Deploying Suse Linux Enterprise Server
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Configuring DNS and DHCP
DHCP Server
To alleviate the need to enter various IP settings on all of your network computers and devices, you can take advantage of Suse Linux Enterprise Server's included DHCP Server. This server allows you to centrally control all of your workstations IP settings, as well as give you the ability to automatically update your DNS Server's records if desired.
Stepping Through the Wizard
Thankfully, Suse Linux Enterprise Server provides a Yast module to configure the DHCP Server. When you first launch this module you are presented with the DHCP Wizard to guide you through the initial steps to setup the DHCP server.
The first screen simply allows you to select the network interface to use when providing IP settings to computers, this screen also provides an easy way to open the appropriate ports on the Firewall to allow the DHCP server to function properly.
DHCP Server Wizard: Card Selection and Global Settings
The second screen of the DHCP Wizard allows you to enter the relevant information you want to serve to the clients. This includes all the needed IP Address information, as well as additional info such as print, time and WINS servers.
Also on this screen you will set the "Default Lease Time" for the DHCP server. This specifies the amount of time an IP "lease" will be active for before the IP Address is once again available to be given to another computer. This option is specified here at the server level, as well as within other areas. If it is specified in other areas, that one will take precedence.
This screen also gives you the option to store the DHCP information within the LDAP server (if available).
DHCP Server Wizard: Dynamic DHCP and Server Startup
The Dynamic DHCP Screen allows you to specify the range of IP Addresses that you want the Server to "lease" out. You should note that if you want to control what IP Address each computer/device gets (shown in the next section) those IP Addresses should not be in the pool to lease out. More on this later.
Again, this screen gives you the option of fine tuning the Lease Time for these Addresses, this will override what was entered in the previous screen.
At the bottom of this screen, you have the ability to "Synchronize DNS Server". This allows you to either "Create New DNS Zone from Scratch" or "Edit Current DNS Zone". The Create New Zone option will automatically create a DNS Zone (and it's reverse zone) if you haven't already done so. Normally, you should create the zone yourself with the Yast DNS Module.
The "Edit Current DNS Zone" option allows you to manually enter "A"ddress Records into your DNS Zone, among other options. This feature was added with SP1 and I will add more about it after further testing.
The final screen of the Wizard allows you to control whether or not you want the DHCP Server to start at startup or not.
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