DHCP for Multi-hop

Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks

Presented by William List

Problem Statement
DHCP is designed to work on the
wired internet with bridges,
switches and routers
DHCP messages sent from a client
are broadcast, not unicast
Nodes in an ad hoc network need
to know what address to use!

DHCP Basics (RFC 2131)

When a client boots, it attempts to
obtain a usable IP address
A DHCPDISCOVER message is broadcast
to locate available DHCP servers
Server responds with a DHCPOFFER
message containing the new address
DHCPREQUEST and DHCPACK confirm
the assignment

DHCP Relays
A DHCP relay will forward DHCP
messages back and forth between
a client and server
The relay knows the address of the
DHCP server
DHCP packets allow for only one
relay (gateway)

DHCP Packet Format

0
1
2
3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|
op (1)
|
htype (1)
|
hlen (1)
|
hops (1)
|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
|
xid (4)
|
+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|
secs (2)
|
flags (2)
|
+-------------------------------+-------------------------------+
|
ciaddr (4)
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
yiaddr (4)
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
siaddr (4)
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
giaddr (4)
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|
|
chaddr (16)
|
|
|
|
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------+

DHCP Packet Fields

: The clients previous IP
address
yiaddr : The address offered by the
server
giaddr : Relay address
chaddr : Clients hardware address
ciaddr

DHCP Message Exchange

DHCPDISCOVER
Hello!? Id like an IP
address please!

DHCPOFFER
How about
192.168.0.1?

DHCPREQUEST
Sounds good.

DHCPACK
Glad to hear it. Have
fun!

Client

Server

Discover
Offer
Request
ACK

Using a Relay
Client

Relay
Server

0.0.0.0

giaddr:
192.168.0.2

192.168.0.1

The relay can be another host or a router

Solution
Make every node in the network
run the DHCP relay once
configured
Include the DHCP server IP address
in AP beacons
Unicast messages towards DHCP
server rather than broadcasting

Assumptions
Every node in the network can reach
the Access Point
Either directly or through multiple hops

DCHP server(s) assigns IP addresses

Allows for network monitoring and
accounting

Should be able to run over any adhoc routing protocol

Network Model
DHCP Server
192.168.0.130

192.168.0.1
192.168.0.129

192.168.0.128

0.0.0.0

Client Node
Waits for a beacon from an AP
Once the IP address of the DHCP
server is obtained:
Add an entry in routing table
specifying same next-hop as for the
associated AP
Generate a DHCPREQUEST message
Unicast towards DHCP server

Neighboring Nodes
Next hop towards DHCP server
receives the DHCP request from
source
The giaddr field is filled in with the
nodes IP address
Packet is forwarded to DHCP server

Intermediate Nodes
Nodes between the designated
relay node and the DHCP server
Are unaware of the DHCP messages
and simply forwards packets back and
forth

DHCP Server
Access Point must know the IP
address of the DHCP server (for
beacons)
DHCP server uses giaddr as the
destination for responses
Source address must remain 0.0.0.0
IP masquerading and NAT complicated
Best if ad-hoc nodes are on the same
subnet as the DHCP server

Alternate Model
Client broadcasts DHCP messages
Do not need to wait for a beacon

Multiple neighbors serve as relays

Client might receive multiple
responses from the same server
Client will select best offer
Relays unicast to the DHCP server

Other Alternatives
The Access Point knows the
location of the DHCP server
Client could unicast DHCP messages
to AP

Issues
DHCP server probes for used
addresses
ICMP ping packets will be forwarded by
nodes in the ad hoc network
What if the packet is dropped somewhere?

Broadcasting DHCP messages

introduces added network traffic
Address assignment is only done once,
unless the node is highly mobile

Conclusion
DHCP fundamentally works as-is in
a multi-hop environment
Future Work
Run more scenarios
AP could broadcast ping packets
several times for the DHCP server,
rather than just once
Integration with a Internet gateway