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TNS Services

How does it work?

Who provides the service?

Who can use the service?

What hardware and software is required for this service?

What type of performance can be expected?

Who do I contact for more information?

How does a Network Administrator request the service?

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Service

Telecommunications and Networking Services (TNS) provides a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Service. This service provides a method for devices to dynamically set network configuration parameters. With the service, network administrators have the ability to allocate and assign IP addresses and other parameters to their users wanting to dynamically connect. It allows users to connect without reconfiguring their settings and reduces the need for administrator support of customer configurations. TNS has investigated the technology needed to provide the service and offers a solution, which appropriately addresses the issues of security, cost, and ease of use. The requestor of this service has to meet AD20 requirements, which may include the mapping of individuals to Ethernet MAC addresses.

How does it work?

The DHCP service is implemented by configuring the TNS router to pass DHCP requests to a TNS-maintained DHCP server. The DHCP server looks up the address range and allocates the next available IP address, returning this to the requesting device via the router. When the customer device releases (or does not renew) the DHCP lease, the dynamic IP address is returned to the pool of addresses for reuse. Further information is available on the web at locations like these:

  • http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2131.txt (RFC2131 defines the technical specifications of DHCP)
    • Who provides the service?

    TNS provides all necessary components to provide this service. Network administrators may also run DHCP servers on their network without notifying TNS. However, the use of both TNS-provided and local DHCP servers will give unpredictable results and is not supported by TNS.

    Who can use the service?

    Any computer user on a Penn State network can benefit from and use the service. However, only network administrators listed in the contacts list may request the service be configured on those particular interfaces for which they want dynamic configuration and for which they are responsible. The DHCP service is not offered directly to end users, therefore, prospective users must correspond with their network administrator listed on the contacts list.

    What hardware and software is required for this service?

    Devices need a LAN connection to the type of network with the service (typically ethernet, but can be any technology supporting IP). The device will also need a DHCP configuration agent in their IP software stack. The software should be configured to "Obtain an IP address automatically" or to use DHCP instead of using a particular numeric IP address and gateway.

    What type of performance can be expected?

    The path through the router to the DHCP server and back to the customer device (including processing time) is usually under a second, but there may be instances where the server would be doing other tasks and would not be able to respond for over a second. This is usually not noticeable to the user.

    Who do I contact for more information?

    General user questions about the service should be directed to the DHCP Management Team.

    Network administrators who wish to use the TNS' DHCP service should go to the web page. As previously noted, only requests from a contact will be honored and then only for subnets for which they are contacts. Properly submitted requests will be processed within 3 working days of receipt. Along with the request for the TNS DHCP service, contacts are required to provide other information. The details are listed below.

    How does a Network Administrator request the service?

    The DHCP server will assign IP addresses and other information in response to DHCP client requests. Network administrators who expect to use the TNS DHCP service are required to provide information that the DHCP server will provide to the users. The TNS DHCP server will need the following information from the network administrator. This information should be included on the email request:

    Note: Values shown are: ( default value) [ example value ]

  • The list of addresses to serve in response to DHCP client requests. If addresses are in a contiguous range, then the starting and ending addresses are sufficient. ( no default ) [ 128.118.6.2 - 128.118.6.11, 128.118.6.14 ]
  • The default gateway of the addresses being served. ( no default ) [ 128.118.6.1 ]
  • The subnet mask of the addresses being served. ( no default ) [ 255.255.255.192 ]
  • The subnet broadcast of the addresses being served. ( no default) [ 128.118.6.63 ]
  • The hostname ( no default )
  • The DNS suffix of the addresses being served. ( no default ) [ tns.its.psu.edu ]
  • The ordered list (higher priority first) of DNS servers. ( 128.118.25.3, 130.203.1.4, 128.118.141.32, 146.186.163.66) [146.186.130.2, 128.118.25.3, 130.203.1.4]
  • The ordered list (higher priority first) of log servers. ( no default )
  • The ordered list (higher priority first) of lpr servers. ( no default )
  • The ordered list (higher priority first) of ntp servers. ( clock.psu.edu )
  • The default lease time in seconds to lease the IP addresses being served. ( 180 ) [ 300 ]
  • The maximum lease time in seconds. ( 600 ) [ 900 ]
  • The minimum lease time in seconds. ( 180 ) [ 900 ]

The DHCP server can also return other parameters. For more information, read RFC2131 and then contact dhcp@request.tns.its.psu.edu to investigate further.

After the service is in place for a particular network, additional requests for modification or removal of the DHCP service should be submitted at the web page.



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