DHCP alternate...

[n00bius]

...right, so I work at a college administering a lab of about 80 or so machines, and for whatever reason they won't allow me to use DHCP, some security reason, but we use images, and I wanted to know if there was a way through a script or something another, i could have a text file with every computer's MAC address, hostname, IP information etc, and have the computer set all those settings dependent on the MAC address of the computer at first bootup after being imaged.

[WolfeTone]

Can you not just assign static IPs to each PC?

Well to be honest, you don't really have a choice, if you cannot use DHCP you must use Static IPs.

[Aardpsymon]

well yes, but I believe the question was can the process be automated from a fresh ghost image. Since otherwise all the pcs will have the same ip every time they are ghosted. (and name etc)

[Opus00]

If these are all windows boxes you could use sysprep

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302577

[Nokia]

Let 'em all use the APIPA. That's what it is intended for....as long as you have fewer than 100 hosts and is a single segment LAN you should be OK.

If it is not a single segment LAN then I would start asking questions of why you can't use a DHCP server....although if you know of a valid but free subnet there is no reason why you can't set up your own, just make sure there is a layer 3 device between you and the rest of the LAN to prevent any cross-segment DHCP assignments....

[n00bius]

That's what i was thinking Nokia, i suppose i'll have to do some talking, but i believe that the same media (layer 3 segment) hosts two different subnets because when i set any of the computers to automatically detect settings, they pull an IP address from another subnet. So If I were to set up a DHCP server for my subnet, i'd have to make sure they were on their own layer 3 segment, i.e. all of the computeres connected to the same switch with no other computers and then one uplink to a router?

[SirDice]

and for whatever reason they won't allow me to use DHCP, some security reason,

What reason? I'll agree that servers need static IPs but having static IPs for workstations only means additional work (administrating) and no additional security.

[oofki]

SirDice is right - servers should have static ips and everything else should have dynamic..

[morganlefay]

Servers and printers should have static IPs....

you dont need print jobs roaming around the network looking for the printer

MLF

[Nokia]

servers should have static ips and everything else should have dynamic..

That depends on the size and/or amount of 'everything else'.....