name
field when sending option 81?

Thanks for any clarification that can be provided.

Jack Corcoran